ALIBII takes indie rock and synth pop to new heights with their mesmerizing single, Figure 8. In an exclusive interview, we delve into the song’s inspiration and ALIBII’s innovative approach to music.
Get ready to be swept away by ALIBII’s enchanting music as they combine indie rock and synth pop in their latest single, Figure 8. This mesmerizing track takes listeners on a captivating journey with haunting verses, dance-worthy choruses, and a tantalizing blend of 2000s pop, alternative rock, and electronica.
In our interview with ALIBII, we discovered their passion for creating music and the vibrant Sydney music scene they are a part of. Drawing inspiration from experiences of confinement and feeling stir crazy, Figure 8 delves into themes of paranoia and hysteria, capturing the essence of going crazy in one’s own room.
ALIBII’s sound defies genre labels, as their eclectic music tastes and influences shine through. Taking inspiration from artists like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Billie Eilish, they bring their unique flair to the indie rock and pop music landscape. Their songwriting process is dynamic and often involves unexpected twists and turns, resulting in songs that are true to their artistic vision.
As ALIBII continues to evolve, they are working on expanding their live sound and have exciting projects in the pipeline. With a new single on the horizon, their music promises to captivate audiences and leave them craving more. For ALIBII, music is their ultimate source of happiness, and their unwavering dedication to their craft shines through in every note they create.
Happy: What’re you up to today?
Will: Just finished running through a new Alibii set in preparation for our single launch party we have on the 9th, and now I am sitting here on a couch with a cat on my chest trying to attack my hands as I type.
Happy: What’s the music scene like in your neck of the woods?
Court: The Sydney music scene that we seem to be engulfed in is a world of its own. Were we more a part of the gigging scene before the pandemic? Probably. But with a lot of bands/ artists/ venues having more of an online presence these days everybody seems connected.
Especially where we are in our music journey, trying to find opportunities wherever we can and applying for any grants/comps where we can be heard. With this comes support from people doing the exact thing as us.
Whether this be pumping out TikToks or popping up a new event for an upcoming gig, the support is real.
Happy: Your new single Figure 8 explores topics like confinement and feeling stir crazy. Why were these experiences important to draw on when writing Figure 8?
Will: Funnily enough the chorus hook of this song was actually written back in like late 2019, Courtney had the line “I’ve been walking figure 8s in my room” which I liked a lot, then we added this ‘heads will roll’ esc type synth and thick synth bass line and had the hook.
Then we couldn’t think of a verse so we shelved it for like 18 months. After the release of our last single, we realised we didn’t know what we’d do next, we stumbled across the old figure 8 demo in September 2022 and realised it was a little song about going crazy in your room, a concept everyone could now very much relate to.
So yes, the pandemic definitely had a lyrical impact on the lyrics, but the underlying themes of paranoia and hysteria, being in a manic mood and feeling like no one can help so instead you just go further down the rabbit hole until your pacing in circles or figure eights are the core of the song.
Happy: Figure 8 combines elements of bedroom pop and indie rock. Do you find genre labels satisfying, or are they more restrictive of what you consider your sound to be?
Will: if we are asked to write in a genre, then yes we feel slightly restricted, but that’s because we’ve never really fit into a genre. I can vouch for myself that my music taste is very eclectic, or maybe better described bipolar. On a given day I don’t really want to listen to the same type of music all day, and when we write music, especially then adding Courtney’s music taste, there’s no wonder our songs are gonna splice genres.
That and the fact that I feel like a lot of musicians fit multiple genres nowadays; rap artists have gone country or pop punk, rock bands having featuring artists or going electronic, the crossover of jazz and low fi hip hop.
I’m very happy to be given a couple labels to describe our sound, but I don’t know how important they will be as time goes on.
Happy: What does a typical day look like when recording a song like Figure 8?
Court: Our recording/ writing process for Figure 8 can be quite manic at times. At the moment we are running through a home “studio” set up that we have gotten used to over the last couple of years from trying to pump out tracks during the pandemic with not much income.
For Figure 8 we had the melody/ lyrics written for the song before It was recorded as this track has had a fair few re writes. With Will doing the full production for the song, he normally takes a day or two to get the bones of the track down and then fills it out over a week or so.
We normally work quite seperate in the beginning when a track is being created as Will has all the production/ instrumentation already planned or in his head at least, and I take charge vocally and prefer to do the majority of the vocal takes on a night I’m home alone or when Will is at work.
Once these stages are done, we then spend the next couple of weeks tidying everything up together and popping harmonies in where it is needed.
Figure 8 in particular has had about 4 (maybe more) versions of the first verse, we had the chorus hook but didn’t know how to get there, and because this is a song we wrote as we recorded it, the final step was actually learning how to play it and making sure it felt good in a live setting.
It was a very backwards approach to songwriting for this track.
Happy: You’ve credited influences like Yeah Yeah Yeahs(heads will roll chorus) and Billie Eilish(bridge). What is it that inspires you about these musicians?
Will: The funny thing about influences is I think a lot of the time it’s subconscious. In fact, majority of the time we attempt to write something in the style of “insert artist here”, it comes out nothing like it.
And then the times where you try to do something original is when you show your truest colours of what artists you respect or want to be like.
I myself know I went through some pretty intense fandom of the bands Blink 182 and Muse during my teens to early twenties (and I mean didn’t listen to anything else), now I don’t think we really sound like either of those bands, but when I think about songwriting I know I think about how Matt Bellamy from Muse might approach a string section or whatever it may be.
The DNA is always there. And that’s the same for Courtney with Brandi Carlile or Catfish and the Bottlemen.
With this song, as mentioned we had the chorus hook for so long, and then one day I was listening to ‘heads will roll- yeah yeah yeahs’ and was like woooah we could make our song this hooky!
As far as Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, I think they’re just game changers for pop music.
The way Billie sings, the way they write together and especially the way FINNEAS stacks harmonies with billies soft voice. I know we approach harmonies a bit differently now because of them.
Happy: Is there anything you’ve watched or read that inspires your music?
Court: Daisey jones and the six (the writing process) – Elvis Presley, Unchained Melody 1977 performance (This doesn’t inspire our music, but watching this video as a young child I have never forgotten it)
Will: Vulfpeck live at MSG, pretty anything those vulf guys do, I think they’re music is underrated but not nearly as underrated as their visual presentation for music videos or live shows, they captivate in ways I wish I could.
I’d love to say I saw a beautiful sunset that inspired me to write a song but I’m colourblind so those don’t really hit as hard for me.
Happy: Tell us a little bit about how Alibii came to be?
Court: Will and I crossed paths at JMC Academy while studying Songwriting back in 2018. We always knew we wanted to collaborate musically in some way as we have so many overlapping artists that we both enjoy, after meeting at a messy uni party, finding an acoustic guitar and jamming one of our fav bands (Catfish and the Bottlemen), whether or not it was the alcohol, we thought we sounded pretty good.
Over the years we dabbled with being an acoustic duo, an electronic duo and part of another indie rock band together, but with the songs we wanted to write and wanting to dip our toes in the the heavier production style, our previous projects didn’t cut it.
After we tried to make our own band with Will on drums and me playing guitar, we got hit with a global lockdown, where I suggested we release But I, Will initially hesitant of such a shift in genre.
But he eventually agreed and after getting in contact with Adrian Breakspear to give us some industry tips and polish off our sound, that pretty much brings us to where we’re at.
Happy: Any upcoming projects on the horizon that you can tease for us?
Will: Along with getting out figure 8 we have also been beefing up our live sound.
Last time Alibii gigged, Courtney was on guitar and singing, and I was playing drums and singing, and we had lovely support from Katie, Ariq and Miya (bass, guitar and keys), but that sound was leaning in more of a rock direction.
So in the last couple months we’ve rebranded the live set, Courtney is now just singing as she never really enjoyed rhythm guitar, and I’m on guitar with a mini synth up front, trying to match the vibe of our sound, and all our songs are paired a backing track and click track.
This has made the set much more complicated but the pay off is worth it. After figure 8 is released we intend to get another single or two out. If you want a teaser, I’d say one of the next singles is definitely among the tracks we play in our live show!
Happy: What makes you happy?
Court: Not to seem cringe but as corny and predictable as it is. It’s music. Will and I both have a couple of casual jobs each to support our music aspirations. Being 23 and 26 we could probably easily go out and find a 9-5 job with a steady salary.
But it’s just something that we both cannot see ourselves doing, don’t get me wrong there have been times when we catch up with friends and they tell us all about the holidays they are getting ready for and the houses that they’re saving up for.
There are days I wish that was me, but when we are saying yes to gigs with a soundcheck at 3pm and recording vocals on a Wednesday at noon.
Music is something I will always prioritize. Around the time of singles being released when there is a bit of money being thrown around for mixes and mastering, you would catch Will and I eating a few tins of tuna and rice and maybe a cup of noodles here and there.
But loving what you are creating and enjoying what you do is enough for us.
Will: I would also add that between us we have 2 rabbits and a black cat and they bring us much joy, that and a one on one with a good friend.
