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Interview with
JOSH and HAZEL
from
THOSE WHO DREAM

(28th November 2022)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Those Who Dream are an Australian alternative rock duo and multifaceted creative project of brothers Josh and Cooper Meyer. Their captivating energy and revealing lyrics has not only earned them the acclaim of Pop Buzz, Rock Sound and Alternative Press; but more importantly, a cult-like following across the world. The Meyer brothers are as DIY as it gets, citing “YouTube tutorials” as their teachers of filmmaking, 3D animation, design, songwriting and production. The sum of these talents can be best seen in the duo’s extravagant music video for their breakout single Violet, featuring surreal and eerie visuals reminiscent of psychological-horror films. Growing up perpetually fascinated by art in all of its forms; the brothers quickly learnt to channel their own struggles and emotional turmoil into creative expression. After creating individually and experimenting in bands, it quickly became apparent that their best work was created together. Now, it seems their hard work is paying off, with the group touring this year with Mayday Parade, Real Friends and Short Stack, and set to perform at all three Good Things Festival events in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in December.

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How did the band come together? Is there someone who is a “driving force”, or do you all make decisions together?
Josh: Being siblings we’ve obviously known each other a whole lifetime and were literally always involved in projects together…People always ask us how we‘re not constantly bickering and disagreeing but we just… don’t… (mostly lmao). We lived in Sydney as kids and the band we were a part of had disbanded, so Hazel and I kinda just regrouped and were like…We have the exact same music taste, both wanna make music our career and we fricken live together. So, we started making music as just the two of us. Once we moved to Perth we’d skip school to go back home and record our first EP.
Hazel: One of the reasons the band made so much sense is we were super aware of each other’s talents and how we could exploit them to a) save money and b) make all our weird ass ideas a reality. Josh records and mixes our songs and is the main writer. But he’s also a camera guy, can light the shit out of a scene, and does CGI. I handle the graphic design, merch, video editing, marketing, etc. I’m leaving out a lot because it’s not glamorous like… You don’t wanna know that Josh is also our accountant…
We’re both the driving force for each other. I think we actually split losing faith in ourselves 50/50 so the other sibling can be there to give a motivational pep talk.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
Josh: We love sooo many kinds of music and it all manages to seep into our writing and production in its own way. The overarching vibe is 2000’s alt rock and pop-punk but with weirder sound design. No matter what my writing seems to draw from that genre since we grew up on it.
Hazel: People resonate with our music for 1 of 2 reasons. Either they are mentally ill and hear themselves in our lyrics or they just like the way the weird sounds and catchy melodies scratch their brain. Or both 🙂

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
Josh: I loved seeing Twenty One Pilots live, it just completely changed the way I look at live music and I felt like it showed me there’s so many creative and eye catching directions you can take when designing a concert. They put on such a spectacular show. Music wise, I feel like every new Bring Me The Horizon song I hear totally changes the game… Very excited to be at Good Things with them!
Hazel: I’m inspired by anyone defying genres and expectations tbh, right now it’s BROCKHAMPTON. Also seeing the new 1975 live show inspires me in terms of keeping fans on their toes and never doing the same thing twice.

You are about to perform at Good Things Festival. Describe how you’re feeling about these shows, what are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
Josh: Nervously anticipating the first show haha. Once the first show is done it’ll totally be a breeze but we haven’t played any sort of festival for ages and this one in particular is quite LARGE. Equally as excited to meet and watch so many great bands tho, some of which we literally grew up listening to. We’ve released some mega bops over the past couple years which we will be playing every one of PLUS a brand new song just for the Good Things kids. You better come to our stage to be the first to hear.
Hazel: Expect a drum battle. And fireworks. I can’t tell you if either is true, but just expect both to be safe.

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If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Josh: Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers because if I spend enough time next to him I may be able to extract some stage presence powers from him.
Hazel: I wanna drum for Taylor Swift sorry Josh I’d definitely abandon you for her

What are your long-term aspirations as a music artist and how are you progressing towards them?
Josh: Man the goal is simple, we just wanna keep doing exactly what we’re doing, and keep it growing for as many years as we physically can. We wanna earn a living from music so we can continue to spend everyday doing it. In one way or another it’ll always be a part of us and we’ll always crave creating it, so I think being a part of Those Who Dream is our best shot at ensuring we can always do that.
Hazel: I wanna play arenas. And I like to think we’re progressing towards that goal by like, making good music and stuff. Interview us in a couple years and we’ll see I guess.

With that in mind, what piece of advice would you give to an artist starting out?
Josh: You need to have arguably some of the most intense motivation to persist in your craft out of most other industries, and be determined and resilient in everything you do. Things will set you back and people will tell you you’re just not good enough but none of it is a reflection on you or your music. If you like your songs, and you’ve perfectly captured that catchy, unique idea in your head then there’s no question whether you’re making good music or not. You just gotta prove it to the woooorld.
Hazel: Pleaaaaase don’t try and sound like someone else I promise you your truth is way more interesting and unique than chasing the sound of someone else’s. Also, the industry is really tough and you have to play the long game. Also use TikTok you dumbass you’re not too good for it! Free marketing!

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
Josh: Creating songs in the studio is such an exciting time because the ideas are fresh, you’re energised by this brand new idea, and you’re just excited to bring it to life…but dude live music is a whole new level… we live and breathe this shit. The absolute best, most rewarding thing about performing live is sharing that same electricity with a room full of people, capturing that emotional response and just loosing yourself in it. We know what it’s like from the audience’s perspective (obviously we attend concerts too DUH) but it’s so different on stage – it’s such a tough thing to put into words but there’s nothing like it, it’s a feeling of pure euphoria… it’s like everything bad just melts away in those moments. I feel so lucky to able to do it more and more often in so many cool places. Career highlight is a tie between opening for Short Stack the first night in Brisbane to a sold out room of 3,000 people or playing the roundhouse in Sydney with Mayday Parade. Hard to choose 🤷‍♂️
Hazel: Duuuuude I just love looking people in the crowd dead in the eye and seeing the massive smile on their faces and then I smile and we just FEED off each other’s energy. My career highlight was the same thing Josh said because we are in the same band.

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Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:

Album –
Josh: I’m in love with the new 5SOS album but favourite album of all time is still probably Chase This Light by Jimmy Eat World or The Otherside by Tonight Alive.
Hazel: Ain’t no way I can pick just 1, but an album I love is Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83

Artist –
Josh: 5SOS or Twenty One Pilots I CANT PICK
Hazel: I have a billion but here’s one: Dominik Fike

Movie –
Josh: I adore Inception by Christopher Nolan, but I also will never get over Donnie Darko.
Hazel: I saw Everything Everywhere All At Once recently and i think it’s my favourite movie of the year.

Place to visit –
Josh: France is such a beautiful city I love spending time in the country part where no one speaks any English words other than “wine” or “bread”
Hazel: Melbourne because everyone is gay

Venue to play –
Josh: The Roundhouse in Sydney is pretty spectacular… the green rooms are BIG and the stage is so nice to be on. Great staff and Great PA according to Aaron (our FOH guy) too 😂
Hazel: YES that shit was so comfy

Food –
Josh: I honestly love East Malaysian food specifically their stir-fried noodles OOFT, but I will also treat a good smash burger as a hefty runner up. Ooh also Ramen… and Indian Biryani rice… ugh are you really gonna make me pick ONE?!
Hazel: Lil tiny individually wrapped chocolates. In particular Kinder Bueno White 👀

Drink –

Josh: Iced Dirty Chai latte with as many shots as my little heart can handle :)
Hazel: Iced Long Black with 3 shots baby but only if it’s made with yummy beans and a barista who cares

Person in History –
Josh: My girlfriend Claire – I know that’s not the question but that’s my answer
Hazel: Marsha P Johnson

Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?)
Josh: I wanna get a tattoo of a ghost I think??
Hazel; Sometimes I wanna be covered in tattoos but the pressure of picking is too much. I like tattoos that look like a child drew them on you

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Follow THOSE WHO DREAM
Website – Facebook – Tik Tok – Instagram

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Press Release 24th November 2022 (below) HERE

The
GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL
reveal maps & timetables
and the addition of more artists

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AMNPLIFY – DB