A Quick Chat with Harley
A Quick Chat With Harley:
Harley wears his heart on his sleeve with Tell Me You Love Me, an infectious indie rock anthem that turns self-doubt into something impossible not to sing along to. The Brisbane-based artist blends driving guitars, airy synths, and feel-good energy into a track that captures the restless search for reassurance, whether in love, life, or creative pursuit. We caught up with Harley to talk about the single, its deeper meaning, and more.
Can you tell us what this track means to you and what you want people to take away from it?
โTell Me You Love Meโ is a search for validation and fulfilment. Something I think we all feel but instead put on a brave face and ignore. I wrote the lyrics as a lover who is pleading with his partner to say that they still love each other. He starts questioning himself, โIs there something that I missed?โ. He spirals and falls into the rabbit hole. On the surface, thatโs all there is to the song. However, I love when songs have double meanings and can be interpreted by the listener in multiple ways. I think for me the song serves in the light of a musician searching for fans and validation. Seeking sold out shows, people who truly connect with the music and perhaps the strength to be unapologetically goofy and weird.
I wanted this song to truly stand out from my previous releases. This indie/rock/pop sound I havenโt done before and I wanted a song people could just have a proper boogie to. I want people to feel comfortable and able to be their true selves at my shows and this song is all about that.
Who are some of your influences, and why?
Some of my favourites are: Holy Holy, Sam Fender, The Vanns and Briston Maroney. Be it their intimate songwriting and storytelling abilities, or the production side of things creating soundscapes that fully immerse you. All of these artists have had an impact on me and inspired me to create something that Iโm passionate about.
What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?
It usually starts with just me, an acoustic and a notepad. Either I have a specific story I want to tell or just mindless words pour out until I donโt know what Iโm really saying until the song is done. I find it very therapeutic finding meanings in my lyrics that even I didnโt realise were there at first.
I would then take the song to the rest of the band and we go from there, but recently Iโve really enjoyed creating the whole song in Logic as a demo. That way I can create exactly the vibe I want and paint the picture I see in my head before we head to the studio and rerecord everything with the nice, shiny equipment.
What do you think makes a great song?
I think something I learned from Mumford & Sons (one of my other favourite bands) was the campfire test. If you can play the song by yourself with a guitar around a campfire and itโs still good, youโve got a good song on your hands. Other than that, I think any good song just needs to make you feel something. Whatever emotion itโs trying to portray, if you feel it, itโs done itโs job.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
One of my all time idols is Oscar Dawson from Holy Holy. I absolutely love his guitar work but even more so his production skills. The level of detail he adds to a mix is insane. One day Iโd love to work with him and see how he could help elevate my music.
When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?
When Iโm not playing music I love rock-climbing, itโs nice to turn off the outside world for a couple hours and focus on problem solving a boulder, plus itโs fun. Aside from that I love building things, I think it came from lego as a kid, but occasionally Iโll re-stain furniture, build a case for my pedalboard or make something out of wood that I thought would be handy. Iโve also recently found a love for painting. My partnerโs an artist and she inspired me to start like I did with the cover art for โTell Me You Love Meโ. Itโs really cool to make a physical copy of what I imagined, and I think Iโll do a lot more of it in future.
Who are some local bands we should check out?
Happy Valley, Pigeon Pleasers and Bean Magazine are the first that come to mind. Theyโre all great at what they do and are real genuine people.
Winter or summer and why?
Oh thatโs actually tricky. I love being outside and exploring in the sun, but thereโs something about cold winters that I do really enjoy. I often find cold days inside a great time to write or create. Plus if itโs cold you can rug up and stay warm, whereas if itโs hot you just sweat which sucks.
What else do you have planned for the year?
Well itโs all hush hush at the moment, but I am really excited for whatโs to come! โTell Me You Love Meโ is the second of three singles Iโm releasing off my upcoming Debut EP. Having never released a large body of work like this before itโs been really fun piecing it together to create something that feels authentically me.