Blending disco sparkle with surf-rock charm, Plastic Orchestra craft music that radiates pure joy. In this interview, they dive into their sound, studio adventures, and the playful creative energy behind “Foot In Mouth.”
1. “Foot In Mouth” has such an infectious blend of disco and modern surf-rock. How did you land on that particular sound, and what drew you to merge those two styles?
I think personally they are the 2 most fun and kind of feel good genres for me. I really like the tones and almost hypnotic sound of surf guitars and how grooving songs in that vein can be, but also these are upbeat and fun songs and that incorporated that disco element I think. i think I was just writing for myself because this type of song is what I would put one when I’m working, on the move, hyping myself up for going out, and when I am trying to motivate myself to get the house in order… pretty versatile.
2. You mentioned that this project began after winning a competition that gave you a week in the studio. What was that week like — any memorable moments or unexpected turns during the recording process?
Oh Grace and Palmer at nuthouse studios were so great! Memorable moments I would have to say was living back at my mum’s house for a week because it was way closer to the studio and driving with her work and the studio to ABBA was the best way to start the day.
I think there are few people who would say a week off from work to hang with your best mates, making sometimes ridiculous noises, is not a very fun idea. Everyone who contributed to the EP came in with their game faces on, but everyone also contributed their own brand of fun to these tracks.
3. The track feels full of motion and freedom — it really captures that “joy of letting go.” Was there a specific experience or feeling that inspired the song’s theme and energy?
When you absolutely stir the pot by accident or “cock it up” verbally, you can choose to think about it for ages and think “my god why did I say that”, or you can brush it off and when it pops into your mind you just kind of laugh and think “oh damn that was not the right choice.” And I think making a song that sounds so fun and light hearted reflects that second situation where you wipe it off and have a laugh about it.
4. The name Plastic Orchestra is intriguing — it suggests both playfulness and cohesion. What’s the story behind the band name, and how does it reflect your collective identity?
Everyone within earshot of me for the last… 5 years maybe more, has heard me spitballing band names and never picking one until this name… nobody talks about how hard it is to pick a band name and stick to it, I was at some points probably insufferable.
I picked Plastic Orchestra because I can’t see this band writing something super dark or serious, and it sounded like a great way to reflect the fun and interesting vibes I think we put out. “Orchestra” came from people listening to the demos and recording the songs often bringing up how big the files for the songs were, and how many layers of sounds we were putting on top of each other; it may only be a few people involved in the band but we recorded a lot of different instruments and sounds.
5. Collaboration seems central to your sound. How do you balance individual creativity with the group’s overall vision when writing or arranging songs?
The projects I have worked before have always worked best when, at least at the start, 1 person writes the song and then everyone comes in and puts their spin on it. Because the first EP was on a strict schedule, it was pretty important we went in with something that was roughly 70% done so we had something to start with and a direction. But everyone who came into the studio brought so much to the songs. Clancy on the drums is a beat specialist, but somehow makes hitting things sound like its own melody. Pan and Astrid are both incredible vocalists in their own way, Ast at one point harmonised with herself with something like 8 different harmonies, and Pan spat some incredible runs and just amazing vibrato. Pat really knows his way around surf guitar and knew when a little noodle or a whammy bar would go a long way; and Mack brought in a whole music store’s worth of percussion into the studio, he is like a real-life version of the percussion loops library that comes with recording software, and just as pocket-perfect.
6. “Foot In Mouth” is the first glimpse into your upcoming EP. What can listeners expect from the rest of the record — will it follow the same disco-surf vibe, or are you exploring new directions?
We really found our groove with this genre and we kept the fun going in every track. When Palmer and I were mixing and producing the songs, we both couldn’t stop bopping our heads and having a dance for the 3 ish days we were working. Each song has their stand out moments and strays from the last but its very much rooted in the same sound and the same themes of introverted reflection and not-so-fun topics lyrically, backed up by very infectious riffs and a constant groove, there isn’t a lot of down time but I kind of love that.
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