SPECIAL FEATURES

Writer: Joseph Maranta

What is life, if not a search for a flat valley amongst the jagged mountains put in front of us by a universe devoid of empathy? If all the good we work towards is perpetually at the whim of Murphy’s law, is there a purpose beyond sustenance? Or are we merely travellers with a destination we’re forbidden to know?

He snaps out of his philosophical state as he approaches the table his mates are sitting at. A $68 round of four Stone & Wood pints can make a Plato out of any punter, although an early spring sunset at the Toowong Bowls Club can turn even the most stubborn of frowns upside down.

Surrounded by his best friends they bask together in the golden hue of the sun and their pacific ales. Yarns are spun, tales are told and the night ahead is discussed. Is it a trip down the road to the Royal Exchange? Perhaps it’s a visit to Black Bear Lodge? Or maybe it’ll be a few bowls on the green followed by a few bowls of the green once the sun goes down.

There’s much to ponder in their lives, but one thing is for sure - tonight will be a fucking ripper of a time.

This is Special Features

Offering an ode to the grunge soundscapes of the 90s while at the same time presenting a glimpse into the future of Australian rock, Special Features are an alt-rock quartet composed of Zac Carr (vox, guitar), Jeremy Sankey (vox, bass), Charlie White (guitar) and Alex Smith (drums).

As rugged as a cricket ball by the end of a test match and as delicate as a teenager experiencing their first breakup, Special Features seamlessly flow from rambunctious punk-rock anthems into introspective soft-rock ballads, showcasing talent far beyond what’s expected from four mates fresh out of adolescence.

JOE: Congrats on finishing your sophomore project! The EP’s first single drops on the 6th of September, what was the thought process behind leading with Maddy’s Song?

ZAC: I think Maddy’s Song is the most meaningful to me out of all the songs, it deserves to have its own spotlight. With people’s attention spans getting smaller and smaller, it’s definitely pretty risky releasing such a slow burner to kick things off. 6 minutes… but I think the song is just so beautiful lyrically and melodically that it’ll hopefully connect with people. The lyrics are very honest and direct, a heater for sure!

JEREMY: Yeah, I think Maddy’s Song is also quite well-rounded in terms of the EP’s sound. It covers a bit of everything; it’s soft, heavy, quiet and loud. There’s an underlying theme of self-reflection as well, which is the major theme of the EP. A good peek inside of what’s yet to come.

ALEX: It’s funny how it’s the first single because it’s actually the last song on the EP.

JOE: The songwriting of Maddy’s Song seems pointed, what’s the story behind the song’s creation?

ZAC: Yeah, I tried really hard to keep the lyrics very straight to the point and literal. I pretty much just list everything I love about my girlfriend, haha! It’s a classic love song. At the time I was listening to so much Courtney Barnett and Peter Bibby, they were a big influence for the very pointed songwriting. I love their unapologetic Australian accents as well, they’ve definitely manipulated my vocals to become much more Australian sounding, unintentionally.

JOE: Your latest singles Give Me a Break and Sweetest Dreams have a lot of 90s grunge about them, what’s your relationship with that era of music?

ZAC: I feel like in high school around grade 11 and 12 it was a bit of a rite of passage to be into that grungy sound so that’s definitely where our roots are. I think now that we’ve matured as artists we’ve expanded from that sound a bit though. 

CHARLIE: It’s definitely there in some aspects though, you can definitely still hear it.

JOE: Regarding Give Me a Break, what podcasts in particular inspired you to make an entire song about shitty podcasts?

JEREMY: Ohhh haha, it was a multitude of them. Mainly those wellness people who get on their high horse and tell you to wake up at 5AM and go for ice baths. 

JOE: Like that Cody Adams guy?

JEREMY: Haha I hadn’t seen him before I wrote that song, but yeah that’s a classic example. People like him, or even when Andrew Tate was doing the rounds. I just thought that it’s fucked that this guy is able to chat this much shit, and that people even listen to it. Like those incel podcasters - toxic masculinity, it’s laughable that people give it the time of day. 

JOE: Whenever I ask a Brisbane band about their favourite act or a band that they think will blow up soon, the answer is almost always you four. How does it feel being held in such regard by your peers?

ZAC: I feel like I was talking about this the other day with someone, everyone just supports each other so much in the scene here. It's just like a really good community - everyone is mates with everyone else. It’s so sick to have people liking our music though, it’s dope. 

CHARLIE: I think we were coined as a grunge band for so long, but since playing our new stuff from the EP I think people can see that we aren’t a rip off but we’re doing our own thing. 

JEREMY: There’s more to it than a bunch of teenagers who listened to Nirvana. 

JOE: What were some lessons you learnt from your debut EP "Same Things" and what’s been different the second time around?

ZAC: Definitely taking more time with the vocals. On our first EP I did most of the vocals in one or two takes, I didn’t put too much effort into them. But with this EP I had my vocal coach with me and they’ve come out a lot better. 

ALEX: Finding out how we like the songs mixed and mastered as well, it’s a big journey to really find the sound you like. 

JEREMY: Two of the songs we made on the EP we wrote on a writing session at the farm. I think it made us associate the farm as a creative space, like it’s a comfortable area to create shit - that’s been a big takeaway, it’s a place where we can really lock in. 

ZAC: A big thing for this EP is trying to avoid over-producing our music. My friend talked to me the other day and she said that we don’t sound the same live as we do in our recordings. We want to try to sound how we play live. 

JOE: What’s your take on the current health of Brisbane’s music scene?

CHARLIE: Well thank god BIGSOUND is still going ahead. I think it’s one of those events where everyone comes together, you’ll see so many people in one place across all the venues. I think Brisbane’s scene at least is still definitely going hard. 

JEREMY: There’s a grassroots foundation for bands to start, but with all the festival cancellations it becomes a question of where do you go next once you have that start. A few venues like The Zoo and O’Skulligans being shut down, and venues being stiffed by noise restrictions from property owners - it becomes a bit difficult to enjoy playing and viewing at times. But like Zac and Charlie have said, the support of the Brisbane scene as a whole really steadies the ship here. 

ZAC: For those medium sized bands it becomes tricky because where do you play besides the big three smaller venues. I think the DIY scene is having a big resurgence though, bands are taking it into their own hands, shoutout to The Substation and A.H.E.P.A Hall. 

JOE: Finally, what can listeners expect from your forthcoming EP?

ZAC: A lot more of a stripped back sound. On one of our last songs we had eight guitar overdubs in the one track and in this EP we have three guitar overdubs max. Don’t get me wrong, it sounds sick but sometimes I think it’s a bit unnecessary. 

JEREMY: For us this EP is more feel than sound. The lyrics are more in-depth and that rawer sound emphasises the feel of the lyrics too. 

CHARLIE: That’s why recording at the farm is so great, it’s such a free-flowing space. You’re not on the clock, you aren’t paying for the space by the hour, you can really take your time. Ally [Alistair Richardson] and Swan Pond Studios just gave us the best surroundings we could’ve hoped for. 

SEASON THREE | MADDY'S SONG - SINGLE LAUNCH 7TH SEPTEMBER | TICKETS HERE

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