What’s next for Openfire?

So Openfire., love the new track, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
How would you describe your music?

Thank you! We’re super glad you love it. We really are just a band of brothers that have found this balance of being totally ridiculous and ourselves around each other, while also pushing each other in a musical sense. All of the stuff that we make draws from all of our backgrounds while still pushing forward into creating something new. Our music sits very much in the Pop and R&B world, however you’ll find elements of Rock, Soul, Jazz and even moments of Classical music in there...all this to say, we are together and united and what we do, whether that’s going out for ice cream or recording a song that draws on all those different styles. 

Tell us about Wonderland, what’s the story of this track (Where was it recorded etc.)?

The whole track was recorded in our home studio set up, which has become our little sanctuary (especially after the craziness of this year!). Having a space where we can explore any and every idea means we’re unrestricted in what we do and how we create, which for a song as far reaching as Wonderland came in handy! After we tracked all the parts, the song was mixed and mastered by Alex Mader of DiskEdits. He really helped us take our timid demo and make it the colourful and relentless song we ended up with.

Can you tell ud a bit about your inspiration for Wonderland?

Wonderland is all about asking yourself a question - What is it you want most in your life, and how much would you give to get it? It’s a reminder to hold on, even when your senses tell you to turn back. It draws on the voice of the Cheshire Cat, the wonder and unpredictability of going after your dreams, and on a whole lot more besides. 

For us personally, it was a question of how badly do we want our dream in music to happen. Almost like a warning that doubles as a mantra to live by - you’ll make it if your will is strong. Ultimately, it’s a reminder to chase what matters and don’t let anyone or anything stop you. 

What was the creative process for putting Wonderland down?

It’s kind of funny because Wonderland was born out of Harry getting a new guitar pedal and us just messing with it - which became the reverse delay that starts the song. Initially, we had the chords and the effect but a very different groove. It was much slower and moodier. Luka had the idea to take the track out of that place and bring it up to a much quicker tempo with a groove that drives the song all the way through. Once we had that, the song very much fell into place, with all of us finding a way to shine in different moments of the song.

Would you ever collaborate on a track? With whom?

There’s a lot of artists that we look up to and would love to collaborate. There’s the wishlist of people like Tom Misch, Lady Gaga, Arctic Monkeys, Frank Ocean...but even artists that we either have a relationship with or know through others like Matilda Pearl, ARIES, Pinkish Blu, Electric Fields...too many.

When did you all start playing together?

         To answer that, it’s actually probably better to establish first that we all met studying business degrees about 2 years ago. None of us first encountered each other as musicians, but purely as miserable first-year university students. And that was really special for us - we became friends and family first before we were a band. Of course, it didn’t take long until we all found we were into music (you can imagine our reaction when we found out Harry played cello), and then we very quickly started playing together. At first we just wanted to jam, and then we started writing songs...and the rest if history!

How has your music evolved since you first began playing together?

         From our debut album Reverie to now there’s actually been way more growth than we ever imagined. In our first album we were very much four boys who were so in love with the family that we were forging, that we threw music together at an honestly amazing rate for people who had just met. Each of us come from different backgrounds and styles of music so album one feels a little bit like a honeypot of everything thrown together, whereas now we have found our footing and confidence in writing music that’s more direct, more challenging and less afraid to push boundaries.

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

       One of the things we love about the Australian music scene is that it feels less like a competition and more focused on artists helping and looking out for each other. There’s a real love for music, art and each other, and that’s really special. If we had to change something in that, it would purely be just to make the industry (in terms of contacts and in terms of experience) more accessible. When we first started out, both individually and collectively, we learnt a lot of things by trial and error, and so to be able to share where what works and what doesn’t on a wider scale I think would really benefit both new artists and experienced ones.

Do you have anything that you would like to add? 

Thank you for taking the time to chat to us, and thank you to the reader for reading! We’re really thankful and humbled by the reaction the singles been getting in press and on socials, and we just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s come along for the ride.

What’s next for Openfire.? 

         There is so much on the horizon for 2021! This year for us meant we couldn’t play shows, but we could write...so there’s plenty of new music on the way! We just finished filming a new video (keep your eyes out for that) and are going to be filming another one in the next couple months. It’s all happening at the moment and we cannot wait for you to see it all!