You’ve got a new EP called This Place. Prior to the release, you dropped the singles Gundagai, Heard You’re Doing Well and the title track. Are all of these songs on the EP?
Yep. And we couldn’t be more proud of the videos for each single. Somehow we wrangled very talented people in Victoria, Sydney and London to make them.
It’s been a while since your debut three-track release. As a band, do you tend to be perfectionists? Or is there a good balance of perfectionist-types and bold/intuitive-types?
Any one of us can be determined to leave something as it lays, then the next minute be obsessing over minute details. It means songs can take a long while to grow in the right direction.
Howler has an excellent live room, which is particularly suited to music that has intricate sonic depth. Are you often concerned about little details getting lost in the room ambience?
We try to convey our music live in the way we all intended, but at the end of the day you’re at the whim of architecture and a maze of audio cables. But all our sonic qualms can swiftly evaporate when there’s a supportive audience.
Joining you on the night is Sui Zhen, who’s also got a new single out. Is she a pal of yours?
The way she tunes and sequences an 808 was what first caught our ear. We asked her to play with us at our last Melbourne show and bonded over growing up in Sydney.
What’s your perspective on theSydney v Melbourne rivalry?
Both cities have amazing music, bands and parties, with a supportive community to back them up. It’s always so reaffirming to come down and play shows in Melbourne. We leave feeling so stoked.
See RETIREE at Howler on Thursday July 2.
