Photo: Rick Clifford
Where are you currently based?
I’m currently based in Naarm, Melbourne Australia.
What’s been happening recently?
I’ve currently been working on my debut album, which two of my singles ‘Lowlight’ (released last year) and ‘In The Wake’ (out Feb 16) will be featured on. It’s been a bit of a slog trying to get the tracking done between touring with other projects but I finished all the recording at the end of 2022 and it’s sounding awesome. I’ve also been out playing solo shows around Melbourne and surrounds, it’s been a wonderful time finally bringing these songs into a live setting.
Your latest single ‘In The Wake’ will be out on February 16, 2023, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
One of my main influences and absolute favourite artists, Chelsea Wolfe, has an album called ‘Unknown Rooms, A Collection of Acoustic Songs’ that I was listening to a lot when I wrote this, the way the guitar sits on a hypnotic motif in 3 is quite evocative of a couple of tracks from that album. The lyrics weave a pretty bleak picture of a post-apocalyptic world on fire, the protagonist on a vessel leaving the burning shore behind. The challenges the world faces around climate change is often in the forefront of my mind, so I find that particular subject a deep well of inspiration.
How did you go about writing In The Wake?
I don’t really have a particular method to songwriting, usually I’ll be sitting with my guitar playing through songs and something will just come out (if its a good day!). I remember this song wrote itself pretty quickly, structurally it’s quite simple and so after I’d written the chorus and two verses I felt like it was complete. It hasn’t changed much since the first draft.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
I recorded this song in little sessions throughout 2022 at my home studio. My partner Drew Handcock co-produced, mixed and mastered it. He’s really amazing at helping me realise the sounds I hear in my head with the songs we’ve worked on together.
How did you approach the recording/
I was busy throughout 2022 touring with other projects so it was really a matter of ‘when do I have time’. I tried to make it a priority when I was in town, and luckily as it’s a ballad, there’s less instrumentation than if it were a full band song. I’m really happy with how this came out and it just goes to show the quality of work that can be achieved when you give it just that little extra bit of effort.
The single features in the ‘Defiant’ a circus show at Adelaide festival, please tell us about how this came about and what Defiant is about:
The Defiant is an award-winning contemporary circus show that features all women and gender diverse artists. There are 7 circus performers and myself as the sole musician. I’ve worked with the producer of the show, Highwire Entertainment with other circus shows, so when Elena asked me if I wanted to be a part of this, I was so excited. The Defiant takes place in a post-apocalyptic world (perfect for ‘In The Wake!’) and celebrates rebellion and fierceness, connection and community. The setting for this song in the show is just beautiful, ’In The Wake’ takes place at a really quiet point in the show where the performers are coming together around a campfire, reflecting on the situation and supporting each other. I’m lucky to have three Nighteyes songs in the show, ‘In The Wake’, ‘Lowlight’, and another yet unreleased track, ‘Spiral’, plus a few other original tracks I’ve created. It’s honestly a dream to be playing my original songs in a professional show of this calibre, everyone in the show is so unbelievably talented!
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Spawn, an amazing Melbourne psych band, as well as Jon Hopkins ‘Music for Psychedelic Therapy’, Divine Wave (my producer Drew Handcock’s electronic project), and the playlist for The Defiant as we open at Adelaide Fringe on February 17th.
What’s planned for 2023?
There are a couple of remixes by other producers of ‘Lowlight’ and ‘In The Wake’ in the works which I’m really excited about, I love listening to electronic music so I can’t wait to release those. I’ve started to rehearse with my band and am looking to book a headline show in Melbourne sometime in the next few months to celebrate the release of my debut album. Then I can’t wait to get onto writing the next one!
