Raging Hormones, a fresh rock n roll power pop band from Melbourne have burst onto the scene, raging across the music sphere with their empowering and uplifting music. Remaining relatable throughout their rise, Raging Hormones are here now and they will never let you down. Releasing their debut EP Public Fun – Part 1 earlier this month and playing shows up and down the East Coast, it’s clear to see that these guys are not slowing down on their mission to capture listeners’ hearts.
To get to know all things Raging Hormones and Public Eye – Part 1, we had a chat with lead vocalist/guitarist Nick Manuell.
Who are Raging Hormones?
Raging Hormones is a power pop band from Melbourne Australia. It features myself Nick Manuell (Guitar/Vox), and some of my best friends: Lucy Rash (Synth/Vox), Dave Williams (Guitar), Adrian Van Bloom (Drums) & Jon Grace (Bass).
Where did the band name come from?
The band is called Raging Hormones for two reasons.
Firstly the band came from an uncontrollable need for something fun in my life, I initially started writing for this project during a pretty bleak time where it felt like the world was imploding which in turn made me feel like I was exploding. This subconscious craving for a happy place to escape to felt so biologically important that it was almost hormonal. The name itself actually brought me a bunch of joy when I thought of it because at it’s core it is so very stupid.
Secondly we play Rock and Roll which is, and should always be, a very teenage thing. I wanted this band to make the listener feel young and carefree, like they can go out there and do anything that they want to do.
What brought together Raging Hormones?
After I wrote a few of these songs to make myself feel better I started sharing them with friends and I realised that they were making other people feel good too.
Dave & Lucy are two of the very first people I shared demos with. They are life long friends. We grew up together & both are very talented musicians. Ado & Jon joined us a little while later, I’ve been in bands and worked with both of them in the past and they are two people who I deeply admire & love. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people this talented and kind.
For your EP Public Fun – Part 1, what was your creative process?
Most of the songs on this release were written in this way.
Zero.five, Make a Campari soda.
One, Picture yourself at a festival and jump up and down like you would in a crowd. The tempo you’re jumping is the tempo of the song.
Two, Write three simple & solid chord sequences that feel like a party or feel uplifting in some way. Try to avoid minor chords. One is the verse, two is the chorus, three is the bridge. Each chord sequence needs to feel like you have changed gears. Write down any lyrical thoughts that come to mind during this stage.
Three, Record chords to Logic/garageband and add basic drums and bass that can be expanded on later.
Four, Add “left hooks”. This is what I call strange little pre chorus riffs or instrument drop outs etc. All the little sparkly points of difference that separate the sections of the song & add loads of colour. This is arguably the most important part.
Five, Export to MP3 and put it in the demo dropbox.
Six, Walk for hours on end listening to the song and populate the landscape the song has created with characters & story. Most of this record was written from the perspective of someone else. Someone I want to be but am not. It’s aspirational. Writing this way frees me from my insecurities and allows me to use phrases that I would normally think are stupid.
Greg Rietywk of Press Club produced the EP. What was it like working with him?
Greg is one of my closest friends. He’s one of the first people I shared the demos with too. Recording with him would start with us discussing pizza dough recipes and poolish for a few hours over a coffee. Then we would get stuck into it and he would unleash his immense knowledge of tone, structure & recording techniques. We bounce musical ideas off each other all the time so recording with him feels incredibly natural and easy. Press Club are my favourite Australian band, & Greg’s production & mixing work on their records (& others) is some of my favourite too. So I’m very privileged to have someone who I deeply admire as a close friend I can be really casual with.
Each of the tracks in the EP have a story/or a message. The whole EP Is empowering. What is the overall message that you want your fans to hear?
Ultimately I want people to be reminded to not take life so seriously all the time. As humans we get weighed down by so much bullshit that ultimately doesn’t matter. I hope people listen to our music and gain the ability to walk away from their pain for a moment. Even if it’s just for three and a half minutes.
Why did you pick “Going Out Of Style” as the single?
We picked “Going Out In Style” as the first single because it feels the most immediate and easily accessible. It’s got a big attention grabbing riff at the start and an earworm chorus and there’s also a familiarity to it.
“Going Out Of Style” music video is directed and edited by you. What was that like and where did the idea come from?
I’ve been making music videos for several years now & have made music videos for loads of Australian bands. If I’m being honest I actually find it really stressful haha. There’s so many things to consider with music videos & film production in general & that’s why normally there’s loads of people on a crew. So making a music video that you’re also in is pretty limiting. Having said that, being limited creatively can also help you make decisions faster. So we quickly settled on this idea of a first person style performance video that made the viewer feel like they are part of the band. Which is really an aim of ours from a song writing & live performance perspective too. We are always trying to break down the wall between the band and the listener.
What’s next for Raging Hormones? Any live shows? Any word on Public Fun – Part 2?
We have a few shows that will be announced in the next couple of weeks & we are putting the finishing touches on “Public Fun – Part 2” which we’ll release in a couple of months. We’ve also written 20 odd songs for whatever is coming after that.
Raging Hormones have just announced they are playing at Stay Gold in Melbourne on 14th July 2023 for Support Act’s fundraising event Beers for Bands. Tickets are on sale now and you can purchase them here.
You can stream Public Fun – Part 1 on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you stream your favourite music.
To stay up to date with all things Raging Hormones head to their website or follow on Instagram and Facebook
