A Quick Chat with Civic Video

Congratulations on the release of your debut EP ‘Making Room For Others’! How long has the process been from start to finish? How does it feel finally having this out in the world?

Thank you! We started in the studio around November last year and had all the masters ready by July this year. We worked on it on and off during that period, but we spent a pretty good chunk of that 8-month period getting these songs ready. That might sound like a really long time, but we were having so much fun we didn’t want to stop. It's a bit daunting having these songs out in the world; this EP was our baby for so long. It's gonna feel strange having other people hear it - but truthfully, I’m so bloody excited. Each track we put out has become a real highlight in the live set, and so I can’t wait for people to hear the rest of them and create their own relationships with the songs.

Can you give us a bit of insight into the inspiration or wider themes behind the EP? What would you say is your favourite track?

This EP really feels like a darker turn for us sonically and lyrically. In the past the tunes sometimes feel like they have been the sum of my influences but this EP feels like what I have to give to the world, and I tried to be super honest and vulnerable throughout the process. The songs touch on grief, mortality, loss and hope - all themes that I have really been thinking about during the writing process. It changes a lot but my favourite track at the moment is the title track ‘Making Room For Others’. This one really sums up the whole EP. It has this awesome ‘Snow Patrol-like’ build that just feels so good when we play it live. I also think its some of the best writing lyrically that I’ve ever done. Maybe i am growing up, eh?

I saw you’re going on tour in October and November. What can fans expect from your live show?

The live show is a big step up from previous tours. Fans can expect a bigger and more immersive version of what we’ve always done live. We’ve put a lot of work into the production side of the show, and it’s really allowed us to take things to another level. Everything feels tighter and more powerful.

There are a lot of little details happening behind the scenes that you might not necessarily notice, but you definitely feel the difference in the room. We’ve spent a lot of time making sure the show flows really well and that every part of it hits the way we want it to.

We also give out disposable cameras at each show, so fans can capture the night from their perspective. It’s become a really cool way for us to see the shows through the eyes of the people in the room, and also see lots of bathroom selfies and photos of the floor.

You’ve played some giant Australian festivals in Lost Paradise and Woodford Folk Festival, how were those experiences?

It’s pretty wild playing those big festivals - especially Lost because we played it when we were still relatively green. Everything is just so much bigger, and seeing your face on the massive screen side of stage is a bit of a wig-out. We had some fun though, and we are super grateful for that opportunity. Woodford is a crazy one because we played like 5 times over 7 days, staying in tents that were like the temperature of the sun, but the crowds were so receptive, and it truly is a beautiful place up there. Got to see San Cisco as well, which was awesome.

Any advice you’d give to aspiring musicians who look up to you and your success so far?

Try to be nice to people (when you can) because so much of the industry is word of mouth. Also, know when to stop playing so many shows, getting your live chops up at the start is essential, but be a bit more intentional about why you should play a certain show and whatnot. Pay more if you can for good production because the tunes are gonna be there forever, and you want them sounding the best they can. But I am certainly no expert. We’re still figuring it out, so maybe don’t listen to me. I've heard people say “Make TikToks” or something. Maybe that's it…