CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 127: NORTHEAST PARTY HOUSE REFLECT ON THEIR CAREER SO FAR

Interview by Andre Habibi.

Northeast Party House, the beloved alternative electronic dance band, announced their  highly anticipated Enhancer tour in celebration of their fourth studio album, Enhancer.

Futuremag Music sat down with Northeast Party House to reflect on their career so far.

FMM: How did your band transition from your 2016 album Shelf Life to Enhancer?

Sean: After we made Shelf Life, COVID hit and because we had been in the band for 13 years and COVID became a nice, little break where we could do our individual things. Enhancer as a project were, in part, the Shelf Life demos where we didn’t have to take ourselves too seriously and have fun. These demos inspired a new way of working on our music post-pandemic. The process was more freeing and a lot lighter than prior projects were.

FMM: Did you feel the COVID pause enabled the band to reflect on what you guys would create next?

Sean: Yeah, maybe. I think it gave us a moment to reflect on what we wanted to do now and think about how we wanted to approach any project after this. 

Jackson: Part of it was that we took Shelf Life so seriously. There was so much discussion about every track that we almost burnt ourselves out. Coming out of that process to continue as a band, we had to find a way to not get bogged down in the intricacies of each track. While it was a lot more freeing project in the sound and songwriting process, there were stricter rules regarding deadlines as we didn’t want to get stuck on tracks for years. 

FMM: I noticed in comparing Enhancer to your last project, the production had become a lot more freeing and reminded me of Boys Noize tracks. The droning snare and hits pulsing through Enhancer in contrast with Zach’s falsettos harkens to Bon Iver’s vocal range. What pushed Northeast Party House sonically from Shelf Life to Enhancer? 

Sean: As Jackson said, it was us going over every detail because, at that moment, we had six in the band and now we have five.  All of us tried to democratically form an opinion on each track and it kind of burnt us out. I think of this new way as supporting each other’s ideas and trusting each other’s opinions on tracks, and seeing where the fun takes us. 

Jackson: I took a bit of a backseat role on this album which, in the past, I would have not considered. The idea of letting go of any part was terrifying, but it became a lot more freeing. In my personal circumstance, I had a baby and moved an hour away from where the guys were living so getting on sessions was quite hard. Apart from giving feedback at times, I would come in to record guitar sessions, which has not been too different from the past, but nevertheless a new way of working. Sean and Zach were driving the song writing and neither played a string instrument. 

Sean: That was hard and quite difficult to write music for a six-piece band when you don’t play all the instruments in the band. We would do sessions where we would get the other members to record their segments. However, most of the initial seeds came from Zach and I, which is why the project was more electronic-heavy. The other thing we were trying to do more, was give Zach the range in his voice within each song. We found in our last few bodies of work, Zach would really shout in high-energy tracks. In other tracks, Zach would sing softly over slow-tempo, electronic beats. We wanted to extend greater range through Zach’s vocals and the duality of Northeast Party House to be highlighted in Enhancer. 

FMM: In your recent single, L.A., the production and lyrics are more upbeat and energetic than prior tracks. What was the process behind the single?

Sean: Yeah, there was a particular process in that song. During the Shelf Life writing process, there was the only time with all of us working in the room. Not since our first album, have many of our ideas come from a live jam, moving quite quickly to a few of us creating beats in a studio. We became bedroom producers who would then bring songs into a live band session. Creating Enhancer was one of the first times we came together in a room after Shelf Life, trying to capture the energy in the room. When you’re writing with other people with slightly different music tastes, you want to encourage people to be themselves and do whatever they want naturally.

Most of the tracks were written in an afternoon session, Zach yelling into the microphone so loud that you could hear the echo in the beginning and end of each song. The only way to blend the lyrics was to turn the speakers all the way up, otherwise none of the vocals would match on the original demo.  We left that song on the shelf as a demo because we didn’t know to finish it while keeping the track’s essence. It was only recently that we went back and worked on it, accepting it as a loud and abrasive jam. 

FMM: In 2010, Northeast Party House emerged from Triple J’s Unearthed. How did that facilitate the band coming in the Australian music scene?

Jackson: I look back on that time so romantically. I was so obsessed with music and collecting magazines. I was so involved in the scene and wanted to be on tour so badly and wanted to play with these bands. I would go to Sean’s house after work to record because he had ProTools. Back then, people weren’t bedroom producers as the software wasn’t cheap and the fact that he could record us, was the craziest thing. I would work landscaping until 4:30 to 5 and then drive up to Sean’s in the Dandenongs producing music till 1 to 2am. 

Sean: In that year, Hal had won the Unearthed competition with Blackout. The other Australian bands we listened to were Neon Love, Jungle Safari and Arbo Science. We were listening to Triple J constantly and immersed that world. The songs uploaded on Unearthed were our only songs and had not played a show before. When Triple J contacted us, they told us we won the Triple J Pyramid Rock Competition. 

Jackson: I think I may have quit my job and thought “Oh my God, it’s happening!”.  I spent my paycheck on a new interface and said, “I’m going full-time”. 

Sean: For a young band at the time, I don’t know if it’s still the same now, it was quite an exciting time. We weren’t ready at all, constantly chasing our tails for many years trying to get a live show and an album together. We were launched by this massive radio station and were not ready for all that would come.

Jackson: I see young artists that have a strong image and the concept of who they are as an artist is well formed. It took us a few years of changing style and genre to form who we were as Northeast Party House, getting inspired by various artists. 

FMM: Your Like A Version cover of Redbone by Childish Gambino was how many had heard about your band. What was performing the song like?

Sean: Nowadays, you can bring a horn section and they will let you do what you want. But back in 2016, it was drilled in us hard that they had a limited number of inputs and very restrictive in what you can or can’t bring. For example, bringing a drum kit was a big no-no, maybe a kick and a snare. The two times we’ve done Like A Version, we’ve been in the same studio they record talk-radio. What made us make the decision about the track sonically, was to do with a restrictive space. The fact that we couldn’t bring our own drum kit informed the electronic tonality in the cover. Redbone was the biggest track at the time and no one had covered it, so it seemed obvious to cover it. We incorporated sounds of LCD Soundsystem and other bands that we loved. We hold respect for Childish Gambino but wouldn’t say we were influenced by his music. It was a marriage

Jackson: Even the instrumentation, it is quite similar to FOWLS with the plucked guitars and LCD with the live bass. Although the song was more stripped back, it was still us.

Sean: Quite quickly after playing the track, it became apparent that we needed someone able to sing with pipes. We got Keji on board to capture the wide range and larger moments in the original track. 

Jackson: Learning that guitar solo was the first time I had to really learn a piece of music since high school. It is kind of simple but had intricate parts difficult to perfect, a lot of focus but we eventually got there.  

FMM: You said LCD Soundsystem and FOWLS were your inspiration in creating music. What other artists have influenced your band throughout the years? 

Jackson: When you said the earlier stuff sounded more guitar based, I was thinking Arctic Monkeys were a massive influence in forming the first album’s sound profile. 

Sean: The Presets, Hot Chip, Bloc Party, name an indie UK band and they have been an influence in the band’s creative direction.

Jackson: Also, interesting you said Boys Noize before. A lot of their production and tracks make it onto our DJ sets. I wouldn’t have thought our album sounds too similar ,but it is great you picked up on that. 

FMM: Shelf Life to Enhancer was a great transition from string-heavy live bands to electronic beats. What prompted this change?

Sean: Other than our own personal tastes developing and changing over time, it was the genesis of the songs created by each person. Whatever made the song good in the demo is the same thing that makes the finished track good. Sometimes adding instrumentation ruins the initial core of the song. 

Jackson: We started DJ after our live sets, and we would have only had a handful of tracks that would work. People seeing us DJ wanted to hear Northeast songs, but we didn’t feel our music fit in club settings. 

Sean: Our songs sounded so shit under the PA’s compared to some Presets or big electronic bands we liked.

Jackson: We wanted to consciously make music suitable for a DJ that didn’t need to be remixed, holding up against those massive tracks we like. 

FMM: Artists such as Hiatus Kaiyote and Majak Door are flourishing in the Melbourne Music Scene. What do you think about Melbourne music right now?

 Sean: Good question, I’m not the type of person to ask for their hot take on the Melbourne music scene. There is an amazing underground electronic music scene, the calibre of artists is great and can compete around the world. I think it’s great, but recently haven’t had the opportunity to explore the music scene in detail. 

Jackson: I’m the same. I haven’t been going out much these days, being a new parent. I have been seeing friends on social media going on tour, much more of an eclectic and supportive scene with representation of different backgrounds. Perhaps not financially but as a community, there are a lot of artists supporting each other events. It’s just that I’m not getting along to most of them because when you’re at home only one weekend a month, time is finite. 

Sean: We may take it for granted. It’s an amazing place to live for its support of the arts. Even as it could be better supported, I am grateful for Melbourne’s supportive arts and music scene. Although Sydney has numerous great artists, Melbourne has a particular vibe when it comes to music and the arts.

FMM: First it was Falls Festival, then Groovin The Moo and now Splendour In The Grass. 2024 has been marred by cancelled festivals, how does it affect the underground music scene?

Sean: Massively, has a huge impact and it’s really scary. You start thinking about how long you can actually last when you once took for granted, then you consider the shelf life of these festivals. It is a bit scary because it directly affects our livelihood. Our tour was announced and put on sale, which is thankfully selling well. It takes a large set of investment to go on nation-wide tours with venues that hold thousands. You never know how many tickets will sell; you still have to play the show as it costs the same amount. 

Jackson: Depressing from a financial perspective but also, those key festivals was how I viewed each year. Playing big shows in Groovin The Moo or Splendour are the big highlights in our career. Headline shows are great, and our upcoming tour will be exciting. Not knowing what festivals will be around is hard to look forward too.

ENHANCER TOUR DATES 

Sat 10 Aug Torquay Hotel Torquay VIC

Fri 16 Aug The Gov Adelaide SA

Sat 17 Aug Hobart Uni Bar Hobart TAS

Thu 22 Aug UC Refectory Canberra ACT

Fri 23 Aug Liberty Hall Sydney NSW

Sat 24 Aug King Street Bandroom Newcastle

TICKETS Fri 30 Aug Beach Hotel Byron Bay NSW

Sat 31 Aug The Tivoli Brisbane QLD

Sat 07 Sep Rosemount Hotel Perth WA TICKETS Fri 13 Aug Forum Melbourne VIC