Ah, Christmas is just around the corner! Children are waiting anxiously in their beds straining their little ears for the faintest hints of hooves on the roof. Parents are anxiously trying to wrap parents silently before their nosey kids stumble upon reality and have their childish wonder abolished at age six (like a certain Happy editor). Regardless of religious importance and messages of togetherness we’re all in it for one thing; presents. We all love getting fucking presents, and don’t you dare try deny it. So it is with utmost joy that we get to share an early christmas present with everyone everywhere as we premiere the fun new video for Mama Said from Brisbane’s The Worriers!
The Worriers come out to play with a new video and exclusive Q&A!
The latest offering from the four piece is another self-produced effort that boasts the band’s polished pop-rock sound that has seen them slowly but surely gain traction in the muso world. Now usually I’d ramble on about the song and the video, but today we have a special treat in the form of a quick interview we did with the guys to talk the video, as well as the process of producing your own music and how to stay relevant in such an unforgiving industry. Check it out and and the premiere for Mama Said below!
HAPPY: So tell me about Mama Said. How did you turn the concept of the song into what it is now, and how did things change in the writing and recording process?
THE WORRIERS: The song was initially presented to the band by Michael (vocalist) as a fairly complete idea – lyrics, melodies and form were pretty well established. We changed seemingly very little from when we first heard it but as is often the case, it’s the last 10% that really cements the idea…devil’s in the details and all that. The changes were things like small structure and individual part adjustments…just fine tuning.
HAPPY: The song is also self-produced and self-recorded, what was the reason for this?
THE WORRIERS: Mostly because we liked the idea of doing it that way. I’ve got a background in recording and production so it was within our abilities to do it without anyone else on tech duties.
HAPPY: What is the experience like being responsible for so many aspects of the recording process? I’d imagine it would be stressful, yet rewarding too?
THE WORRIERS: It was fairly natural. The process of recording bands is a familiar one to me, so I could approach as I would any other project. It was pretty smooth sailing, given there was no executive decision maker as there would be with a third-party producer/engineer…we handled it pretty diplomatically. We opted to have it mixed elsewhere, which I think made for a good balance of our involvement…it’s worthwhile having the fresh perspective somewhere along the line.
HAPPY: Indie rock with pop infusions is fairly popular at the moment, and as well all know remaining relevant in this business is a tough gig. So what kind of challenges does this present for you guys, and how do you try to overcome them?
THE WORRIERS: The same challenges as everyone else I suppose. As you say, it’s a fairly popular, even ubiquitous description of bands, so it does bring about the question of how you can possibly cut through in such an over-saturated marketplace. But at the end of the day, that’s not a challenge that’s unique to indie/pop bands. Even more niche artists that may be able to tap into a more dedicated community of followers from the start will eventually hit the bottleneck. For us, I just think we try to put aside any notion of trying to follow trends. Maybe someone on the outside would hear our music and think the exact opposite…I dunno, it’s hard to know how you’re perceived. But in all honesty, we just write music that resonates with us. I think that’s important. Having conviction in our creative output, cards on the table…that kinda mentality is our way of not being deterred by these challenges.
HAPPY: 2014 is coming to a close, if there was one moment from this year that defines The Worriers, what would it be and how has it shaped who you are as a band?
THE WORRIERS: It’s difficult to pinpoint a single moment…there were lots of highlights, lots of firsts. There were two shows in particular, at The Zoo and The Milk Factory in Brisbane (I can’t narrow it down to one, sorry!) that were similarly amazing experiences. We’re a relatively new band so it’s incredibly humbling to have people come to shows and take the chance on us. These two shows had better receptions than we could have hoped for and were a huge boost to our confidence.
HAPPY: Looking forward, what does 2015 hold for The Worriers?
THE WORRIERS: We’re going to be releasing our first EP as early in the year as possible. Probably March or April. Aside from that, we’ll be touring a bunch more, just keeping on building it up.
HAPPY: Final question, we at Happy write about what gives us the warm and fuzzies, so what makes you Happy?
THE WORRIERS: The fact that my mum and dad still come to pretty much every show.
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