Where did the title Sin Will Find You come from?
I started writing extremely honest songs for the first time, almost like diary entries from my life about growing up in Melbourne, the drug culture and a lot of the things that go on around here that the general public would view as sin. No matter how hard you try to be a good person, you’re always going to fuck up and there’s almost a beauty in that. That’s kind of life in itself and you’d have to live in a bubble not to do that. The general vibe is not to celebrate sin, but not to be scared of it.
What do you convey to your listeners throughout the record?
There’s a song at the end of the record called Burning. It explains how my dad basically saved my life by just saying a few words when I was in a shit way in high school.
Did it take you long to become comfortable writing about your personal experiences?
For Burning, there are only five lines in the whole song that I could get out and it took me seven or eight years to say anything at all. Then there are other songs that were just five minutes. One night I wrote two songs in the bathroom of my ex-girlfriend’s house in ten minutes. I don’t ever sit down and try to write because I feel it’s situational and comes to you when you least expect it.
How has the departure of Daniel Breen changed the band?
It was more not having to think about two people’s points of view when writing, I could just sit down and be 100 per cent me, which was freeing. I think the biggest change is the onstage dynamics. It also took a while for us to come into our own and for me to take over a whole stage alone.
You’re headed out on tour with Pierce The Veil, Silverstein and Beartooth. How does it feel to be a part of such an epic line up?
We’re just stoked and really humbled. We’re really excited to learn a lot. We are the type of band that try to progress in being able to play as well as we can, and going on tour with these big bands really gives us the opportunity to watch and learn from people who have been doing it for years.
What do you like to wear on stage?
I’m quite out there and I work in fashion as well so I think you need to have something that really defines you and stands out. With this tour I’m actually working with a designer friend of mine and she’s helping me design a few custom pieces. I like to have one-offs that you can’t really buy; I think that’s really cool to have in a live setting so that if people wanted to wear it they couldn’t unless I gave it to them. I wear Converse quite a bit, I like to wear shoes that can cop a beating.
Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction during a show?
I had these jeans, they were actually a girl’s – she left them at my house when we stopped seeing each other. They were really nice skinny jeans. One day they ripped right down the middle and I didn’t notice. I squatted to sing to the front row and this poor girl who was probably about 12 years old looked like she’d seen a ghost. It was just underwear.
Who’s the most fashionable member of the band?
Andy’s got this really cool vibe going on, kind of vintage, baggy pants and a band T-shirt. Alex is probably the most stylish though. He’s just started his own clothing brand with his girlfriend called Toka Mi. He knows everything there is to know. He’d kill me if I didn’t pick him.
If you were to give an emerging band any tips or tricks – what would they be?
The main thing would be don’t cut corners monetarily and take your time. If you’re writing a debut album or EP and you haven’t established your band or put your band out yet – take a year, take a year and a half because you have no time limit.
BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON
