One of Perth’s favourite indie-pop duos, The Money War are here to remind us that somebody loves YOU with their beautifully crafted single ‘Somebody Loves You’. With two albums and three EP’s under their belts and appearances at eponymous SXSW, BIGSOUND and much more, the musical and romantic chemistry of Carmen Pepper and Dylan Ollivierre is remarkable. It’s apt that they’ve brought us this feel-good instant classic that explores that undeniable force of love. We caught up with Dylan to find out more about the track and what else he likes to get up to.

Can you tell us what this track means to you and what you want people to take away from it?

For me the song is just one of those songs that makes you feel good. I love soulful pop music where the message is right there and not trying to be too clever about it. I hope the song brings some positivity to people and some joy.

Who are some of your influences and why?

On this song and in general the biggest influences are the people that we consider really great melodic songwriters. There's the obvious ones but then there's others like Emitt Rhodes and Dion and Dan Penn that younger people may not have dug into. We both just love really soulful melodic music that leans on the song rather than too much production.

What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?

We have a home studio and I work as a producer/writer full time so our process is very DIY all the way through. The songs are usually written on a guitar or piano and we work really hard to make them feel strong in a stripped back form. When the initial idea for the song comes there's usually a production style in my mind that comes along with it. So after the bones of the song are down, then it's fleshing it out in whatever way the song feels like it wants to be. There are usually a few different versions of the song done before we settle on one to release - The dangers of being able to open that recording session whenever you want!

What do you think makes a great song?

Conviction/honesty, melody/harmony, lyric, production that doesn't ruin the song. By the last point I mean; I think a song can still be great if it's recorded badly, but sometimes too much production can actually kill the song.. well at least cover over the song so it's hard to identify it as a great song. I think the 80's was pretty guilty of that. But yeah... something that feels authentic, has a good melody and a lyric that hits home... that's my idea of a great song.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

Oooh tough one! I think it'd have to be Lindsey Buckingham. I've studied his writing and production so much and it'd be awesome to get in the room with him to see his thought process.

When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?

I like cooking and gardening. I like making stuff like furniture. I'm pretty good at finding little projects around the house to solve and get stuck into.

Who are some local bands we should check out?

Joan and the Giants, Little Guilt, Mia June, Sash Seabourne

Winter or summer and why?

Summer for sure. The beach!

What do you have planned for 2023?

We have some exciting stuff on the way!

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A Quick Chat With The Money War