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Just in time for the universal winter blues, Melbourne music makers, Winterplan are back again with their debut album Fight/Flight. It is a sure bet that this LP will help you fight the cold battle.
As we hunker down for the frosty season it’s a matter of Fight or Flight for Winterplan on their debut. Their brooding synth melodies are better than ever.
Dave, Jules, Clara and Pip make up Winterplan. Together they like to make music inspired by European adventures and indie dance music from the United Kingdom. Spending some time writing during the Swedish winter, Winterplan present this album to go with your dreary journey to and from work for the next three months.
Speaking about how they were influenced into making electronic music, Dave discusses, “I discovered Kraftwerk’s album Trans-Europe Express and was completely blown away” he says. “Then I listened to all their albums and loved them as well. The same goes with Daft Punk and The Knife – Homework and Silent Shout respectively were pretty much why I wanted to make electronic music.”
Winterplan have a tough gig representing electronic music in Melbourne where the scene is quite competitive. Jules has not noticed whether the electronic scene is any more competitive than other scenes. Since the band went independent this year, they realised that it’s a huge advantage to have connections with like-minded musicians – or at least know who they are. They agree that one good thing about having to book their own tours is that they have discovered some cool bands both in Melbourne and interstate, and sharing vibes with similar bands they say has been really fantastic.
“We get the sense that it is competitive because Melbourne has such a thriving music scene, with a lot of emerging electronic acts. Sometimes you hear about how radio programs and industry folk get swamped with new music all the time so chances are you’re the 100th band to make a submission on any given week. But I don’t spend too much time thinking about the low odds. Ignorance is bliss”. Bliss can also describe their new album efforts. It takes a lot for a band to sound as mature as a sixty year old performing slam poetry and perhaps their music is even more collected.
Jules likes making music in Melbourne because she says that there are so many people in this city who appreciate the time, effort and passion that goes into their music making process. She’s grateful for the community radio stations and a good variety of venues in the city.
Many of the songs on Fight/Flight were written while Clara was in the UK and Jules and Dave resided in Melbourne. “The geographical distance had a big impact on the songwriting process and what we could do as a band on a practical level. When we started writing, it was a case of having an idea of how we wanted a song to sound, whether it was minimal or veering more towards synth-pop, and then experimenting to get it right, sometimes reworking to the point where we’d lose all objectivity. When that happened, we’d leave it and move on to another idea for a song.”
Winterplan reminisce, “In 2011, when we were together on home soil and revisiting the songs, we realised the personal narrative running through them was either isolation or struggle in some form so we ran with that concept and decided to call the album Fight/Flight.”
This album is chilling, and not just because my heater is non existent while I listen to Fight/Flight. Do yourself a favour and warm your hearts and minds this winter, your go to winter band, Winterplan.
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Read: Why do radio stations play the same songs over?
