A Quick Chat with The Local Romance
For people hearing “Ecdysis” for the first time, what’s the song about?
It’s basically about trying to move on from someone when you know you need to, but you’re still completely stuck on them. You know it’s over, you know you should let it go, but your brain just won’t cooperate. It’s about that really ugly part of heartbreak. Being angry, still missing them, obsessing over everything and replaying things in your head. It’s not really a sad breakup song. It’s more about the frustration of not being able to detach yourself from someone.
The title “Ecdysis” isn’t exactly something you hear every day. How did that come about?
We came across the word and immediately thought it fit. Ecdysis is basically shedding your skin, and that’s pretty much what the song is about. You’re trying to shed this person and everything attached to them, but they’ve become such a big part of you that it actually hurts to get rid of it. It felt like a pretty strange but accurate metaphor.
Was there a particular experience or feeling that kicked the song off?
It was more the feeling than one specific moment. That point where you know something is finished but you’re still holding onto it anyway. I think most people have been there in some way. You can sit there telling yourself you’re completely over someone and then something stupid happens, like hearing a song or remembering something, and suddenly you’re right back thinking about them again. We wanted to write about that instead of pretending moving on is some clean, straightforward process.
Musically, the song feels pretty suffocating. Was that deliberate?
Yeah, definitely. We wanted it to feel like you’re stuck inside your own head. The riffs keep coming back and there’s not really much opportunity to breathe. That was intentional because that’s what the whole thing is about. You keep going over the same thoughts and memories and you just can’t seem to shut them off. So we figured, why not make the listener feel that too?
Did you always know you wanted the track to be this heavy?
The song would have felt strange if we’d made it too clean or polished. There’s a lot of anger in it, so we wanted the guitars and drums to actually sound angry rather than just have angry lyrics sitting over them. But we still wanted those melodic parts because that’s where the vulnerability comes through. We like having both sides of that.
How important was the contrast between the melodic sections and the heavier parts?
Really important! We’re massive fans of that contrast. If everything is heavy all the time, it kind of loses its impact. You need those quieter or more melodic moments so that when everything kicks back in, it actually hits harder. For us, that’s what makes a heavy song hit harder emotionally. I can’t speak too much to lyrical meaning but from an instrumental standpoint if it’s maxed the whole time, it starts to flatten out. The melodic parts give you a chance to come down. So when the weight comes back you feel it again. The heaviness lands different because of what you’ve been through
The lyrics are pretty raw. Was there any hesitation about being that open with the subject matter?
Not really. Once we decided that’s what the song was about, we didn’t really see the point in watering it down. The stuff we’re talking about isn’t particularly flattering either. Resentment, obsession and not being able to let someone go. Nobody really wants to admit they’re feeling that. But that’s kind of why we wanted to talk about it.
Do you think “Ecdysis” is ultimately a song about healing?
I don’t know if we’d call it healing. It’s more like the point where you finally realise you have to let go, even though you’re nowhere near okay with it. There’s no happy ending where everything suddenly feels better. Sometimes moving on just means accepting that someone isn’t coming back and dealing with whatever comes after that.
What’s your favourite part of the finished track?
Probably the parts where everything starts piling on top of each other. There’s a point where the guitars, drums and vocals are all going at once and it feels like the whole thing is about to fall apart. That’s probably our favourite part because it captures what the song is actually about.
What do you hope people take away from “Ecdysis”?
Honestly, whatever they want. If someone hears it and thinks, “I’ve felt exactly like this,” then that’s enough for us. You don’t always need a song to tell you everything is going to be okay. Sometimes it’s just nice hearing someone else put that feeling into words.
Do you think “Ecdysis” represents where The Local Romance are heading?
Yeah, definitely. It feels like a pretty good snapshot of where we’re at right now. We’re getting more comfortable with pushing the heavy stuff while still keeping the melody and atmosphere. We don’t really want to put ourselves in a box and say this is what we’re allowed to sound like.
Finally, what do you want people to know before they press play on “Ecdysis”?
Don’t expect a happy little breakup song. It’s angry, it’s heavy and it’s basically three and a half minutes of trying to rip someone out of your head.
The Local Romance Headlining Halloween Party Night At Tomcat Brisbane On 31st Oct
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