Interview: Blush crafts melancholic magic with gritty, dreamy sound

HAPPY: What are you up to today?

BLUSH: It’s a Sunday, a day off for me.

I am at my mum’s house in the Dandenong Ranges, currently editing the music video for our new track ‘Madonna’ with my friend Buster.

HAPPY: Tell us a little bit about where you’re from, what do you love about it?

BLUSH: I’m from Naarm/Melbourne and I grew up here! It’s such a beautiful and diverse city, it’s hard not to feel lucky.

HAPPY: What are three songs you currently have on repeat?

BLUSH: I have been playing ‘When I’m Small’ by Phantogram. Non. Stop.

It’s true, 2010s nostalgia is back.

On this note, ‘Love’s Boy’ by Sol Seppy has been on constant repeat for the last few months.

I found the track after we recorded the EP, which was strange because it felt like it had unknowingly informed a lot of our stylistic choices.

A very recent one is ‘Crushing’ by Eartheater.

God, everything about her project is just so cool.

HAPPY: Your new single ‘Madonna’ represents a departure from your previous sound with its heavier, more rage-filled elements.

What inspired this sonic shift from the mellower tones of ‘Burning?’

BLUSH: Burning has felt like the introduction to Blush in many different ways.

It was the track that formed that band, established our tone and informed us what would follow.

‘Madonna’ was like an extreme response to that.

‘Madonna’ was an exploration of even grittier tonal elements and seeing how we could push that.

We wanted the track to sonically match the subject matter, and represents a kind of growing up that the lyrics are talking about.

I remember we spent A LOT of time making sure the outro felt momentous and big; it needed to communicate the unleashing and letting go of anger.

HAPPY: You describe ‘Madonna’ as “a call to the protagonist’s younger self.”

How does this theme of confronting past versions of yourself manifest in your creative process?

BLUSH: When I’m writing, it’s usually a pretty cathartic experience of acceptance and coming to terms.

I think every song on the upcoming EP is definitely a stage of reflection on a very real and visceral experience.

I find it interesting to write about something in hindsight, be analytical yet vulnerable.

Usually by the time I get to the end of the process of writing, recording, producing etc. I almost feel removed from the situation entirely.

HAPPY: As a Naarm-based band, how has the local music scene influenced your unique fusion of punk, new-wave, shoe-gaze, and melancholic pop?

BLUSH: I feel incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by so many talented and unique artists and this project was created from those people.

When Winton, Ryan and I first started working on this project, it was truly an amalgamation of our interests and musical backgrounds.

We’ve been able to incorporate our respective genres and use instrumentation that is just abstract enough to make it our own I think.

Also being encompassed by not only so many inspirational bands but ones who are close to home, I mean we’re just so so lucky.

I remember seeing Dust, Garage Sale and Armlock and how much it affirmed that this is what I wanted to be doing.

HAPPY: How excited are you about ‘Madonna’ being out in the world?

BLUSH: Mostly just relieved, I thought it was going to be a lot more anxiety inducing but it’s funny how quickly it becomes normal to have such a personal thing out in the world.

We were especially excited for this release because it is a bit of a departure from the sound we have established and it felt like an unexpected follow up.

But we can’t really express how psyched we are that this song is yours now.

HAPPY: What was the recording process like for ‘Madonna’ compared to ‘Burning’?

Did your approach to instrumentation or production change significantly?

BLUSH: We initially recorded these songs fairly close together, though we quickly realised that ‘Madonna’ required incredibly different production.

We realised we were going into a new kind of sub-genre with this track.

We knew that the layers needed to feel dense and a bit lush but that certain elements needed to punch through.

Like drums were one of those parts we agonised over for a few weeks.

I remember the outro was one of those parts we kept continuously adding to.

We would take a step back and focus on other tracks and then listen to ‘Madonna’ again, and be like ‘I think this could be bigger.’

HAPPY: Who are some of your key musical influences that have shaped Blush’s distinctive sound, particularly for this new single?

BLUSH: I remember really fondly, almost one of the first things we did when figuring out this project, was sitting in

Winton’s kitchen and showing each other tracks and saying ‘I’ve always wanted to make something like this.’

I think because Blush was a bit of a departure from what we had worked on in the past, it was really important to  articulate the different elements that were going to shape the project.

I remember immediately, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Portishead, Fontaines D.C and Mazzy Star came up.

So we keep being really chuffed whenever we get the comparison.

Though I also think what really drew the inspiration was how we wanted the songs to feel.

From the demos, we knew we wanted to play into this eerie, gritty quality but elicit a kind of seductive and ethereal atmosphere.

For ‘Madonna’ specifically, Ptolemaea by Ethel Cain was a huge inspiration for the track.

Sonically we loved the slow burn to the violent unleashing and tonally her rage was something we wanted to channel. 

HAPPY: With two singles released, what can fans expect from Blush in the near future?

BLUSH: Blush has got so much on the way.

There is a very exciting third single on the way as well as an EP not long behind.

We’re unbelievably keen to be playing live shows in the near future and can’t wait to see you there.

HAPPY: And finally, what makes you Happy?

BLUSH: Antique shops, kitsch nick nacks, oat chai lattes, and foggy mornings in Spring.