INTERVIEW WITH MELBOURNE PRODUCER LIFE IS BETTER BLONDE

Life Is Better Blonde (LIBB) is a first-rate producer and singer-songwriter from Melbourne who has always delivered phenomenal electronica tunes which saw him win a J-Award back in 2015 while also gaining huge traction from outlets such as Triple J.
Returning with new track “Menace” and collaborating with NYC Producer Skinny Atlas, the track dives into darker/vulnerable lyricism with underlying powerful bass synths..
We did a Q&A with the artist where we chatted about the new track as well as his upcoming EP, read it below.

Not only do you release strong, fire tracks but the visuals that are released with them are also pretty impressive. Where do you come up with the ideas for the visuals and how do you bring these ideas to life?
Too kind! I’ve had the fortune of being surrounded by really talented photographers and artists, and a lot of the visuals are collaborations with people like Natalie James, Jody Wong, Robert Geary. Lately, a lot of the artwork has been brainstormed and shot by Johnny Maloney, we really leaned into the themes of excess and bad habits. The artwork for Menace actually was shot by myself, and I took off about 8 inches of my hair for this one.

“Menace” is your newest track, what is the meaning behind the track and what was the creative process like?
Menace is about losing self control and being the worst version of yourself for all to see, whilst desperately wanting to appear acceptable to others. A lot of the lyrics I’ve written lately have been about leaning into the darker side of one's personality, whilst also celebrating that. Skinny Atlas (NYC) reached out to me to work on music together, and Menace started out as a groove he sent me. He’s really inspired by South American music and groove based music, and I added a big old bass synth and some additional production with my producer friend Jesse Bear. 

With all the praise that you have received for your music, what outlet were you most surprised with for featuring your tracks?
Chloë Grace Mortez tweeting my version of ‘Swim Good’ would be it! She single handedly brought attention to the track with that one tweet and it’s now sitting on 2 million streams on Spotify.

If you had to describe “Menace” as a colour, what colour would it be and why?
Red. The song is my ode to the inner fire we suppress to appear non-threatening and likeable to the rest of the world.

Talk to us a little about the current artists that inspire you and why.
There so many amazing artists now coming out everyday, it’s so hard to narrow it down but off the top of my head, Lonely Speck is an all time favourite of mine and a local Aussie act. Big fan of the Brit aesthetic such as Bear Cubs, Jai Paul, Sophie and still my guy James Blake.

You have an upcoming EP coming out this year, can you share a little about that and what fans can expect.
For followers of my music, they’ll know I write predominantly about the internal world and the struggles we all face with anxiety. I don’t think I’ll ever stop singing about that, it’s such a huge release for me to take those experiences that nobody can see and to sing about them for everyone to hear and, hopefully, relate to. The EP coming out is still about struggling with anxiety in the 2020’s but I’ve made a conscious effort to lean into the extraverted side of having anxiety… where my first three EP’s were about hiding away alone with my anxiety, this one is about bringing it out into the world and letting it manifest, consequences and all. I guess it’s my way of really accepting how flawed we can be, and that it’s OK to be a little bit chaotic sometimes!  

What is one track that you have created that means the most to you and one that you’re most proud of?
‘Ghosts’ might have to be it, it’s hard to pick because each song means something very specific to me. At the time I was dealing with a very broken brain and was also very alone in the world, and in that experience. I turned to what I describe as ‘hyper-somnia’ where I was barely awake for most of the day. Sleep was something that I found to be a comfort, and an escape, and yet the ghosts of the mind still follow you into your dreams. I’d like to think that although we’re all encouraged to be ambitious and tough in the world, that my music might be a moment of shared vulnerability that everyone is welcome to experience together.