CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 129: GIRL AND GIRL ON CALL A DOCTOR

Interview by Brooke Gibbs.

Garage-rock four piece Girl and Girl have released their new album, Girl and Girl.

Futuremag Music sat down with lead singer Kai James, to talk about the album.

FMM: The album's been out for a few weeks now. What's your reaction been like so far?

Kai: Yeah, it's been a super positive reaction. Lots of really nice things being said by a lot of really nice people.

FMM: That's great, and it's so well deserved because it is such a great album. My understanding is that it was written in a frenzied couple of weeks. Can you tell me about that and how that period influenced the final product?

Kai: Yeah, it was definitely an intense two weeks. It was the sort of longest time we'd ever been given to record a body of work, but it turned out that we sort of used every second, which kind of really added to the frantic and somewhat distressed themes on the album, so it kind of helped in a weird way.

FMM: Yeah, I think that stress theme plays hand-in-hand with the message because the message of the album touches on topics such as mental health and societal issues, so I think in a way, it put that extra touch on it.

Kai: Yeah, I like to think so, for sure.

FMM: The album, Call A Doctor, touches on some personal issues. How do you balance sharing your own story, while still remaining relatable to your audience?

Kai: I don't know. I just kind of get my own sort of feelings out. I'm not really doing it with an audience in mind. I think it's kind of just putting it out there and then you sort of tend to find that people are experiencing a lot of the same things, if that makes sense.

FMM: Looking at the actual tracks, one of my favourites is Oh Boy! I love the music video because it's so fun and playful while also having that deep message. Can you tell me more about that and the direction you went with that?

Kai: Yeah, that's my favourite track as well. I kind of like the sort of juxtaposition between the joy in the music, but then it's kind of like dramatic themes over happy kind of music, and it's like that sort of word vomit that you hear in Call A Doctor as well, especially that outro. It's just a long, cathartic outpouring of feelings and emotions with no sort of kind of end goal.

FMM: So, Oh Boy! is obviously one of your favourites. Do you have any other from the album?

Kai: Probably Call A Doctor and Comfortable Friends are up there for me.

FMM: It's so great to see the progress you guys have made, because you guys started out recording in a garage and now you’re touring and putting out music. How has your band evolved over time?

Kai: Yeah, so we started in the garage at Mum's house. It would have been maybe like two or three years before we actually went to a rehearsal studio and started sort of jamming out of one of those as frequently as possible. Then, we moved our shows to Brisbane and things kind of grew out of Brisbane, and I think it was Big Sound where we met our managers and they kind of put us in front of a lot of the right kind of people. They got us overseas and that's how we met sub pop and all of our agents and all that sort of stuff. The last year or two has been totally, totally insane for the band in terms of touring and growth and all that kind of stuff. It's been a bit freaky, but nice.

FMM: You mentioned earlier the stress coming through to the album, having that rushed two weeks. How does that correlate with having a busy tour and recording schedules, while also navigating your personal life?

Kai: Yeah, well, I guess the album kind of talks speaks a lot to that, those particular feelings which I was kind of finding a lot of trouble with at that time. I think I'm coping with it a lot better now, but there's kind of like a lag between getting picked up by these people and learning how to sort of cope with it, which is kind of like something I've only very recently learned to deal with. So, they kind of go hand-i- hand, that sort of franticness of the album and how I was feeling in relation to all of that stuff at the time.

FMM: In saying that you've recently learned to cope with it, would you have any advice for any new, up-and-coming artists facing similar difficulties?

Kai: Yeah, I guess on tour, it is very important to focus on the day-to-day. I try not to look too far into the future, because that can become overwhelming. I also try to maintain some kind of routine, whether that be healthy routines, like journaling or exercising, or talking with someone you trust every few days. I find it kind of hard to emotionally process, so putting a bit of extra effort into those kinds of things.

FMM: I think that’s great advice because it can be very hectic and stressful trying to make time for yourself while you’re always on the go.

Kai: Definitely. Yeah.

FMM: Obviously it sounds like that's something you'll implement because you've got that upcoming tour with Royal Otis and you've also recently had your own tour. From your own experience with your tour, is there anything you'll do differently with the upcoming tours?

KaiL The very last tour we just did in America was probably the best I've ever toured. So, I think I will kind of try to hang on to those sort of things that I was just telling you now, and I try to be a bit more consistent with it all in the next few.

FMM: Looking at the actual sound of the album, I love the grungy-rock type sound. How does that genre influence the messages that you're trying to get out there in your music?

Kai: I don't know. I guess it's just all that we really know to play, so that’s just kind of the music that backs that. We've never done it any other way.

FMM: Is there any particular bands, artists ir albums that you draw inspiration from?

Kai: Um, I don't know. I guess kind of maybe, like, lCD ish. With the theatrics of it all, I would say The Black Country, New Roads' sophomore album was a huge inspiration. I really enjoyed that and the theatrics and dramatics of it.

FMM: I think the dramatics of it plays into your music too because as you've said, you have such deep, meaningful lyrics, but just having that fun side of it makes it relatable and gives that fun element to such dark topics that are probably hard for you sometimes to talk and write about.

Kai: Yeah, definitely. It definitely makes it easier to approach.

FMM: There's obviously people that listen to your music that might also know you in your everyday life. How do you balance that vulnerability with people that know you on a deeper level than your fans?

Kai: Oh, I guess I just don't think about it, and then I release it, and then I'm like, okay, there you go, there's very deep inside knowledge about my life. I don't really think about it.

FMM: What I take away from your music is people can listen to it, they can relate to it, while also having a bit of fun with it. But what are the main messages that you hope people take away from this album?

Kai: I'm not sure. I guess just that, everybody has tough times. You're not the only one going through it, is the kind of message that I'm trying to spread and that you can find the power within yourself to be happy, maybe, hopefully.

FMM: Yeah, I think that's a great message because that's the beauty of music. It brings people together, people from all different aspects of life, different cultures, different backgrounds, and connect just over that shared experience of life.

Kai: Definitely. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

FMM: You’re touring between July and September, and then are you taking a break after that? Or what do you have planned the rest of the year?

KaiL Then we're touring more. Hold on, I'm getting out my calendar. We're in Europe in like three weeks, and then we do Australia again in August, and then we're back in Europe late August, September, and then we're back in Australia in October. Or maybe that's not announced yet. Then maybe, something for the end of the year as well. I think we're pretty much touring till the end of the year. It's sort of like a few weeks in between.

FMM: It sounds like a hectic schedule, but obviously you're very fun and it's something that you love and you're passionate about. How are you preparing for all these upcoming dates?

Kai: Lots of sleeping and swimming. I'm living by the beach at the moment, so that's really nice. The weather's been gorgeous, so I just kind of try my best to relax and see friends and catch up with all those kinds of people and family and all that sort of stuff.

FMM: Yeah, I was going to ask if you have much time to explore as well or be will be very on-the-go with rehearsals, soundchecks, and performing?

Kai: Yeah, no real time to explore. We had a bit of a few days in between in America, which was really nice, but usually you're just in a city 12 hours, then you're going to move on, which is a bit sad.

FMM: Definitely make sure you do that sleeping, then. That sounds like you're going to need it with that schedule.

Kai: For sure. For sure.