A Quick Chat With Trace Decay

Can you tell me a bit about your single ‘Paradigm’?

Paradigm was written when I was still living in Melbourne and was in and out of constant lockdowns in 2021. There was a window (a couple weeks) where we were out of lockdown and allowed to go out again/ visit friends. I had a close friend from Brisbane playing a show at the Royal Melbourne Hotel one weekend which ended up being a huge night which led directly into a music video I was helping on the next day. It was a 48hr whirlwind of experiences I hadn't felt in such a long time. The connection formed through shared experiences and embracing of the chaos was such a powerful nexus point for me. I remember going home and writing Paradigm in like 1 day because I was so inspired. Paradigm, to me, is a song about embracing your inner chaos and allowing yourself to experience life outside of whatever pattern you’ve found yourself in. 

What are your influences and how do they affect your songwriting?

Something that became really evident to me over the past couple years was how much I relied on relationships and human interaction for influences/inspiration. Sure it's fun locking yourself away in a dark room and going deep into your psyche through music, but without something to balance that side, things can easily become stagnant. One of the biggest influences for me has always been my brothers who were musicians in their day. I also find a lot of influence from my muso friends - it's crazy how much talent there is coming out of Australia atm. 

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with? Why?

There are so many but I’ll try to narrow it down. 

1. Beach House 

2. Day Wave

3. Genesis Owusu

4. Johnny Hunter

5. Telenova

What is your favourite instrument / equipment piece?

My Fender Jaguar guitar which I bought in January. I’d been using the same Fender Tele for like 8 years so when I started playing the new Jag it really opened me up creatively. I’m also a massive sucker for the synth vst  TAL-U-NO-LX - Basically just a bunch of juno sounds :).

If you could only listen to one song for the next month, what would it be?

Slippin Away by LEISURE

What’s one interesting fact that people might not know about you?

When I’m not writing and performing under Trace Decay, I also have an artist mgmt business which I started in 2018 called ‘Submerse’. We manage 2 artists and I love doing it. 

Also, I’m a crazy basketball fan, specifically the nba (go lakers)

If you could change something about the Australian music industry, what would it be?

I would try to boost community radio stations as much as possible to the general public. Ultimately, I’d love there to be a college radio scene similar to America. Sometimes I feel like we get stuck in a bit of a sound bubble in Australia, especially when there's really only one major ‘alt radio’ station (triple j). 

What has been your greatest career highlight so far?

That's a tricky one, there are a few ones that I definitely cherish the most. I’ll go with when I moved to Berlin I got signed to a german electronic label - that was such a cool experience and taught me a lot. 

If you could have any three people over for dinner, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Carl Jung - I’d love to pick his brain extensively about dream interpretations. I’ve read some of his work and it always illuminates so many ideas about conscious and subconscious thought. 

Joseph Mount (Metronomy) - I’ve always been infatuated with Metronomy’s sound and style. It's been a major influence throughout my career so I’d love to sit down with Joe and go deep into his processes. 

Victoria Legrand (beach House) - Beach house has been another huge influence in my career/life and I’ve always been obsessed with vocalist Victoria’s melodies and innovative use of harmonies & haunting lyricism. I’d probably just ask her how she came up with the entire Teen Dream album over and over again. 

What’s next for Trace Decay?

We just released our new single Paradigm, which is out and available everywhere! We have an EP coming out in the coming months with a few extra surprises, so you’ll have to keep an eye on us as it's going to be a busy 2022! There will be some show announcements coming soon for the whole east coast also :)