Flywire is is fresh off the release of Nits & Other Pests, a raw and raucous tribute to the spirit of the working class in Australia.
With a sound that marries the grit of indie rock with the heart of local community life, Flywire pulls inspiration from their shared experiences growing up in Ballarat.
Each member brings their own slice of life to the mix, whether it’s slashing paddocks or balancing university assignments. Their music reflects not just their roots, but the diverse influences that shaped them, from Paul Kelly to Bauhaus.
In a scene where authenticity reigns supreme, Flywire’s anthems resonate with anyone who’s felt the weight of the everyday.
Gear up for a celebration of community, resilience, and the unfiltered truths of life in modern Australia. Join Flywire, as they delve into their debut EP, a soundtrack that hits home for those navigating the ups and downs of working life.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
FLYWIRE: We all lead very different lives;
Matt is slashing paddocks in the tractor.
Anna is working as an electrician on a V-line project.
Oscar is doing some life admin and organising some music.
Jesse is cleaning the house and having dinner with his parents and siblings.
Freya is watching lectures and working on uni assignments.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you are from? What do you love about it?
FLYWIRE: Matt is from Lismore in Victoria’s south west, sort of halfway between Ballarat and Warrnambool. He loves the sense of community and the pub. It’s super quiet which is great and the cricket team are the reigning premiers. Go Oddies.
The rest of us grew up in and around Ballarat and met as teenagers playing gigs at Karova and the Eastern.
We love the Ballarat community.
We played our first gig in Ballarat last week and it almost felt like stepping back in time, people really care about you there.
But it’s definitely changing as the population is growing and since 4/5 of us have moved to Melbourne, Ballarat isn’t as comforting as it used to be.
HAPPY: What did you listen to growing up?
MATT (lead guitar): A huge amount of Paul Kelly, Spiderbait and Cold Chisel.
My old man had a Bat Out Of Hell CD stuck in his ute so a fair bit of Meat Loaf too.
OSCAR (synth): As a kid, heaps of disco/funk/soul, lots of 60s and 70s tunes. Love it still.
Later on when I was a teenager I loved my goth rock and post punk, Bauhaus, Joy Division etc. stereotypical white teen stuff haha.
FREYA (Bass): A LOT of Spiderbait, Rouge Traders (lol), and the Veronicas when I was really little.
In high school, I listened to a lot of Courtney Barnett, Amyl, King Gizz, Ball Park Music, the classic “i refuse to listen to the top 40”-cool-kid-syndrome stuff.
JESSE (Drums): anything and everything! My parents always played country music – Alan Jackson, Lee Kernaghan, Slim Dusty, Dolly Parton, etc.
I loved the Guitar Hero games as a kid so got into rock and metal music from there – Guns n Roses, Metallica, Slayer, etc.
ANNA (Vox/rhythm guitar): I listen to a lot of Aussie pub rock, blues and punk growing up, mum was a goth and dad was a country boy haha.
Artists like Paul Kelly, Tony Joe white, Albert King, Shannon Noll (my childhood fav), The Cure, Dead Kennedys, The Ramones.
In my late teens I got really into country, blues and soul (think Marcus King).
HAPPY: What is the origin story of your band name?
FLYWIRE: I like bugs and I’m an electrician haha
HAPPY: What inspired your latest EP? Can you tell us a bit more about the stories and experiences that inspired the tracks on “Nits & Other Pests”?
FLYWIRE: I think we have a lot of shared experience with pests in our hometown and beyond, some of whom we all know, some of whom we know in spirit from shared experiences.
Meeting a lot of people in the music scene in Ballarat who we really looked up to, only to find out they were most definitely pests.
HAPPY: Can you walk us through the creative process behind “Nits & Other Pests”? Were there any specific challenges or breakthroughs?
FLYWIRE: Coming up with the songs was pretty cruisey as Matt and Anna write most of the songs and Oscar comes up with his magic on synth after but once you start recording them they become entirely different songs!
We loved recording them with Deano and Oslow at Wrangler, the absolute best!
One of our favourite moments of the creative process was workshopping ‘Midland’ as we recorded it.
It initially didn’t have the two stops towards the end, but they were thought up as we were listening to it the day after recording.
HAPPY: What was the most challenging aspect of recording “Nits & Other Pests”?
It took a fair bit of mucking around to get the drum sound right initially, a lot of trial and error in mic selection and placement as well as the mixing of them.
Now we loooove the drum sound on the EP.
I think also remembering to have fun the entire time was definitely something I struggled with a bit.
Don’t get me wrong, I had such a blast and, in hindsight, recording the EP was a memory I will cherish.
But, in the moment, we were sitting in a room for a few weekends, listening to the same 5 songs over and over again.
Also definitely logistical, we’re a band split between two cities, it can be a challenge when practising and recording!
HAPPY: Have you ever faced any challenges as a band from a regional area?
FLYWIRE: Mostly just opportunities, there’s not a whole lot of music events happening out our way.
It was pretty hard to get out and see gigs so I watched a ton of concerts on YouTube.
In a regional area there’s definitely behaviour that’s normalised that wouldn’t be accepted in Melbourne, I’ve found it’s a lot harder to be a femme musician in a regional setting (not that it’s ever easy).
I think our biggest challenges have come from being femme-fronted, which is saying a lot considering there are more boys in the band.
A lot of femme musos will resonate with this, unfortunately, we’ve had multiple experiences with bands where we aren’t taken seriously or just straight up ignored until one of the boys from Flywire arrives at a gig.
At first it really upset me, but now I’ve just kind of stopped caring because of how often it happens, which is really disheartening when you think about it.
HAPPY: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given about the music industry?
FLYWIRE: Take your ego out of music, make good friends , have fun, drink beers (responsibly), support others in the scene.
HAPPY: What are your thoughts on the current state of the indie rock scene? Are there any emerging artists or bands that you’re particularly excited about?
FLYWIRE: The whole Melbourne scene is awesome, so many great bands doing super cool stuff. Obviously a lot of punk which is amazing (shout out to our mates Scud) but some people are definitely looking for a break from that and I think that’s where indie rock has its moment.
Suzi & Eaglemont are two artists we had the joy of supporting, they are such incredible musicians and the best people.
Tali & The Arms is a band that we just love, never met them but we love their sound.
As far as emerging goes Get Jaxxed are some of the most talented and lovely young musicians we had the pleasure of playing with, definitely one to keep an eye on!
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
MATT: My partner, my dogs, cricket, footy, my mates, the pub. Too many things!
OSCAR: Listening to albums with my mates, sharing our finds, exposing myself to as much music as possible!
FREYA: Playing music with my friends, spring, and my housemates’ cat
JESSE: Flywire, obviously! And my dogs.
ANNA: 8hrs of sleep, my partner, dogs, and gigs.
