Q&A with PRETTY TALKS
Photo: Megan Donnelly
Another alt-pop band to add to your list of favourites this year is none other than Sydney’s PRETTY TALKS. The band are absolutely buzzing as they recently released new tune “Hurt Me” that is completely dripping with alt-pop goodness, captivating the ears of listeners right away. Being the second release from them, it’s clear that they are brewing up talent that is getting ready to explode which we are only just seeing the beginning of. We got to do a mini Q&A with the band recently which you can read below and you know the drill: show the band some love and stream their new single “Hurt Me”.
How did you first get started in music? What sparked your interest?
We all came from very musical backgrounds, Liam and Hadi’s dads were both amateur guitarists and Tommy's dad was a drummer so you could say it's been subconsciously planted in all our heads for a long time. We all started playing seriously around 13/14 years old.
When it comes to your sound, what inspired you to go for that certain sound/genre and how did you make it your own?
Our influences have individually, slowly been shifting towards pop music for a few years, so when starting to write these songs we all had a firm grounding in pop music. Specifically for ‘Hurt Me’ our two main influences were Muna and Lauv. Lauv’s sparse production style and jumping single note guitar rhythms can be heard in the pre chorus of the song. As well as Muna’s huge, pumping synth bass being a fundamental piece of this chorus. We made these influences our own by having stark contrast between sections and adding a grittier and darker production.
What was the creative process like when it came to creating your new track “Hurt Me” ?
The song really began whilst Liam was staying at his mum’s place up the coast and using the time to reflect on the journeys that relationships around him had taken. From there he wrote the skeleton of the track and brought it to the rest of the band.
The recording itself was done over the course of four days in the foothills of Dural, at his childhood home. We lived together as a band with our producer and close friend Blake Wares (lovemedo) and put everything in place.
What does “Hurt Me” mean to you and why did you feel that others needed to hear it?
The song at it’s core is about a relationship in free-fall, where one person has tuned out of the romance, but no one has done anything wrong. We drew on a few real-life experiences that had a profound effect on us and the song itself and we felt it was something that listeners could relate to on a personal level. We always strive to put that kind of tangible, relatable emotion in our lyrics.
Give us an interesting/funny fact about the band.
We currently have a collective band DnD campaign in progress.
What’s next for Pretty Talks? Do you have any upcoming shows etc
We’re aiming to have a third single (and music video) out before the end of the year that we’re really excited about. Other than that, we’re working really hard on building a big, interactive live show.
Where do you see the band in 5 years?
I think we’ve always aimed as high as we can as a band so, ideally, we’d love to be playing and touring nationally and internationally. But really we just want to still be putting out music that touches and speaks to people.