We sat down with the talented futuristic indie-pop artist Orange Orange to discover more about his influences, latest EP, and new blog!
On first listen, Orange Orange kind of sounds like if Foals and Everything Everything had a love child. What influences have you had on your sound and has it changed or developed?
Foals and Everything Everything are definitely my parents in this regard. They have thoroughly influenced the way I arrange my music, write my lyrics and even inform the way I write. Orange Orange initially was a step away from creating indie-math-rock songs to focus more on diverse arrangements, being more influenced from the Gorillaz. But now time has passed… I’ve come back to embrace Foals, and really just explore anything contemporary that influences me. I’ve had the likes of King Krule, Nirvana, Nilüfer Yanya, The Presets and many more influence me recently.
I LOVE your new EP 'What Did the MUNKEE Say Now??', and I'm genuinely sad I missed the live launch at the start of March. Tell me about how the EP came about, the songwriting process behind it and how you transformed it from a one-man creation to a full band extravaganza.
MUNKEE was the final place of these four pieces that were incongruent at first. I had wrote these songs over the course of 2019 about various things. I wanted to be less fussy about my overall output and just release music that didn’t have to segway or link as succinctly. My previous album Shame was very meticulously overthought and I felt that way of thinking could weigh my music down in the future. I believe this is how the lengthy title ‘What Did the MUNKEE Say Now??’ came to be.
I was very conscious about how each song would translate to the stage but all the recorded songs are created by myself only - save for my friend on the drums for Hive Mind. Working by myself helps my workflow for recording music but transforming that one-man creation into a full band extravaganza really cannot be credited to me. I’ve really got to thank the band for being so committed to my music and so passionate about making the full band arrangements as wild and wonderful as they are!! So if you guys are reading thank you!!
Your blog on orangeorange.com has started off with a bang - there's a piece about yourself, you've ranked top 10 best Foals songs (controversial but loving it) and you've got an interview with local Melbourne artist Sydney Miller on there. What else can we look forward to on your blog site?
I have more interviews with lovely local musicians that I really love. I’m also gonna start talking about some songs I put out in more intimate detail, as well as talking more about music I like in general. It’s really just a place to express myself and my weird thoughts, which cannot fit into the structure of songs or Instagram stories.
I also have a secret zine that never got released, and I’ll slowly be trickling out photos and articles from that, which is super exciting!
Give me your go-to song for each of the following scenarios and explain why in one sentence:
BBQ with mates
Probably Rock the Casbah by the Clash, no one’s gonna want to change the song because it’s from the 70s and they’d feel like they’re being disrespectful. It’s also a great upbeat song.
House party
Energy by Disclosure. or maybe, Take the Power Back by Rage Against the Machine, I dunno, something very upbeat. Kids with Guns by the Gorillaz, final answer.
Study/work sesh
Anything by Nilüfer Yanya. Amazing voice can make me focus on anything. Swoon.
Summer arvo at the beach
Foals time. Probably something from Holy Fire, like Inhaler or Milk and Black Spiders.
Can we get some cheeky hints as to what you're working on next? Please tell me you're doing another live show soon!
I have music coming out pretty soon! I have a single with a dear friend, a REMIX with a dear friend, some more singles coming, probably a third EP or a second album too! Still tossing up my options but there is new music on the horizon and it’s very good. I’m very excited.
I’m opening for Soren on Wednesday, April 7th at the Gasometer in Melbourne, I hope to see you there :-) !