Project Description
Interview with
INKLINES
Interviewer: Brianna Denmeade
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Inklines are a 3-piece rock band from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, who formed in 2017. Compared by their audiences to a variety of bands from Silverchair and Radiohead to The Strokes, they have a unique 90’s alt-rock sound with a modern twist. 2017 was a busy year for Will, Tom and Daniel, who spent a lot of it in the studio with Lachlan West (The Vines, The Griswolds, Gordi) recording a batch of songs between a small run of successful shows. And to follow that up 2018 is already heating up for Inklines with their new track Elusion due for release May 11.
Compared by their audiences to a variety of bands from Silverchair and Radiohead to The Strokes, they have a unique 90’s alt-rock sound with a modern twist. In November last year, they released One Day and now in the lead up to their second single release Amnplify interviewer Brianna Denmeade got the chance to ask the guys a few questions about their music, the Inklines journey and what is to come next!
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Firstly, can you tell me about how Inklines formed and your journey creating music together thus far?
[Will] I was doing solo gigs around the place and writing songs with the hopes of getting a band together. I saw Tom playing with a mates’ band one night and asked him to be my drummer, and he knew Dan through high school. Because I had been writing alone for such a long time, it was mostly just a sort of ‘get in the room and learn these’ type deal, but as we play together more and work on new songs we are definitely becoming a tighter unit. It’s been good working with people who are able to put in their two cents creatively.
[Will] I was doing solo gigs around the place and writing songs with the hopes of getting a band together. I saw Tom playing with a mates’ band one night and asked him to be my drummer, and he knew Dan through high school. Because I had been writing alone for such a long time, it was mostly just a sort of ‘get in the room and learn these’ type deal, but as we play together more and work on new songs we are definitely becoming a tighter unit. It’s been good working with people who are able to put in their two cents creatively.
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You have a new single due for release ‘Elusion’, how would you describe the track and what does it mean to the band?
[Dan] Elusion to me has always felt like quite an emotionally driven song which I think really shines through in the performance, in the recording and on stage. It’s always an easy one to for us to get into because it’s so riffy, so I don’t think we’ve ever played a show without it.
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This is your second single, does that mean there is an album in works we can expect in the near future?
[Tom] Well we wanted to make the most of the studio time we had with Lachy, so we tracked 13 songs over the course of 2 days. They have since been organized into an album format, but we are all still tossing up whether or not to release a full-length album or split it up. Either way, we will have more songs out soon.
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You also have a few live shows coming up in support of ‘Elusion’, where can people catch you next and how can they get tickets?
[Dan] We’re opening for Black Stone From The Sun at Waywards, Sydney on May 12th, and opening for British India at Narrabeen RSL on May 26th. Tickets for both these shows are available through Oztix. We’ll also be doing our second tour in September, dates TBC.
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What was the creative writing process for ‘Elusion’?
[Will] I actually wrote this one before the band formed and it took quite a bit of time. Not so much that I spent heaps of time on it, but I just kept writing little bits and then I’d completely forget about it for months while I worked on other songs. It originally didn’t have the chorus part, it went from what is now the pre-chorus into this other riff and back to the verse. The intention was always to have it building up to the explosion at the end – I guess I was feeling a bit of anger at the time – but the final result was definitely hugely different to my original demos.
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What was it like getting in the studio to record for Elusion?
[Tom] The whole experience of recording with Lachy at the reigns was awesome from start to finish, and we all love being in the studio laying down the tracks we put a lot of effort into. Elusion took us by surprise, as we had always enjoyed playing it but never expected it to be such a standout. Lachlan really liked the idea of Elusion being one of the first singles and everyone else who had heard the tracks supported that decision.
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Other than the three of you who did you work with to create the new track?
[Tom] Lachlan West not only helped produce the tracks, but he also mixed and mastered them, with Ryan Miller from Hercules St Studios on the desk during recording, and Will’s brother Jason tracking the bass. For us, having Lachlan as a producer is what made the songs into what they are, and set a new standard.
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If you had to genre-define Inklines what categories would you say you fall into?
[Tom] I guess the obvious categories we are often compared to is the typical 90’s alt-rock sound. In our opinion, we do also believe we have some elements of indie-rock in some songs, as well as a few hard rock elements throughout.
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What are the unique elements that each of you brings to the band?
[Dan] We all bring our different influences to the table but connect through our shared interest in other bands. We are pretty open to new music and different genre’s so we all feed each other pretty well.
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Who was each of your musical influences growing up?
[Dan] The first band that ever grasped my interest was green day, I heard Holiday on the radio and I was hooked. I eventually transitioned into thrash metal in my early teen years and then into a final phase of 60’s and 70’s rock like Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
[Will] I grew up on a lot of 60’s and 70’s music that my dad liked, Cat Stevens, John Denver, The Beatles etc. My personal all times are Silverchair and Jeff Buckley, but my first favourite band was actually Jet. I did also have the essential Eminem phase in the early 00’s.
[Tom] The first album I was ever shown by my brother was Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory, and from there I became obsessed with Muse’s Origin of Symmetry and Absolution. Throughout high school was a mix of alt-rock and heavy/hardcore bands, eventually ending up at a weird stage where Tame Impala and Violent Soho were my two favourites.
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Did any of you ever consider a career not making music?
[Will] I started playing guitar at a really young age and had decided by the time I was about 6 that I wanted to be a full-time musician, though to some extent – at least from an age where I actually understood how it all worked – I knew that I’d have to do other things in the interim.
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What has been your most memorable gig recently?
[Dan] Perth to me always sticks out as a great memory, we opened for Pat Chow at the venue Jack Rabbit Slims. All the bands we played with that night put on great shows and getting to know all of them was a great experience.
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If you could sum up Inklines in one sentence what would it be?
[Will] Grand total of 4.
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If you could collaborate with an artist no longer alive who do you think Inklines would choose?
[Will] That’s a real tough one. It’d probably have to Jeff Buckley or John Lennon.
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You arrive for a live show but for some reason forget all your instruments. What would you guys do?
[Tom] Strip show.
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Why do you think people will resonate with Inklines’ music?
[Dan] I feel as though people will be able to relate to Will’s emotive lyrics. I think we have a pop sensibility and even though some of the songs are a bit heavier, they’re all fairly radio friendly.
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Originating from Northern Beaches, Sydney; do you think that has had any influence on the band’s sound?
[Tom] The music scene on the Northern Beaches isn’t what it used to be, and has been in bands for a few years collectively, we have all gained a perseverance towards following our dreams of making a living out of music. In a songwriting point of view, the northern beaches have been our home for the majority of our lives, and the people we have grown up with, and the experiences we have had with them has ultimately had an influence on some of the songs.
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Who would each of you say is someone you feel you would not have been able to pursue your music career without, and why?
[Dan] My mum continues to support me with music as she is always pushing me to follow my goals and not to stop trying.
[Will] Definitely my family. My dad had his guitar sitting around the house since before I was born, my oldest brother Ashton was responsible for all the bands I got into as a child, and all my older siblings were really musical too. Probably above all though, my mum has always been very supportive of my choices, all the while very realistic about the way things are and that has always pushed me to do better.
[Tom] Similar to what the others have said, my parents are the ones to thank for all their support. Putting up with my drumming for however many years at home is always something I’ll be appreciative of because without all that practice as a kid I wouldn’t be where I am today.
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