CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 155: SUNSET AVENUE: FROM SCHOOL MATES TO PLAYING ON STAGE TOGETHER

Interview by Brooke Gibbs.

FMM: This is such an exciting time because you've got a new single coming out soon. How are you feeling leading up to the release?

Sunset Avenue: Yeah, really good. We've just been doing all the admin stuff behind it, getting a bunch of promo videos and stuff sorted out.

Yeah, like, we're a couple of weeks out now. We're just getting everything ready, but, yeah, feeling good.

FMM: That's always good to hear. Do you guys have any big celebrations planned for the release day?

Sunset Avenue: Not at the moment. We're not big going out people. We'll probably just hang out in Josh's shed and make more music when it gets released. But, yeah, no, we might end up going out to the city or something, having a night out, but we don't really have anything planned at the moment.

FMM: Yeah, sounds good. So, the single is called Do You Feel The Same? Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration behind it and what this song means to you guys?

Sunset Avenue: Well, we wrote this song with Fletcher Matthews who did our previous song as well. He's worked with Trophy Eyes, Dear Seattle, all those guys. So, yeah, bloody amazing working with him again. And yeah, the song, we based it off Royal Otis's Oyster in my Pocket. We like that tempo and that BPM. So we're like, yeah, we'll keep that upbeat energy to it. The song's pretty much about just love again. Pretty much every song we write, it's just about love, whether that's your parents or relationship. The song is pretty much just based on hoping someone feels the same love back for you, which we think everyone can relate to because everyone's felt love in their life before. We like to write our music pretty much on a feeling that everyone's felt in their life that everyone can relate to, sort of thing. So, yeah, this new song is very relatable, I think, for a lot of people.

FMM I've seen that you guys have played it for some strangers to get their reactions and feedback. Have they also said it's relatable or what have some of the responses been like from doing those videos?

Sunset Avenue: Yeah, well, they've all pretty much said they've enjoyed it and stuff. It's like super upbeat and a vibe. They're all really into it. We haven't got any really bad reactions from it yet, which is nice.

FMM: It's good to hear that the feedback has been quite positive because it is a catchy song and it's the first release of the year for you guys. I'd love to hear about this sound and how it compares to your previous sound and where you think that sound will go moving on from here.

Sunset Avenue: Look, we just feel like our sound is sort of… We've fallen into it a bit more now, especially just in this recent year. The songs that we've been writing and the songs that we've been recording, they just have a lot more of, like, an upbeat, sort of surf rock vibe that we're keen to sort of hone into a little bit. We had a few previous releases when we were in the early stages of being a band that we really liked those songs, but we felt they didn't quite capture our sound quite how we wanted it. We feel like we've really kind of come into our own, especially in the last just few months, recording and getting all those tones and stuff.

FMM: You've got a headline show coming up at Caringbah Hotel. What can we look forward to?

Sunset Avenue: Pretty much energy. We played there last year around March. I think we almost sold it out. We sold about 400 tickets and it was, like, crazy. It's pretty much like… How do I say it? Like, feel good music. It's sort of like, everyone will relate to it, everyone will feel good, you'll be smiling, everyone will be dancing and hopefully we can get the same turnout like we did last time.

FMM: Sounds good! We're very keen to come out and see you guys perform as you.

Sunset Avenue: Thank you. It should be fun. We've got a few other local acts as well, from Colonel and Cronulla, just local spots in the Shire. They're also really solid. Woodhill and Chimera. They're really good bands. They'll be supporting us on the night, which will kind of bring the energy up just before we come. It'll be perfect build. And then you went to school with all those lads as well, so it's going to be like a nice, tight knit show. It'll be really fun.

FMM: If I understand correctly, you guys also went to school together and that's how your band formed?

Sunset Avenue: Cronulla High School.

FMM: So how did that come about? From being classmates to then being out there writing music and performing well?

Sunset Avenue: Pretty much the band started with myself and an old drummer we had. I only started music in lockdown pretty much, because I was playing high level soccer and I was like, I need to do something because this is, like, crazy. I just picked up a guitar, pretty much, and just taught myself how to play and sing. Never sung before. I started really getting into it and enjoying writing songs. Then my dad put me with our old drummer and, yeah, we just started having a jam. Pretty much went from there. Then I went to school with these guys. I've known Josh since I was, like, three years old.

Yeah, these two live directly opposite each other. It's great for making music. Yeah, so anyway, Josh was just doing his bass, and Connor, I knew from school. I wasn't really close with Connor at that stage. Eventually, in year eleven and twelve music, I really got close with Connor and Josh and was sort of just like, do you guys want to join the band? Pretty much. And then, yeah, went from there. Played in Melbourne. That was, like, Connor's first gig, actually. Yeah, first time I'd ever played on stage was driving 10 hours down to Melbourne. It was a very fun one. Very fun one. Me and Josh actually were in a band together when we were, like, 13/14. Josh was actually the one who got me into playing electric guitar because I'd played guitar for a little bit beforehand, but then he was like, I want to be in a band. You learn electric guitar, I'll learn bass. I was like, cool. It all sort of of came together as we left school.

FMM: How handsy that you live so close, especially when it comes to writing, practicing and rehearsing.

Sunset Avenue: Yeah, it's like 1030 at night, and I called Josh. I'm like, I've got a song, run straight over to Josh, just in my pants, no shirt on. Josh, what do you think of this? I'm like, yeah, cool, cool, then go back home and then workshop. It's always good to have that. Plus, for memory's sake, we'll look back on it in the future and go, oh, that was such a good time.

FMM: As a band, how do you guys find balance when it comes to songwriting and having different ideas?

Sunset Avenue: Pretty smooth songwriting process. Normally it starts with Bowie, comes up with guitar riff in a verse or something, and then he'll bring it to us and be like, this is what I've got. We'll kind of just workshop it and add our own parts to it. But it's normally, like, pretty smooth. We don't really clash.

FMM: I've seen you guys mention that this is going to be your biggest year yet, so I'd love to hear some of your goals and aspirations for the year and what fans can expect.

Sunset Avenue: Well, our end goal is hopefully at the end of the year, we'll do a little tour just up the coast, like Brisbane, down to Wollongong, down to Melbourne. That's the end goal. So we're going to know, hopefully get an EP out this year. That's the goal. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. Get a few singles under our belt and then release the EP and, yeah, pretty much just a lot of online promo. Just like a lot of TikTok. We're going to be in your face. We're going to be pumping out as much content as possible. Then , hopefully do the tour at the end of the year.

FMM: Yeah, that sounds good. We're really looking forward to seeing what you've got in store for the rest of the year and seeing you at those shows and that tour as well.

Sunset Avenue: Thank you. Yeah, it's going to be awesome. I'm super keen for it.

FMM: And just a bit of a fun one. Do you have a favourite artist, album or song at the moment that you guys want to share?

Sunset Avenue: Yeah, actually, me and Bo went to go see Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks live the other week and he was fantastic. Obviously, I already know his music, but one of his opening acts, Ainsley Ferrell, who is like a relatively big kind of Sydney indie artist, she has a song called Leaving off her new album Dirt, which is just fantastic. Even that whole album is just fantastic. I've been listening to it so much ever since I heard it live.

Yeah, at the moment, I've been really enjoying the Velvet Club. I'm not sure if you've heard of them. They've been doing a bunch around the Sydney scene at the moment. They've got a really good song called The Other Side that I'd love. Like, the guitar riff is insane. Really good song.

Well, the reason I started music was because of Hockey Dad. Absolutely just adored Zach's voice and I was like, I want to be that. That was like my whole goal in music. Dear Seattle, a lot of indie-rock artists. They're pretty much my favourites at the moment.