Project Description

Interview with

MAN vs SYNTH

Interviewer – Vicky Hebbs

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“For fans of early Midnight Juggernauts, you’re going to have a field day with Man vs Synth. The three-piece are equally anthemic as they are confident in their own musical showmanship. Perfect Picture is a grand, sweeping musical movement that showcases beaming synth strikes and drumming that rattles you to the very core.” AAA Backstage


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When did you all meet? How did you decide to form a band together?

I’d been writing these songs for a while and it felt natural to get a band together for the project. Hamish and I had been thick as thieves since we were about 14 and was an obvious choice to be the drummer. It helps that he puts up with the obnoxious drum parts I write for him. Later on I met Sam at Monash and he quickly became the first person I’d show any new song ideas to. So he was keen to jump onboard for the band.

What music did you grow up listening to? How has it influenced your music?
I grew up listening to heaps of Lebanese music, a bit of french pop from the 60s and a whole lot of pop music like Justin Timberlake. Later on I discovered Rock music and fell in love with the Chili Peppers and Radiohead. Eventually Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada became staples of my rotation. I think listening to heaps of Lebanese music like Elias Rahbani and Milhem Baraket gave me a huge fascination with fascinating rhythms and dramatic melodies from my culture.

Your self-titled EP comes out 14th June. Can you share the concept behind the EP?
The main idea for this EP for to blend these two disparate sounds of acoustic and analogue instruments. Man vs Synth is an amalgamation of frenetic drums with lush guitars and synths, pounding baselines and evocative vocals.

Your single ‘Perfect Picture’ was released on 17th May. What inspired the single? How would you describe the single?
Perfect Picture is basically just a love found, love lost song. I was dating a girl a couple of years ago and I could see the ‘Perfect Picture’ of us being together. She had to move away and subsequently that picturesque future was shattered. The song itself is a throwback to an 80s sound with the Juno pads and Moog bass line but with a more modern edge to it.

Do you find that you work through things while you are creating music? How does your personal life impact your writing?
I feel I learn about myself through the process of writing music. Maybe once a song is done does it really become revealed to me what was going on, and why I felt like I needed to write about it. This really incapsulates everything about my personal life as its all in the music.

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What kinds of influences do you draw from in writing your music? Who are your major music influences?
Major music influences have to be John Frusciante, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Tame Impala, Portishead, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada. These musicians are insanely talented and are a constant source of inspiration. A lot of these artists have been able to seamlessly blend acoustic and analogue instruments in a way I find incredibly exciting.

Do you have any plans to tour once the EP is released? 

We’d love to! We’re in the process of booking some gigs.

What is the first thing you will be doing when the EP drops?
Heading off to Lebanon for a break! Then come back and hit the ground running for some gigs and more writing sessions.

If you had to pick a song or songs that would be the soundtrack to your life, which would you pick? And why?
Central – John Frusciante. The sound design is absolutely amazing and grabs you instantly. It can go from intimate and tender to epic and chaotic. Which feels close to home some days!

Do you have any longer-term goals or aspirations for your music career?
There are a bunch. Starting on the smaller side we’d love to play the Corner Hotel, then move onto bigger events like Laneway or Splendour. Hopefully one day headline Glastonbury like so many of our idols have.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers – 

FAVORITE:
Album – The Empyrean
Artist – John Frusciante
Movie – Pulp Fiction
Place to visit – Melbourne Museum
Venue to play – Cherry Bar
Food = Chicken Shish tawouk/falafel at A1 Bakery 100%
Drink – Scotch, neat
Person in History – Either Winston Churchill or Charles de Gaulle
Tattoo – I’d get a tattoo either in Arabic or Syriac. Such gorgeous languages.

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MAN VS SYNTH
‘SELF-TITLED’ EP
Out today

‘PERFECT PICTURE’
Single out now

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New artist, Man vs Synth, has announced their first self-titled EP.

Melbourne-based Indie Synth Pop outfit Man Vs Synth have written, recorded, and produced this ambitious debut EP themselves. Man vs Synth, frontman Mathew Farry has engrossed himself in the project for over a year and half with the inspiration for the EP emerging from personal experiences, proclaiming stories of love found, love lost and loneliness.

The lead single, Perfect Picture, draws influence from 80s synth pop, fusing analogue and acoustic sounds to produce a contemplative and ethereal piece. Combining cavernous synthesiser tones with piercing guitar refrains – a heavy emphasis on rhythm resides at the core of this project that sees Man vs Synth venture into seldom-explored, genre- defying territory.

“The EP explores life, death and rebirth. That feeling of going over the edge because you’re burnt out and you can see everything around you falling apart” says Farry. “It came to a point where there was some stuff happening in my personal life and I just knew I had to put them into a song and that it was only something I could sing. The first song I wrote and recorded was Perfect Picture and it was definitely the hardest one to write but the most rewarding.”

Man Vs Synth release the ‘self-titled’ EP today
– available on Spotify and Apple Music.

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Check out MAN Vs SYNTH below
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AMNPLIFY – DB