A few weeks back Adelaide indie-rock outfit Stray Charley burst onto the scene with a red-hot debut single Pass Me By and it’s absolutely dripping with charm. The hook is honestly one of the catchiest things I’ve heard in ages and I highly recommend if there’s one song you listen today let it be this one!
We caught up with Hamish to chat about music collaboration and the conception of this incredible debut tune.
Adelaide rockers Stray Charley have emerged from the hills like some phantom musicians of the past with a killer single in hand and something to prove.
HAPPY: Hey guys, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
HAMISH: Hey! Going really well thanks. We’ve all been really busy with work and other stuff lately. We’re getting sorted to record a few more songs before the end of the year though, getting keen!
HAPPY: Pass Me By is incredible! How does it feel to put it out to the world?
HAMISH: Thanks! It feels awesome to finally get our first track out. All the good feedback we’ve had makes us want to quit our jobs and do this full time. It’s also really nice to have a good recording to listen to, I’m sure our mates were so sick of hearing crappy phone recordings!
HAPPY: How did this song come about? Did you write it a while ago?
HAMISH: We started writing this track about 6 months ago. Jake (drummer) came up with a cool bass line and some chords and pretty much wrote the chorus. From there we just jammed it a couple times and Adrian (vocals) filled out the rest of the song. We had other songs that were finished before this one, but Pass Me By was just so fun to play and felt like a good choice for our debut.
HAPPY: It’s one of the catchiest melodies I’ve heard in ages, who’s behind that one
HAMISH:Our drummer Jake came up with the lead guitar part and the chorus. He started guitar before he started drumming so he helps out with the song writing which is handy!
HAPPY: Were there any particular artists you were listening to that inspired Pass Me By?
HAMISH:Not really, it was something that just came to mind and we just ran with it. It will be interesting for people to hear our other stuff because we have such a diverse range of influences.
HAPPY: How does your song writing process come about?
HAMISH: Usually either Adrian (vocals) or Jake (drummer) come up with a guitar part or lyric and we take it from there. We don’t rush it, if it doesn’t feel right we won’t pursue the idea. Some songs take an hour and some take months. It’s an interesting process and were still trying to find what works best for us. We try keep it fun and not take it too seriously.
HAPPY: Where does the name Stray Charley come from?
HAMISH: Okay, really funny story. We were jamming at Jakes old place and we were mid song when a beagle runs through the front door and rampages through our stuff. We tried to catch the dog for 10 minutes, it ran all through the house going crazy. We finally caught her outside and saw the name on the tag was “Charley”. At that point we didn’t have a set name, so we decided on Stray Charley.
HAPPY: How does Pass Me By go live? It must be a killer.
HAMISH: It goes off live! Especially the ‘pretty flowers’ part in the second verse. We tend to play it a bit heavier live, we can’t help but get into it! Since it came out we’ve noticed people starting to sing along, it’s the best feeling.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat! Keep rocking!
