These two aren’t scratching around for creative opportunities, but even so, they looked to fulfill a basic desire with GL. “I’ve always wanted to have a project where everything is completely equal,” says Thompson. “We write everything, record everything, share all the responsibilities, so it’s nice to have something where there’s only two of you to worry about.”
Assuming equal responsibility is easier said than done, as collaborative parity can splinter once pursued with force. However, GL’s two practitioners have several years of experience playing together, which aided with the division of duties.
“We both grew up around the Warrandyte/ Eltham area,” Thompson says. “Graeme’s a bit older than me but I sang in one of his first bands, which was like a Memphis-y funk/ soul band, when I was still in high school. Then we both did our own thing, then we both played in The Bamboos together for a couple of years, then we wanted to do something of our own.”
When it came to the concrete details, Pogson and Thompson set out with an overriding aesthetic in mind. Though, it was hardly an oppressive stylistic framework.
“We did want to have something that was really fun,” Thompson says. “It is meant to be fun music and universal themes. We’re not trying to be too metaphoric or abstract in our lyrics or anything. It’s just love songs or heartbreak or those kind of themes. And also hopefully it’s danceable.”
The result is a sound that drips with pleasure, courtesy of chunky electronic beats and Thompson’s delectable vocal hooks. GL’s debut EP Love Hexagon landed last October, via Sydney label Plastic World Records. Just this month, the EP’s been repackaged in cassette tape format, with the inclusion of two additional tunes. “Before we even had any idea of how to release we were like ‘We can just dub our own tapes and sell them,” Thompson says. “We were just going to do that and then we started working with Vic [Edirisinghe], who’s our manager and also runs Plastic World. He was like ‘Let’s put out this stuff and put it on vinyl’. Then he agreed to doing the tape thing, so now it’s finally come to fruition, which we’re pretty excited about.
“[Cassette] is sort of like vinyl, in that it’s nostalgic,” she adds. “Hopefully people buy them, but it’d be cool to do them even if they don’t. It’s more like a collectors thing, in a way. I like having that kind of limited style object.”
This past month, GL have had plenty of opportunities to peddle the release, as they’ve been hopping around the nation supporting Chet Faker on his massive sold out tour. Fortunately, the bright lights and decadent pleasures of stardom haven’t seduced them just yet, and next month the duo heads back underground for a three-date residency at Hugs & Kisses.
“We’re really excited,” Thompson says. “With these support shows in a big room, you have to work really hard to get to the back of the room and engage with people. So it’ll be nice to be able to see exactly who you’re performing to. We’ve been working on our album, so we’re going to play some new songs. It’ll be good to play in a more intimate setting, and they’re our first headline shows in a while, so we’re looking forward to it.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
