Flywire talks us through their fast-paced blend of driving beats and humorous lyrics on Nits & Other Pests
Hailing from Victoria and based in both Naarm and Ballarat, Flywire is a spectacular 5-piece that takes a unique approach to classic Aussie pub-rock.
Incorporating the beat of the working class heart and the experience of queerness within that space, Flywire are a fresh, new take on a beloved sound.
Released just last month, their debut EP Nits & Other Pests is a splendid offering of indie-rock and humorous wit, with raw lyrics and a cheeky spirit.
Members Matt, Freya, Anna, Jesse and Oscar take us track by track through the EP below, giving us insight into its meaning and their unique creative process.
Gronk
G’day! I’m Matt and I play guitar in Flywire. “Gronk” is the opening track from N&OP and is probably my favourite song off of it. It’s one of the earliest songs I wrote for Flywire but has remained one of those songs that I’ve never really gotten sick of playing.
When we play it live it leaves a fair bit of room to get a little weird from a guitar standpoint, I really enjoy just playing and experimenting with textural stuff. It became a bit of a mantra when I approached the mixing of this song.
The bridge for example, Jesse rips into this epic sax line that’s really front and centre with a load of distortion on it while Griggy’s synth fills the space around it with this super lush, swirling texture, I think the 2 parts really complement each other.
I’m a huge fan of the drum sound on this one, in the studio Jesse really smacked them and I think that’s where the song gets its ‘bull out a gate’ sort of energy, especially being the EP’s opener. Deano from Wrangler Studios really engineered the pants off this whole project and I think it really shines in a lot of the drum parts.
Dead Stupid
Hi I’m Freya, I play bass in Flywire. Dead Stupid is my favourite song on the EP. Hearing how it evolved from the demo to the final product was super satisfying to be a part of, although I’ll always be calling it by its demo name; Bugalugs.
The vocals are nearly completely different, the high note in the bridge came out of mucking around and we all liked it, so we kept it. So many guitar tracks are layered to give it that rich, warm vibe.
We wanted to have a Leslie speaker sound with the guitar solo, but that’s a lot of money we don’t have, so we tried to DIY it, and I think it turned out pretty good! The bass part is super fun to play, I love the lick in the verse, the texture it adds, and I feel it’s a bit unexpected on a first listen.
I think that Anna captured the experience of directionlessness a lot of people our age feel regarding those big, scary life decisions, like career paths, relationships, and so on in the lyrics really beautifully. I hope this song finds its lovers and serves its purpose of helping people vent the feeling of not having any idea about what they’re doing!
Midland
Hey all, I’m Anna and I write all the vocals for Flywire and play rhythm guitar.
“Midland” is my favourite song of ours. It’s super up to interpretation (I’d urge you to listen before reading this) but I wrote it about returning to where I grew up years later and realising it’s no longer comforting.
My parents had moved, my mates had moved, and people who stayed hadn’t changed in ways I had. My most loved addition is lap-steel guitar in the intro, creating a wistful aura without bringing the vibe down. This song is so fun to play live, it’s a really dynamic track for us and very cathartic.
It’s completely driven by drums and the bass slots in so tastefully, the guitars create so much additional emotion. We got to record a live video of Midland with Wrangler Studios and it’s on their YouTube, so feel free to check that out if you like the song!
Dog (Would Call Ya)
Hi I’m Jesse and I play the drums in Flywire. We’ve been playing the song “Dog” since we started. It was written by Matt for another project, Romcom (epic band). Our singer, Anna, made it what it is today.
Written in 2021, it was one of the first Flywire demos made, before the band even started. It’s about how we shouldn’t refer to bad guys as ‘dogs,’ because dogs are beautiful.
It should be a compliment! We’d all love to say our dogs can do all the commands in the song, but some are still working on it. Collectively, they can do them all!
This EP was recorded at Wrangler Studios with the amazing Deano and his Golden Retriever, Oslow. He is a purebred good boy, and if you asked him, I’m sure he would tell you to check out our EP!
Nits
Hey there, my name’s Oscar, I play synthesiser and I’m responsible for the occasional beeps and boops you hear throughout Nits and Other Pests! Speaking of, Nits is one of the first songs I learnt with Flywire and I think the first synth part hasn’t been massively changed since it was written!
The spooky, warbly synth line was inspired by the creepy, crawly pests for which the song (and the EP) are named. I play the line on a KORG Minilogue XD, a synth I love for its analogue sound and classic feel, with heaps of modern conveniences often only found in digital synthesisers.
Sound design on this instrument has been an excellent help in creating a really old-school synth sound for an otherwise really electric guitar driven EP. Nits and Other Pests was a very early contender for the EP title even before a lot of the other songs were even written, and the source Flywire’s slogan “Local Pest Protection”.
“Nits” is always one of the funnest songs to play live and is one of the strongest in our catalogue, very befitting of the title track of our debut EP!
