“If you feel anything from this album, love, hate, fear, tenderness, that’s important and that means the world to me”
Sydney’s Christian Whitwell aka Grasps is back with a new album, and it’s a heady trip. “When Will You Be Here Again?” is a genre-bender, melding nature with dreamscapes and throwing down some serious existential questions.
Think hazy electronica with vocals that pack a punch, all layered over field recordings that bring the wild beauty of the Australian bush right into your headphones.
This isn’t your average electronic album – Grasps is digging deep into life, death, and what it all means.
And it’s not a solo ride. Grasps has teamed up with Sydney mates Bayang tha Bushranger, Marcus Whale, and Wa?ste to add a dose of excellence to an already great sound.
The album title itself makes you feel everything. It’s a question we’ve all pondered at some point, and Grasps isn’t afraid to stare it down. He’s hoping this record will resonate with you, make you feel the full spectrum of being human.
Delve into big open spaces, mates, and the power of dreams with Grasps’ interview below and listen to “When Will You Be Here Again?” and see where it takes you.
Happy: What are you up to today?
Grasps: Today I got my hair cut, I read my book & I rested. It’s raining.
Happy: Tell us a little about where you live, what do you love about it?
Grasps: I live in a suburb in Sydney called Ashfield. I love it here because it’s quiet, I can hear the birds talking every morning. There are lots of trees that I can see out my window. It’s a multicultural hub, very inspirational & very ‘Sydney’.
Happy: Your sound is a unique blend of electronic, metal, and ambient influences. What initially drew you to this genre-melding approach?
Grasps: I like making music that runs to extremes. When I listen to music it’s usually all over the place. I like metal, punk & rap, but also ambient, acoustic, lo-fi stuff too. Any music that comes from a solid emotional place. Maybe I like these extremes because sometimes I feel like it’s hard for me to feel something strongly, so I need extremes to push me to that.
Happy: “When Will You Be Here Again?” delves into some heavy themes. What inspires you to create music that explores these deep subjects?
Grasps: I was terrified of dying for the longest time. I still am sometimes. Writing this album was my way of understanding it and getting through that. I think fear inspires me a lot. It’s a feeling that I have had a lot of.
Happy: Collaboration seems to be a big part of your creative process – Bayang tha Bushranger and Marcus Whale both feature on this album. How do you choose your collaborators, and how do they influence your music?
Grasps: Yes it was really important to me this time around. Collaboration has always been hard in the past, I had a strange sense of overbearing ownership over my music.
I was helped to overcome that by some close friends of mine (Luca & Vin), and since then have been collaborating constantly. I chose the collaborations for this album very deliberately as people that have truly inspired me and helped me creatively to a place that I feel more passionate, and more of an ‘artist’.
Marcus, Harry, Felix are my closest music confidants and will always be.
Bayang (tha Bushranger) is like an older brother to me. He is protective in nature and focussed in work ethic. His music history speaks for itself.
I stand with his politics, his motives and his views of Sydney and the music scene. We recorded 7 Hells in one take. In fact we’ve recorded most of the songs we’ve done together (Gimme Ur Love, Ganga etc.) in one take.
I’m constantly impressed by his ability to powerfully project his voice to suit the instrumental so smoothly and strongly. I will always work with Harry because I believe in their message and their true raw feelings, until they find a more swaggy white-boy producer.
Marcus Whale is my dear friend and someone I have looked up to for my entire music-making life. We met at their then-band ‘BV’s show at GoodGod circa 2016-17, and I’ve tried to attend every one of their live performances ever since.
Marcus has taught me many lessons over the years:
1. Music is not just a performance, it should invoke something, make you feel unexpected, uncomfortable, energised and inspired, music can be a movie.
2. Make eye contact when performing.
3. Music is so free and movable, not to be boxed in.
4. The world is ours.
I safely believe that I would not be anywhere near as fulfilled with music if it weren’t for Marcus in my life.
There are few people I can say that about. Marcus Whale will be hailed for eternity for his own music, his character and his tireless passion for local music.
Wa?ste is one of my oldest friends and is someone I truly believe to be a genius. From meeting him many years ago in Canberra at a garage house party show that he was booking as ‘Valley Spirit’, he has continued to impress and inspire me through his incredible music, art, writing, fashion, photography.
I truly believe he can do anything. Someone I can rely on for honest and caring advice. Working with Felix always feels free and intentional. They are continuing to do amazing things for the community over in Tokyo right now, as they did in Canberra and Sydney before. Wa?ste forever.
Happy: Field recordings are a fascinating addition to the album. What made you incorporate these natural sounds into the mix?
Grasps: Counter-intuitively, I probably experience the most fear in nature. I grew up partly at the top of the Blue Mountains in a place called Blackheath. It’s beautiful, but it’s full of fear too.
The trees and the pathways blown over, the cold, running from the car to the front door outside light. I recorded these field recordings around this area.
Some of the sounds of the album sound a bit otherworldly but I wanted to put these next to this the Australian landscape from where I live and work.
Happy: The album title itself begs the question: What are you hoping listeners will take away from “When Will You Be Here Again?”
Grasps: They want to work us to the bone, tire us out. Don’t let them. There’s a lot to hate about life, and it’s also unclear if you’ll ever be back here again with us. I want to not fear the hand that reaches out at the end of our time.
If you feel anything from this album, love, hate, fear, tenderness, that’s important and that means the world to me.
Happy: Beyond the album, what are you most excited about in the coming months? Any upcoming tours or projects you can share?
Grasps: I will be performing the album soon. I have a clothing collaboration dropping soon with a local Sydney company called Pseushi. I will rest for a few more days before starting the next project. Who knows what it will be, it’s a wild, wild ride…
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
Grasps: Wide open fields, seeing the people I love happy. Dreaming the good dream.
Photography by Christine Yau
