Sydney four piece Upskirts have been going from strength to strength lately. Their single Nothing Happens In Roseville has been getting plenty of radio love, with the boys working their asses off in and out of the studio. Now they’re on the cusp of releasing their third EP Barely Moving, and to celebrate the release everyone in the band, except Mitch, took some time out to reveal the inner workings of each song in this exclusive track by track.
Sydney’s Upskirts reveal all in this exclusive track by track of their third EP Barely Moving. What really happens in Roseville? Read on to find out.
Where
Numero uno. This is a choon about asking the question, “Where?” The song is kind of two songs in one, and was built up from a scrappy demo made by Tom and a GNARLY fuzz drone guitar sound Harry found within an octave pedal. There was always a vision that there was going to be this massive key change right in the middle it. It kinda lends itself to those feelings of aimlessness and confusion that the lyrics deal with. Maybe that’s just lazy songwriting. We like to think its not, but whatever you reckon.
Open Yourself To The Sky
One of our favourite songs on the record, we love playing this one live. Tom, whilst writing this one, hit a wall and didn’t want to go down the whole ‘repeat the verse, double the chorus’, common boring song structure trap. Sure, we repeated the chorus, but only after we whack you in the dick with Harry’s guitar noises. Oh! You like this stripped back balladeering? BLAM. Power chords and scary choirs. Have some tinnitus you c**t.
Swirling
This is the song that you can listen to on repeat when at the gym. You won’t work out or anything, just check out your naturally large shoulders in the mirror and laugh at all the people lifting stuff. Ugh, they’re so weird. What’s the deal? Like, no one cares if you’re muscley or anything. Idiots. Anyway, this is another song with a big ol’ CHOP in the middle. The first half is all eerie and like “Oooh time is running out” and the second half is about Nick fondling a hippie or something.
We Could Be A Team
This is what happens when a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking maniac/legend with a knack for guitar sounds produces a song for some scatterbrained morons who swoon to MBV. Seriously this song sounds like there are 20 guitars playing at once, and that’s the way’s we like’s it! Imagine a guy with hair parted down the middle, wearing a brown skivvy with jeans and sneakers. He has a hunchback and he doesn’t move his hands when he walks. Imagine trying to have a conversation with this goober, but he just has this glazed-over look in his eye. This song is the sound he has running though his head, over and over.
Nothing Happens In Roseville
WRONG. Plenty happens in Roseville. This song takes place there, for example! It’s a fantastic sojourn to rose-lined avenues basking sweetly in the happy, happy sun. It’s the longest song and the most dynamic: we want to take you on a journey of raw emotion. The roses have thorns on them! The world is a vampire. Duhnuhnuh duhh duuh duuuh. Violence. Danger. All you sheeple gtfo. NOBODY GETS ME. MUM YOU FORGOT THE LUNCHABLES I HATE YOU. Frown emoticon.
Minds A Burden
This one! This is everything special about the ridiculous noise we make as a band in the form of a decent pop song that we could honestly see Nicki Minaj singing. Like, she’s heaps famous now, but about three years ago when she was still a bloke she definitely could have had this as a B-side. This also marks the beginning of our relationship with our producer Tim G Carr, what a boss!
Moving Slowly
Our (wannabe) Beatles moment. Tom had a whole bunch of crazy ideas going into the recording of this choon and we pulled it off, right at the last minute! Hooray!! In fact, half the tracks were left out of this record because it was getting too long winded and ‘flowery’. You know those people who say they don’t like Pink Floyd? Well, I’m not one of them: I think they’re tops. But there’s a time and place for making rambling rajas about smoking weed and disconnecting. Maybe a Moving Slowly Pt. 2 will appear on the next release. It will probably sound terrible and bore anyone who listens to it to death, but life is a journey and you never know where its going to take you. Be inspired.
You can pre-order Barely Moving here.
