Indie Melbourne record label Tremorverse put out their second compilation album last week, Tremorverse Two, showcasing new and emerging artists across all genres. We caught up with two acts who feature on the album – Polly and the Pockets and Clear Tear – to learn more about their projects, and the compilation. Then scroll through to the end to listen to the compilation in full!
I’m Polly and I play in Polly and the Pockets (go figure). We make quirky alt-rock music with a bit of a groovy twist.
What’s the song you’ve got on the compilation?
Milk Bottle
What can you tell us about the song? What’s it all about thematically?
It’s a bit of a party track. The lyrics are about an old story I heard about a guy who took too many drugs and thought he was a bottle of milk. He’s probably scared and confused but accepting that this is his life now… poor milk man.
Where did you record it? Who did you work with on it?
We recorded the track at Jordy’s place (our keys player). He’s done half an audio course and is pretty handy with it all so he mixed and mastered the song as well.
Tell us what else is coming up for you musically?
We dropped our new single “Policeman” a couple weeks back and have some more in the works for an EP early next year (Maybe? Deadlines are not our friends). Keep your eyes peeled nonetheless.
It sits amongst some other amazing music, what are one or two of your favourite tracks on your compilation?
We are big fans of Gordon Koang so “Kerangkerang” is a natural favourite. Love the energy!
The music here represents a pretty exciting pocket of the Melbourne music scene. What do you think
Definitely! We love living in Melbourne as it seems to be a bit of a hotspot for musicians in Australia. There are always great opportunities for emerging bands and artists such as these to get out a share their creativity.
What does a compilation like this mean for you and for the wider scene in Melbourne?
Compilations are a great way to spread the word and find new artists. Platforms such as these help out in the local scene a lot.
What can we expect from a live set of your act?
We love playing live gigs so for us it’s all about having fun. We usually open with some groovy/boppy tracks to loosen everybody up and follow into some real dancy numbers. The band rotates a little bit as well and we change things up a bit depending on who is playing and what instruments we have at our disposal.
I’m Kane Anthony, I play with Clear Tears, writer and lead vocals. Been writing since I can remember and created Clear Tears’ with the intention of being vulnerable and sharing myself… Weird thing to talk about but it’s the truth.
What’s the song you’ve got on the compilation?
‘Seize’
What can you tell us about the song? What’s it all about thematically?
Well Seize the day and all those classic connections are there, but literally it links to my experience with seizures, how they made me reevaluate myself and my choices.
Where did you record it? Who did you work with on it?
Sing Sing East, I produced and engineered the track myself, thankfully I got the amazing Caleb Lindner from ‘Banta’ to master the track for me.
Tell us what else is coming up for you musically?
Literally! The following night of the Tremorvserse launch we play in Castlemaine at the Bridge Hotel with Skyscraper Stan, I’ve booked us in for a Belgrave show 17th of November I believe… It’ll be under the Belgrave Emporium, played with old friends ‘The Bleeding Flares’.
It sits amongst some other amazing music, what are one or two of your favourite tracks on your compilation?
God, picking top favourites is impossible! But ‘SAtheCollective x GordanKoang’ is my personal jam. After that… Well, who couldn’t go for ‘Psuedoskateboard’, last track on the compilation and it leaves a tasty impression.
The music here represents a pretty exciting pocket of the Melbourne music scene. What do you think
Yeah, of course. Majority of pockets of music I encounter are pretty exciting.
Pockets on skirts anyone?
What have our experiences been working with Tremorverse?
Warm, exciting and gentle. Merida Sussex, Sarah Guppy and everyone involved have been so supportive and trusting! The experience has opened my mind and eyes in so many ways and to be lead by such inspirational and amazing people is an actual honour that will probably end up with a slightly cringey speech from myself on stage.
What does a compilation like this mean for you and for the wider scene in Melbourne?
A compilation is an opportunity in my mind to share diversity if you listen to it, it’s clearly there! It presents so many opportunities for young artists to share themselves. Listeners hopefully get a chance to hear new music. It’s simply the act of sharing sounds and messages, it’s a beautiful thing.
What can we expect from a live set of your act?
Ha, get ready for some whacky visuals, I’ve programmed these cameras along with a film directed by Lucas Haynes to be projected on top of us with a program I’ve been building. But if you haven’t seen us before, I guess expect emotions and some serious movement. If this interview was in person my hands wouldn’t have stopped moving the whole time, so you can imagine yeah?
For more details about the record label, head to tremorverse.com or facebook.com/tremorverserecords
