Interview: DROVES keep it dark
Wollongong’s DROVES have just released their debut single, Time. We had a chat with them about it:
How would you describe your sound?
Dark dance punk.
Tell us about Time…
Time is our very first single. Out of all of our tracks, this one resonated with all of us the most and we felt this needed to be our first impression. It is a pop song written from two different perspectives on how capitalism, stereotypical gender roles and alcohol abuse all play their part in one horribly toxic system. The goal was to write a relatable anthem that would get people to sing about things pop songs don’t usually talk about in hope it brings people together.
Can you tell us a little bit about the meaning and influence behind the song?
We wanted to write something danceable but raw. Similar the way ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ or ‘Under The Milky Way’ does. It is very much the most pop song we’ve ever written but we were aiming to keep it consistently dark.
What is the hardest part of songwriting for you?
Because we do everything in-house and we are all extreme perfectionists I can spend hours and hours mixing just the smallest sample – there’s a track we have coming off our EP that I think I’ve collectively spent about a month just trying to get the right tambourine sound. It gets to the point where we have to get our co-producer David McCann (Early 90’s techno hardware producer) in to save the day and help us sort out things as I’ve spent too long on as it just sounds like noise to me. It’s funny, in the weeks after our mixing period I start analysing the clock ticking on the wall and try to think at how we could EQ it better if possible.
Can we expect an album soon?
Time is the first single from an EP that we plan on releasing early next year. This is a four-track story that’s quite personal and I used it to communicate to my father that passed away. I was 19 when he died, there was lot that was left unsaid but he enrolled in a voluntary cryogenics program that would put his brain in a body once human cloning becomes available. Meaning there’s a possibility he might come back in many many years to come.
Time plays a piece of this story that talks about hereditary patterns, and how there’s similarities even years and years after. There is a lot more to come around this and have a much stronger story to tell about this with our next single to be released around February.
What is your go-to album to listen to at the moment?
Buzz Kull’s Chroma has been on repeat for about a year now
Who are some great Australian bands/artists we should be checking out?
The Nah, Solo Career, Cry Club, Baby Beef, Cody Munro Moore.
If you could collaborate with any artist, in any medium, past or present, who would it be and what would you ideally create?
Enya – we could make atmospheric satanic dance songs.
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DROVES launch their single on Friday 21st December at the Botany View Hotel in Sydney.
Photo by Noah Van Der Veer
