I.F.I.U is out now!
Image: Rudolf Zverina.
Vlossom's Alister Wright and The Jezabels' Samuel Lockwood have teamed up and offered up the debut EP from their collaborative musical project, Goddess911. To celebrate the release of I.F.I.U, the duo sat down to chat amongst themselves about the project for MILKY!
Produced by the duo, the intricate compositions lean into psychedelic pop and acoustic soundscapes, creating a captivating sonic palette that draws you in and holds your attention whilst Wrights vocals float above. The introspective release examines the human psyche and ushers us towards self-acceptance in all its form and shedding preconceived ideas of what we, and the world, should be, instead creating a new realm to flourish within.
The release is accompanied by an additional collection of remixes, featuring contributions from DJ Counselling, Skeleten, Coby Sey and Yu Su.
SAMUEL LOCKWOOD: First question - how are you and are you coming back to Sydney today?
ALISTAIR WRIGHT: Yep! Coming back today... on a plane.
S: Very excited for you to come back and perhaps we can have a session or two when you’re ready. It’s been a pretty interesting and challenging time for you (touring solo with the Goddess911 material and doing sound for KLO [Kelly Lee Owens] throughout the US whilst in deep quarantine). I think you’ve been doing amazing work. I admire your acquisition of live mixing skills - you think that will inform our work with Goddess911?
A: Oh good question! Yeah I think I have picked a new appreciation for bass. I always just thought, you know, make the song work with energy and performance, but now I think it’s fun to treat the PA like an instrument, so you’re playing the bass bins as one instrument, and the LR and fills etc are like the other instruments.
S: Yeah. That’s interesting. I never really understood bass until we played larger venues with the Jezabels. Not that I understand it now in a recording environment - more just understood it’s potential and power. I noticed in the live arrangements of our songs that you created that there was a more simple approach to instrumentation. It’s almost as though you now understand what needs to be there and what could be omitted. I even feel that listening to those arrangements, we will learn from that and perhaps write differently. DJ Counselling’s remix of our song Carrying is sort of a similar situation. Simpler - and you said it worked well live? I suppose a four on the floor is flawless in that context.
A: Yeah I love how live you can have bass quite loud live, so the music hits hard, but you but you feel no pain. Thanks Bob Marley. And by pain I mean the top end.
S: I hate the top end (not Darwin) except for tinkly hats and shakers.
A: The other day you told me you’d just watched all the Hunger Games movies with Heather. Which one was your favourite and why?
S: Ohhh yes. I could go on and on about them, but generally I think they’re beautiful movies in their themes and also I think they achieve a pretty good imaginary of what a future revolution could look like. I think the final movie is my favourite. I’ve read a bit about political revolutions throughout history: some good, some bad. I feel those movies are a metaphor for the impossible journey/trajectory that humans face when seeking to improve their conditions through revolution, and that that trajectory is always seemingly doomed to fail. Somehow Katniss succeeds. Probably for me the exploration of solidarity at all costs is most moving.
You said you were watching some Marvel content - it’s a similar vibe. Using weird and wonderful characters that are parallels in exploring human potential. For some reason we need unreal situations/superheroes to explore problems in the real world. It’s really relevant in what we talked about in creating the thematic world of Goddess 911, I think?
A: I’m going to have to go and watch Hunger Games.
Yeah totally. I remember thinking about the MCU when we were starting, as the opposite of the world we wanted to create in our music. I love watching the movies, and I feel like they’re like a modern mythology that we share… It's just that the underlying ideologies are so limited and belligerent. Like when a character is trying to prove a point, they might make a smarmy comment and then punch someone in the face, for laughs. At the risk of sounding like an earnest millennial, I think we’re trying to do the opposite. But still be laughing. Oh man, Captain America is the worst. He seriously just punches his way out of every situation.
S: Haha. It’s funny I guess that’s the ultimate myth of the U.S. - if they could they’d do that 24/7. As in the U.S. imperialist state.
A: Totally. Actually I think Iron Man is the worst... he’s like a tech billionaire who saves the world. That is not what is happening!
S: haha. Yeah unfortunately.
A: A more accurate movie would be like, a tech billionaire starts a colony on Mars to escape labour laws. And then Katniss starts a revolution. Boom.
S: Exactly! Katniss is pretty much our bands’ patron saint?
A: Haha yeah potentially! Anyway, I’m sorry I have to go and clean the house before we leave to fly back to Sydney in a few hours.
S: What a big move… I’m happy for you to be coming back. I’m really looking forward to doing some more face to face writing. Safe travels and see you soon.
I.F.I.U is out now!
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