Following the release of their highly anticipated debut EP, we caught up with Lucy from Australian-born Brighton-based indie-rock band The Wattles to get the lowdown on their latest release and their experiences of being an Australian band based in the UK.
Your debut EP Fooled has just been released to much anticipation. How does it feel to finally share this project with the world, and what does the EP represent for you as a band?
It’s such a special body of work for us. Not only because we are really proud of each track, but also because we won the recording opportunity to make it a reality and as well we’ve entirely released it abroad in the UK.
It feels like the culmination of our songwriting, and style developing, after years of playing live and releasing music. This feels the most aligned to what we’re working to.
The title track of Fooled reflects on the pervasive nature of social media. What inspired you to write about this theme?
I (Lucy) wrote this about a feeling of frustration I was feeling towards social media and how it fuels narcissism. It felt quite hypocritical for people to talk about self love but not the other side of that. Watching influencers always speaking so introspectively and documenting everything in their world and about them just felt so odd to me. There’s so many important issues if you get out of your own head and it kind of bothers me how detached these people have become from connection, community and wider perspectives. In saying that I can be guilty of it myself but it’s how easy it is to slip into, that irks me most.
As well, the subtle nature of advertising is just so odd. Telling an emotional story and then having product placement… feels very dystopic for me.
You’ve described the track as addressing the dystopian aspects of social media and consumerism. How important is it for you as a band to tackle such contemporary issues in your music, and what do you hope listeners take away from this message?
I guess I answered above a little but I think artists have a real opportunity to criticise and raise questions about things. Just because its status quo doesn’t make it right. I’ve always worked in politics and activist spaces so it’s natural it comes through in my lyrics. I honestly struggle to write if I don’t care.
What is incredible is how the rest of the band pulls that emotion or motivation I feel and mimic that when writing their parts. It feels like the music complements the message – and that’s a beautiful thing.
I wish I could say more about certain issues but it’s finding the right words to say them, which takes time for me.
How would you describe your musical style, and how has it evolved since you first started as a band?
We’ve changed a fair bit since starting out. James and I were first a duo and then progressed into a band version with a fair bit of an acoustic, singer-songwriter energy. Now I’d say we’re a female-fronted indie rock band that prioritises interesting melodies, compelling vocals and climatic, genre-blending music. I’ve always been influenced by Florence and the Machine and The Jezabels kind of acts but the rest of the band plays heavy and or electronic music so there’s a fair bit of influence there too.
Honestly I don’t think we have a specific style but we are liking the direction we’re going – playing slightly heavier and more emotive music – at the same time.
Fooled features a rich blend of instruments, creating a sound that is both powerful and atmospheric. Can you share more about the instrumentation and arrangement choices you made for this EP?
We won a recording package to get the track down at Golden Retriever Studios in Sydney. This was an incredible space and a lot of the unique sound can be attributed to the equipment and skill of Simon Berckelman.
We recorded live to piano, and overlaid organ, synth and electric keyboard to help with some of the texture and worked pretty hard to find the right guitar tone, mix of distortion, delay and clarity. Same for bass and drums, it was all really carefully captured.
Vocally, it was important to overdub backing that helped lift the track and we did this at our home studio.
The music video for ‘Fooled’ uses striking visual imagery to explore the theme of social media’s smothering nature. How did the concept for this video come about, and what was the experience like working with the film team?
Randomly, a few weeks before moving abroad I ran into Jess and Harleigh the filmmakers after having gone to school with Jess and we connected about music and film. They let us know they were coming over to the UK so we loosely planned to collaborate.
It was just sheer luck that it could all work out on the day it did and my friend Erica Stubbs who is an incredible dancer was free to help out.
Jess had to her film camera with her so we shot to 12 minutes of 16mm film. The idea was decided a few days before and so I ordered the sheet of silver.
We wanted to play with the idea of a smothering ‘mirror’ as the song talks about the insidious consumerism and narcissism that takes place on our screens so casually. At the end you see Erica breaking free from the mirror which I think is an important message.
We shot in one day around south east London and we are thrilled how it turned out. Both Harleigh and Jess are such incredible artists in their field and it was a huge privilege to have collab’d.
Since relocating to the UK, you’ve headlined shows across the UK. How has the UK live music scene influenced your performances, and how do you connect with your audience during live shows?
That’s a really interesting question. I guess naturally we’ve changed as a band moving over, and with each release that helps you develop. Like perhaps the growing up and in different ways may come out subliminally in our shows. If anything I feel like I’ve gained more confidence and enjoyed connecting with new audiences abroad. The Australian music scene and Sydney scene in particular felt quite pub / surf-rocky in ways. That’s fine for some but when I’m singing my ballad parts of my tracks, it didn’t quite work. I find the live spaces here feel a bit more aligned and to rock up and play to new crowds, with new bands, has been really exciting. I think the indie scene here it’s pretty dynamic, I’m constantly in awe of other acts.
I’d say we are potentially more driven here as well because it’s harder starting from scratch so we need to work harder and we also want to make the most of it.
Your lyrics are deeply introspective and resonate with listeners on an emotional level. How do you approach songwriting, and what themes do you find yourself returning to in your music?
Lyrics for me have always been a really forefront for songwriting. I am really moved by words that resonate. This is likely from my poetry, creative writing background.
Sometimes I write the songs really quickly and other times I’ll do many many edits. The Wrong Idea which I wrote about my own experiences with sexual assault almost fell onto the page and I did it in about 15 minutes. Others can take time. I don’t like to rush this so I’ll have some substitute words as a home.
I find it easy, like most of us, to write from my own perspective but I would like to do more writing from other perspectives in the future. The themes, they are things I’m thinking about, it’s not as intentional or strategic, it’s really what’s on my mind. I like that our music is almost documents my every thoughts, at specific times.
I used to write lyrics that were hard to decode but now I prefer to say it how it is and explain the feeling.
I write a lot about anxiety, environmental or social injustice, and interpersonal relationships, it is easy for me to write about these from experience.
With the release of your debut EP, what are your next steps as a band? Are there any upcoming projects, tours, or musical directions you’re particularly excited about?
We’re now set to record our next track Nothing To See, a song I am really proud of.
We’re organising more shows and to be honest I want to spend a fair bit of time writing and working hard on this side of the band. I’m looking forward to reducing hours in my day job so I can really push forward with some ideas of ours.
Looking back on your journey from Australia to the UK and the release of Fooled, what have been the most memorable moments for The Wattles so far, and what lessons have you learned along the way?
Playing the headline show at 93 Feet East to a packed room when we first arrived felt incredible and a huge milestone.
Releasing the tracks, and sometimes often juggling our normal life and money pressures, felt like an achievement in itself.
The EP launch recently in London was super special and it was heaven to play alongside touring Australian band Holiday Mystics.
There’ve been some hilarious and tragic memories since coming over inevitably – like bringing my heavy keyboard on the tube before gigs in peak hour and playing shows we didn’t get paid for, but that’s all character building.
Lessons:
A lot of promoters in the UK do not have bands’ best interest at heart. And don’t care about paying you it seems.
Our music is something to be proud of. You can forget when you feel stagnant in another phase but here people are making a real effort to come up to us after shows and express that. Means a lot.
Songwriting will come when you feel mentally and emotionally ready for it.
Never compare your journeys to others acts. And celebrate your mates.
It’s just enjoyable going to as many gigs as we can and enjoying the scene while we’re here. There’s so many incredible bands and communities and now we’re in Brighton as well so want to make the most of it.