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OBSERVIST - “This EP’s like someone's found my message in a bottle drifting at sea” | Interview


It isn’t uncommon for bands to go through line up changes. It’s like any other relationship, there are times where things just don’t work out. As with any dissolving connection, this can trigger many negative emotions. If a pattern starts to emerge, you can often find yourself wondering if any of it was actually meant to be. Especially when you’re seeing other bands triumph ahead of you.

This was the case for Melbourne metalcore band, Observist. Having reinvented themselves several times, they now hope their current line up is the one that seals the deal. We caught up with Chris Conroy and Kye Blomeley of the band to talk about the state of the band now and deep dive into their recently released EP, From The Ashes.

 

Where did the name Observist come from? Do you think it describes a band’s role as a social commentator at all?

Kye: It was a potential name for a previous project that ended up not getting used, when I pitched it to the guys, everyone was keen on it. It's more that we thought it sounded cool then being about any social commentary.



The band’s gone through a few line up changes and versions of itself, what was the hardest part of that constant reinvention?

Kye: One of the hardest things was finding people who were consistent and willing to commit to the project while going through lockdown. Once Leigh [Robinson] and Cade [Griffiths] joined the band, it just felt complete as everyone was finally on the same page with similar goals in mind.


Chris: Would have to be finding the right people for sure. We had our setbacks with people falling through. The lack of communication at times was honestly getting to us. We didn't know how we wanted to go about things. With the new members as a collective, we all just clicked with the same mindset of how we wanted to approach things and that honestly made everything so much more real kicking things into gear.



What advice do you have for other bands who may be going through that transitional period or dealing with people who doubt them?

Chris: Make sure you're compatible with the people you're surrounding yourself with in the band, because if you can't make it work as a collective how do you expect that not to show not only in your performance but your music. You want to make something and do things you're proud of together. Secondly, make your presence known, don't just hope people will know who you are; you have to put in the effort and make them know who you are; you want to be heard and people like to listen. Believe in yourself, in each other, and in what you're doing.



What do you guys do for a “day job”? How are you finding the balance between the two entities of yourselves?

Kye: We all work in trades and labour, it can definitely be hard sometimes. We all live about an hour and a half away from each other so we've all got to commute for band practice and shows which ends up in some late nights and early starts. But it's something we're all passionate about so the sacrifice is worth it.



You recently released your debut EP From The Ashes; an EP full of tales of hardship yet a willingness to defy the naysayers. How did you go about addressing those particular demons?

Chris: Those naysayers weren't just others at times, it was also ourselves. We had our moments of self doubt about how we wanted things to go. But we had people that believed in us and then we found Leigh and Cade. They believed in what we were doing and wanted to be a part of that and all that support goes a long way. So when writing the lyrics I wanted to cover the topics; self doubt, perseverance and realisation of self worth because it's the process many like us go through on the daily.



Looking at the arc of the EP, people may see ‘Fragments’ as a black sheep as it talks about “laws of time” and being “fragments of the Tesseract”. It has a feel of sci-fi around it sonically as well. Could you tell us a bit about the song and why you chose to include it?

Kye: ‘Fragments’ was the first song written on the entire EP about 3 years ago, we have wanted to put this song out for a very long time but we knew it deserved more than just a single release to be lost into oblivion. Our music tastes definitely developed over the writing process and that is definitely shown throughout the EP.


Chris: At first glance it does have that sci-fi feeling around it with the lyrics, and I do love my sci-fi references, one of these days I'll find some way to incorporate a Doctor Who reference in there somehow! But if you peel away the catchy words and dig deeper into the message of the song it fits perfectly with the themes of the EP.

The concept of song may be "Time" but the bigger message behind the song is; when certain things are expected of you and everyone has this image of how you're perceived and how your pathing will go; what will you do? Will you give into this ideology and be who people want you to be just because it's the way you've always been or will disconnect from your previous self and be who YOU want to be; liberate yourself into the lucid which means free yourself into your dreams.



Lyrically, ‘From The Ashes’ is rich with metaphors about self-worth and letting go of the past. Did dealing with topics as weighty as those ever take a toll on you/the band or was it more of a cathartic experience?

Kye: It was definitely cathartic for me as a lot of the themes are about the band itself going through changes, whether it was about self-evaluation or line-up changes, it definitely describes where we were at when writing these songs.


Chris: For me personally, it was a very cathartic experience writing this EP as I'm the kind of person like many that prefers to just keep things inside and bottle up a lot of stuff. So whenever I'm given a chance to write and get it out there, it's like someone's found my message in a bottle drifting at sea and taken the time to open it up and see my story and connect with it. The big thing for me is not only has this EP helped me release my emotions, but I hope it will help others as well.



Atlas, though heavy and aggressive in nature has this uplifting message of “I am more than I think of me”; was the idea of having a “djent ballad” approach intentional?

Chris: It was and it wasn't in a way because I get shown the songs before I even write lyrics for them, that's how I write. I don't have words prepared beforehand, I write as I listen to the songs. So when I first heard the track something clicked inside me like I knew “this is it, this is going be the track of self-realisation,” and I wanted to have that approach like I was telling a story, a ballad in a way conveying self-worth. But I didn't want it to end like "please somebody help me," I wanted to be like "wait, that someone who can help me is me".



‘From The Ashes’ sees the transformation from what the band was in the past into what the band is now. Why did you choose to close the EP with the title track?

Kye: The song and EP title were written before the lyrics were, and for that song in particular, it was already placed as the closing track so it just kind of worked out that way after Chris wrote the lyrics.


Chris: When we had the EP name, I knew I wanted it to be used for a track name as well; I wanted to use that title and base the song around it. This whole EP has been about our transition, and I wanted to tell our story. It worked perfectly as a closing track because after hearing all these emotions and topics throughout the previous four songs this closing song gives you a full incite as to what we've actually faced as a band to get to where we are today.



If you could choose one song from the EP to describe yourself and your personal experience through this journey, which would it be and why?

Kye: For me, ‘Dystopian’ definitely feels right about the past year and a half and what we have all gone through. It has the push/pull of the choruses but the breakdown also caves your head in. Pretty much describes how I’ve felt about the process.


Chris: I don't think I could choose one song; every track has its own personal connection to me as it shows the various moments through the journey. But if I had to I think I would have to go with ‘Fragments’. I'm all for pushing against the grain of what's expected of me.



Going into live shows, which song have been your favourites to play live?

Kye: ‘Dystopian’ and ‘Fragments’ have had a great response when we've played them and they have the most fun riffs for sure!


Chris: Is it cliché to double on answers? Because the reaction from ‘Fragments’ is always fun to have people come up the front knowing the words; it's insane. I also love how heavy we can get in ‘Dystopian’; mosh songs are always fun songs.



What’s coming up next for Observist?

We've got a couple shows coming up throughout the next few months which we are all pretty excited about. We're also always working on new tunes so keep an eye out for that later this year!

 

Observist’s stunning debut EP From The Ashes is available now across all major streaming platforms. For the latest Observist news, including new releases and tour dates, follow their social media linked below.

 

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Follow OBSERVIST on socials;

Facebook 💀 @ObservistBand

Twitter 💀 @ObservistBand

Instagram 💀 @ObservistBand

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