Blue Gremlin are heading towards greatness, there’s no denying it. We were fortunate enough to catch up with them for a chat along the way.
Blue Gremlin are the type of band that just keep you coming back, again and again. Armoured in stadium-sized choruses and deeply intimate lyricism, the Sydney four-piece are masters at writing songs that speak to some of our brightest and darkest times. You just have to look to their sophomore single, 21, for proof.
Fresh off the release, we caught up with frontman Harry Boxall to break down their music and the story behind the new single.
HAPPY: Congratulations on the release of 21! How does it feel having it out there in the world?
HARRY: It’s liberating for sure, and slightly unnerving, but it’s worth it when people say they like it. I find music very hard to share.
HAPPY: Where did music originally start for you guys?
HARRY: Music has been one of my only interests for the longest time, the other guys are quite similar. Our drummer, Matt, is a virtuosic guitar player: he should be on lead but I’m a control freak on my songs. Finn’s studying to be a music teacher and Mev’s been a guitar nerd from the get-go.
HAPPY: The story of 21 centres around the challenges of entering into adulthood. Could you tell us a bit about the song?
HARRY: I wrote the main riff almost accidentally and thought it sounded nostalgic. I wrote the first lyric, “at 19, I got my first broken heart”, and from then on, I wrote a mini-narrative about what I thought young adults deal with. But, once I finished it, I realised I was just talking about myself and, all of a sudden, I had this super personal song. To put it simply, 21’s about being depressed, stoned, lonely, and insecure… real Chad material.
HAPPY: Your work also revolves around some very personal issues. Is honesty important for you in your songwriting?
HARRY: It’s the only thing that’s important, besides the song being good.
HAPPY: Walk us through your songwriting process.
HARRY: I just improvise on guitar until I get a riff or some chords which tug on my emotions. As soon as that happens, I get really excited and jump from idea to idea and, before I know it, there’s a song written in just one or two sessions. Afterwards, I write the lyrics in one go without thinking twice, unless they don’t sound right when recording, then I’ll quickly change whatever phrase I need to. With the other instruments, I just figure them out as I’m recording them. It’s all instinctive.
HAPPY: As such a young artist, what has motivated you to get your music career started so early?
HARRY: My best friend took his life when we were both 18. We had both written lots of music together since we were 15, and it was our dream to “make it”, or whatever. When he died, my brain flipped a switch and I lived to honour him and our vision. And even more than that, I actually needed music more than ever. I became entirely dependent on the achievement of writing songs because I only had the motivation to smoke weed and play guitar. I spent a year of my free time in this little music and sesh cave at home, The Gremlin is the last song I wrote before things went back to normal and things have been better since.
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HAPPY: As big fans of the classics, who were you listening to while writing 21?
HARRY: A lot of New Order, Bowie, and probably Lou Reed: his music is like air to me. The actual day I wrote it, I was listening to Iggy Pop’s most popular solo songs, which are all so simple, musically. I take a lot of inspiration from that, I love basic three to four-chord songs. Put a hard-hitting melody with it, meaningful lyrics, and you’ve got magic. I think with 21, I finally wrote a pretty piece, it doesn’t have “hit song” written all over it, but I’m getting where I’m going.
HAPPY: Where do you see yourself in five years?
HARRY: Hopefully, touring the world. I’d love a small cult following, it’d be nice to meet people who can connect with my story. Aside from that, I want to get some pets with my girlfriend Chloe and enjoy the simple things, that is when I’m not working in front of an amp.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
HARRY: Thanks for sharing our music it means the world.
Check out 21 here.
