Oh My My doesn’t sit still – interview

Working under the Oh My My moniker, Sydney producer and songwriter Sam Thomlinson, who you may recognise from Bad Pony, has been able to dive deep into some dark and broody soundscapes, while making music that is bound to get bodies moving and speakers shaking. We have a chat with him:

Hello there Sam. How’s your day been? What’s up in the world of the Oh My My project?
My day has been bloody good. Slaved away at work, had a couple of breaks to sit on the piano and work on some songs… and tonight I’ve been working with Kitrich on the live show, which is coming along awesomely.

Speaking of your project, you’ve obviously started up marching to the beat of your own drum separately to your couple of years in Bad Pony. How comes? What compelled you to break away and find your own voice? Bad Pony are still alive and neighing, right… I heard you guys just played South By South West? Have the rest of the band been really supportive, and are they planning any separate ventures of their own?
I just don’t like sitting still. Same goes for writing music. I was writing all this dark electronic stuff, not really thinking I would do much with it. Then all of a sudden I was like ‘fuck it, I’m going to persue this’. I have so many friends that can lend their voices and ears, so it ended up coming together reasonably quickly. Bad Pony are definitely still kicking… harder than ever. But this just gives me a fun outlet that’s completely different to the Pone. Actually, I wouldn’t just call it an outlet. I’m really loving doing it. Everyone’s been really supportive. Especially Jarred. He may even feature on an upcoming tune 😉

Also, SXSW was the best week ever.

Jarred has been writing a tonne of music, so there’s definitely a possibility of other projects for him.

Did you trial any solo stuff when you were away? What’s been the process of trial and error whilst you’ve been finding your own sound with Oh My My? Is what you want to achieve with OMM completely different?
I have a small network of reliable friends around me who I send every little idea to. It’s a pretty quick way to see if what I’m writing is worth my effort. I’m really obsessed with having surprising elements in songs, and that’s a big part of OMM. Whether it’s a surprising chord, or just twisting weird harmony, I want there to be something different about the music.

Sometimes when you’ve been playing guitar for 15 years, it gets hard to write. Everything you play just sounds familiar. Writing on piano for OMM changed that. At times I’d put my phone on record, close my eyes and just hit random notes on the piano and sing to see if something cool came out. Surprisingly, it worked… sometimes.

Why only 1 song on Spotify right now? It makes life very hard for us poor journalists.
I am very sorry. Haha. But there will be more. A lot more. There’s over an album’s worth of stuff finished. It’s just a matter of figuring out a plan of attack. And choosing the right songs to release.

Your music with OMM has been described as ‘broody’ and ‘eerie’, and I think it’s got a colder quality that’s really contrast to the sunshiney, melodic vibe of Sydney, and of Sydney’s local music scene to date. Where did you find your influence for the new single? And how do you think it’ll resonate with people, how do you want it to?
I really love bands like silverchair and queens of the stone age. They have really obscure harmony at times, but they still draw you in with catchy melodies and ideas. I really want OMM to follow this mantra.

I’ve had a lot of discussions with friends about human nature and how we aren’t always as ‘good’ as we want to be and how we all make mistakes. Sometimes huge ones. But they don’t have to define us. Basically everyone is just a mixed bag of good and bad. I know that’s a weird thing to translate to music, but I’m trying. If there’s a lyrical moment that needs expressing in the music, I’ll try and do it.

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Interview by Cherry Anna Brearley.