After gaining international attention for their EP 1996 and their latest single, "Losing Ourselves," Aussie rock band Poison Oak steps up their sound game with new single, "Weekend Blues."
Aussie rock band Poison Oak are no stranger to making emotionally engaging music. Their EP 1996 proved this not gaged the attention of radio stations and magazines from all over the world but showed that they could tell a story in a charming, unprocessed way.
“The working life can get monotonous, we all know it when we get there, people sing about it all the time. Now, this is our interpretation.”
Now after the release of their single "Losing Ourselves," the band has taken their time to refine their sound and teamed up with producer Mike Myers of The Middle East to bring their new single, "Weekend Blues." With memorable pop-rock hooks and instrumental textures reminiscent of The Cure, Poison Oak has changed their soundscape to reach new heights.
"Weekend Blues" doesn't only represent the happiness of a weekend approaching, but that positive times are ahead for the everyday person working their way through a long and stressful week.
What inspired you guys to start Poison Oak? What was going on in the music scene that made you decide it was the right time to start the journey for your band?
The inspiration is just a bunch of mates who wanted to play music together. Honestly, it's not really about what is going on in the music scene, we just play the music we like to write together.
What are your musical influences? How do you take them into your latest single, "Weekend Blues?" There is this very sun-bathed, carefree math/pop-rock vibe to it that's pretty infectious.
We have a wide range of influences, but you can hear The Cure, throughout some sounds of the song. In saying we are huge The Cure fans.
What was the creative process like for "Weekend Blues?" How was this different from other singles you recorded this year and last?
Hmmm well, it was pretty similar, to be honest. We just developed it over time, I (James) came in with the song idea, and everyone just started to add their parts.
You recorded with producer Mark Myers, who is known as being a part of the indie band The Middle East, which is fantastic. What was it like to work with him on this particular track?
Yeah, he was great. The best thing is that he would pull you up if you sang an off note straight away etc. Which is really good, also got us to really focus on the melodies to really make them shine a bit more.
I want to focus on the lyrical content of "Weekend Blues." We have these great themes of the feeling of the weekend, the relief of Friday. We aren't digging up bad memories or rehashing the past. It's just a great song that atmospherically is light-hearted and a feel-good song. Was that the goal for this track? I think it's nice to get works that have that kind of depth to them, but it's also nice to get something like this as well.
To symbolize the happiness of the weekend, and the sudden depression of being back on Monday really haha. You can hear this at the end of the song, when the final chord rings out, there is a soft faint melody being playing, (the chorus melody but an octave lower), under the feedback. This slowly fades out and symbolizes that the weekend is over, even though it’s the same melody, it has a melancholy tone this time that is used to represent that feeling.
What have you taken from this personally as artists that you didn't get from previous releases that you want listeners to take from it?
The working life can get monotonous, we all know it when we get there, people sing about it all the time. Now, this is our interpretation.
What is next for you guys?
We have another single coming out in a couple of months then our EP!