Hailing from Brisbane, duo Trim Reaper have tapped into an intoxicating and luxurious mix of electro punk and indie rock. Yesterday, they dropped their debut EP, and it’s a beauty.
At just three track long, it’s short and sweet, but packed with social commentary, old-school instrumentation and upbeat energy. There’s a potent sincerety to the tracks that cover topics such as housing affordability, wealth division, emotional empathy, and self-worth – whilst keeping the dance beat well and truly humming along.
Trim Reaper is comprised of Matt Somers (I Heart Hiroshima) and Michael Hardy (Violent Soho, Miiesha, Birds Of Tokyo), two stelalr artists that have been around the traps for quite some time. The EP is an excellent entree into the band, and we hope there will be a full-course coming down the line in the not too distant future.
About the recording process, the band writes: “We recorded, produced and mixed everything ourselves in Mikey’s Brisbane studio and a lot of the process of creating these tracks was the journey of learning to trust our ability, and the realisation that we have something special to offer to the world, which is something that can be hard to navigate in a time when the music market is unequivocally over saturated with releases. listen to Trim Reaper is for the luck-trodden, hard working, big hearted humans who walk towards a fair future for all. We’re proud of this project, ecstatic for the future and hungry to prove what we have to offer. Long live 4 track tape machines. Long live Trim Reaper.”
The band have some live dates coming up – in Gadigal/Sydney, Meanjin/Brisbane and Naarm/Brisbane in November and December. All the details are below. Get along if you can and support live music.
To celebrate the release of the EP, the duo have put together a playlist of their influences and favourite tunes. Give it a spin – there are some absolute classics there (and some little interesting factoids!).
For this playlist, we went back and forth, picking 5 songs each that inspired us during the journey of creating “listen to Trim Reaper”. We’ve both had fairly different experiences in the music industry and this playlist kind of highlights our unique approaches to creating music and demonstrates what makes this project so unique.
IDLES “Danny Nedelko” – Matt Somers Pick
The thing I love about IDLES and this song in particular is how aggressively specific it is, while still maintaining the general positivity in approaching a difficult human topic. This was a huge inspiration for me when we wrote Release Love.
Out Hud “One Life To Leave” – Michael Hardy Pick
I haven’t listened to this album since I was a teenager but I had the bass tone of this track stuck in my head for months and wanted to create something inspired by it for these songs. I couldn’t remember what the song was for ages and it finally came back to me the other night. What a ripper! Fun fact, when this band broke up, the members started/joined !!! (chk chk chk) and LCD Soundsystem.
Blur “Girls & Boys” – Matt Somers Pick
I didn’t know at the time but this was the first song that really shifted my worldview. It’s just a bloody great pop song with a not particularly hidden message that love is love. That’s what I get from it anyway. Listening to this now and realising the power of positivity and openness when sending a message has been massively influential for everything I put into this EP.
The Dare “Girls” – Michael Hardy Pick
I feel like there’s been a lot of attempts at emulating the energy of naughties New York dance music and it usually comes across real bad. The Dare’s built his own sound and personality around this project and it’s so easy to get to know the project. I’m fairly obsessed with this album at the moment.
Sea Power “Who’s In Control” – Matt Somers Pick
Fittingly, this band used to be called British Sea Power but they dropped the “british” after brexit because they were no longer proud to be british. I have loved this band for many years, especially their full-tilt loose bangers. This is a fun party song about privatization ruining society and the stigmatization of people who stand up and protest. Is anyone catching on to a theme in my choices here yet?
Sex Mask “TV Movie” – Michael Hardy Pick
Someone dragged me along to see this band a couple of months back. I had no idea who it was and wasn’t hugely taken by their name. I remember feeling that excitement of the first shows I ever saw where you’re experiencing a new energy. I was obsessed before I’d even heard VS 1 of the first track. Long live Sex Mask.
Genesis Owusu “Stay Blessed” – Matt Somers Pick
This track has been a real huge motivator for me, of straight up rebellion against hopelessness. Stick with it, stay focused, and get angry in the most productive ways you can. Incredible live show as well – huge inspiration in that department on top of the rest
Primal Scream “Kill All Hippies” – Michael Hardy Pick
I used to listen to this album while building lego as a kid. What a nerd! I’m constantly gravitating to electronic inspired 90’s music. I really fight a lot of the modern tools for producing music because I feel like there’s too many shortcuts and cheats that take away the human feel and emotion that music needs to connect. I love Primal Scream’s approach to noise and distortion, especially on this album. Kinda sounds like everything’s breaking but in a beautiful warm way.
The Rapture “I Need Your Love” – Matt Somers Pick
This album came out when I was in grade 12 and it was a huge confidence boost for me trusting myself to sing on stage (and I mean that in the most positive way possible). The Rapture and The Pixies completely changed my approach to singing. This track was also a big inspiration for some bits of Release Love.
LCD Soundsystem “Losing My Edge” – Michael Hardy Pick
This song inspired me to buy synthesizers and throw my computer out the window because I wanted to make a yazz record. Look, I’m being silly and repeating the lyrics but it should be pretty obvious that we both fucking love LCD Soundsystem. One day I’ll learn how to make my drums as dry as James Murphy can.
Trim Reaper – upcoming live dates
Sunday 3 November – The Dock, Gadigal / Sydney
Saturday 23 November – Echo & Bounce, Meanjin / Brisbane
Saturday 7 December – The Tote Front Bar, Naarm / Melbourne
You can give Trim Reaper a follow on Facebook, Spotify and Instagram
