With two EPs already released just two years on of their history as a band, Telenova has a cohort of listeners that's growing exponentially.
Made up of Angeline Armstrong, Edward Quinn and Joshua Moriarty, the multi-instrumentalist expertise of Ed (Slum Sociable) and Josh (Miami Horror) paired with the hypnotising vocals and occasional guitar playing of Ange has proven to be a combination nothing short of enthralling.
Despite the creative collaboration still being in its infantile stages, at least from the perspective of time, the band seem to get along like they have been mates for years. In an interview they passed around a box of vita-wheats, sitting in the house studio of band member Josh and cracking jokes and bouncing off each other in an infectious way.
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After churning out their two richly filled EPs they are preparing to record and release their debut LP, with a date purposely left unspecified.
“We have been working on a debut album,” says Ange “And most of the songs that have made the final cut for what we plan to record have come in the last 12 months. We all have different influences and spread the songwriting process amongst the three of us.”
“We trust each other. Someone can leave the session one day because they might be really zapped and exhausted and whoever remains can keep working away at a track.”
The ultimate decision on which tracks to record is a process that due to perennially writing music has become somewhat easier for all the band members. The band has learnt what to look for in a track in the preliminary stages of its life.
“As you write more and more you can get better at recognising what is going to work and what isn’t”, says Ed. “So, if a track isn’t sounding like it would fit well on the album you move onto the next one.
“With that in mind we will we start an idea with the intention of finishing it but realise that we might need to move on at any stage. We really just keep on making songs all the time. Which is made easier because we all like hanging out with each other and writing music together. It’s not a chore to write music together. If something has some energy to it, we will pursue it and try to sculpt it into a track that we want to release.”
However, despite the correlation between writing more and understanding their own creative process the band agree that a polished and refined finished product should be paramount in regards to their debut album.
“We’ve all released albums before,” says Ange. “But for a debut you want to get it right.”
Although there is an emphasis placed upon executing the album to the best possible standard they can achieve, the band’s cohesion and respect for one another remains a factor that never seems to result in confrontation or arguments over what direction a song may take.
“As a band we don’t feel very pressured by one another or by the public for that matter,” says Ange. “We never have massive creative arguments over a song or an idea for our music videos.”
The latter is where Ange’s creative prowess is showcased further. As director of the music videos Telenova has released and in line with her background in film, the singer sees the visual representation of their music as vital.
“We want the visual world around the music to really tie with the music itself,” says Ange. “I come from a film-making background, so for all of the music videos I have been the film director. We do still have a lot of collaborators though, working on editing, lighting and such. I just oversee all the creative direction of the projects and we cover all the creative roles, and then we go on to shape that in-house.”
Arriving at a concept for a music video is an elongated process for Ange who spends many moments sitting with a song in order to construct the cinematic presentation of Telenova’s music.
“There are often cinematic ideas floating around in my mind and I like to keep the visual possibilities open. Taking a step back is a helpful tool to assist me in figuring out what the universe or the world is around the video.”
“For example, with the video Why Do I Keep You I planned it well before we filmed it. Coming up with a song, you’re drawing on emotions, anywhere from a couple of months to a year before that song takes shape into something we can release. From there I listen to that song a lot whilst I jot down imagery, colours and symbols that relate to the song.”
Not only do the band keep the artistic design of their music from a sonic and visual standpoint in-house, Ed and Josh are also established producers and have had their hands at the production of Telenova’s music thus far.
“We do a lot in house,” says Ange. “Josh’s has a studio in house, and they are both producers.”
This topic of conversation only pronounced the banter within the band further, as Josh took the opportunity to stir on Ed.
“Ed almost produced his band Slum Sociable,” says Josh. “So, if a cowboy could produce that then I could produce.”
With the commitment of recording and producing their debut album the band is also gearing up for a run of summer festivals that will see them share a line-up with some huge international acts as well as some excellent local talent.
“We’re playing a whole bunch of summer festivals,” says Ange. “Including Spilt Milk, Lost Paradise and Falls Festival.”
This is particularly a big deal for the band who recently played a show in Melbourne at 170 Russell to a crowd of around 1000. Prior to this monumental show the band had mainly been performing to much smaller crowds.
“We had a show at 170 Russell,” says Ange. “Before we went on stage our manager told me ‘You know the first show you played was like 100 people and now it’s like 1000’.”
The transition to playing for audiences of 1000s of people seems a natural progression for Telenova as their following seems to be expanding in an accelerated manner.
Telenova are being recognised by the industry too, having received two nominations in the upcoming Music Victoria Awards in the categories: Best Pop Work and Best Group. The possibilities seem endless for Telenova after the astounding success they have had in just two years of releasing music as a band.
The Music Victoria Awards ceremony will be held on December 13. Telenova will play Falls Festival at Sidney Myer Music Bowl from December 29-31. For the latest tour dates and deets, head here.
