We get into emotional mapping with Naarm’s own Dean Luke

HAPPY: What’d you get up to today? 

DEAN LUKE: I wish I had something more interesting to say, but so far it’s been life admin and answering these questions.

HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!

DEAN LUKE: I’m from Naarm’s (Melbourne’s) northern suburbs. I love the creative community here and the little pockets of nature that exist throughout.

HAPPY: Your biography mentions a shift from lead guitar in rock bands to indie folk/dream pop. What was the defining moment or feeling that pushed you to make that solo move?

DEAN LUKE: I think it was the desire to do something different more than anything.

I’d played in rock bands for such a long time I felt it was time for something new.

I also started to feel rock music wasn’t the best avenue for me to express myself as a songwriter anymore.

Lead guitar playing is still a huge part of my life and always will be, I mean – I teach lead guitar improvisation as a job.

There’s also no shortage of lead guitar in my current music, it’s just a different kind of music then what I used to be involved with.

HAPPY: You’ve been compared to artists like Elliott Smith and Conor Oberst. How do you feel about those comparisons, and what do you think makes your voice distinct?

DEAN LUKE: I find these comparisons really flattering. I understand why people think I sound like Elliott Smith but I don’t think my songs are quite as sophisticated as his.

He used a lot more chords than I do and recorded multiple vocal layers.

I feel a little bit unworthy of the comparison when I hear it for this reason, but in terms of the sad feeling the song gives and the soft vocals – I get why people might feel that way.

I’m not quite sure what makes my voice distinct, that’s probably easier for someone else to say.

I like going back and forth between softer, folkier songs where I’m singing softly in a sort of conversational way like Merri Creek.

And songs where I sing with more intensity, falsetto and vibrato like Joan of Arc.

HAPPY: How does being based in Naarm (Melbourne) seep into the stories and atmosphere of your songs?

DEAN LUKE: I think living in the northern suburbs of Naarm (Melbourne) affects my music greatly, whether I realise it or not.

I get a lot of inspiration from the area in which I live, whether it makes it into the lyrical content of my music (like Merri Creek) or not – I definitely draw a lot of creative energy from this place.

I mean, my life exists within this place and the things I experience here affect what I write about, so it’s always somewhat present in my music one way or another. 

HAPPY: ‘Merri Creek’ is about being emotionally guarded. Was this song born from a specific personal experience, or a more general observation?

DEAN LUKE: Probably both, but I think everyone’s felt emotionally guarded at some point – especially if you’re still getting to know someone and don’t yet know if they’re the kind of person you want to have a relationship with. 

HAPPY: You use the creek as both a literal place and a metaphor. Why did Merri Creek specifically feel like the right setting for this story?

DEAN LUKE: I really love Merri Creek and I’ve spent a lot of time walking by it.

One day I saw a poster in Brunswick of an exhibition of different artworks celebrating Merri Creek.

I thought it would be fun to write a song about it but I didn’t want it to be some “hippy dippy” folk song about how “beautiful it is” and “the way it flows” etc, because that’s not really how I write.

So I decided to use it in a song that’s actually about something else – needing time with someone before you open up to them.

I see a lot of people having conversations by the creek and I’ve had conversations by the creek myself.

It made me realise that for a lot of people in Naarm’s northern suburbs, Merri Creek is an ever present backdrop for a lot of meaningful conversations and moments.

HAPPY: ‘Merri Creek’ feels like a very intimate entry point. Does it set the tone for a larger body of work, like an EP or album, on the horizon?

DEAN LUKE: I’ll be releasing an album in the future and Merri Creek will be on it, along with some other singles I’ve previously released.

HAPPY: Having quickly gained a reputation in Melbourne’s scene, what’s a personal goal for your live shows or music in the next year?

DEAN LUKE: New music is the biggest plan for this year.

I’m currently putting the finishing touches on some recordings from last year, then I can begin planning the release for the latter half of the year.

HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?

DEAN LUKE: Making music.