Peachy Magazine had the pleasure of talking to the Australian synth-pop duo Monarchy about their new single Just Give Me Your Love, their growth as artists, and dream collaborations.
What’s the story on how your new single Just Give Me Your Love came about?
Ra) Lots of our song’s lyrics are aspirational or idealistic. Just Give Me Your Love is more like a journal entry. There’s not much metaphor going on here apart from the pre-chorus, which is riffing on Alice in Wonderland. The cliffs notes version is; girlfriend has a party while I’m away, people are too drunk to go home, no spare beds or sofas left, girlfriend thinks of offering her bed to a friend, I get jealous and insecure.
Andrew) Actually, we worked on this over a while and presented it to the powers that be before. But it got no love. Then we changed some words and reworked it a little, and suddenly everyone got excited. Maybe it was too early for its time, maybe it was born too soon. We always loved it though, we kept on nurturing it.
Listen to the new single Just Give Me Your Love while reading the interview, here:
What other artists on the scene are you listening to yourself at the moment?
R) At the moment, I’m listening to Tyler The Creator, Tom Misch, Cautious Clay, Janelle Monáe.
A) I’m listening to LEISURE, Kid Franciscoli, BAILE, Electric Guest, Satin Jackets. Isaac Delusion.
Do you have any artists that you’d love to collaborate with in the future? If yes, who?
R) I’ve enjoyed collabs in the past, it’s a nice way to keep things fresh. A few dream collabs off the top of my head; Tove Lo, Harvey Sutherland, Kimbra, Janelle Monáe, Tom Misch, Jamie Lidell.
A) So many… I think I would collaborate with anyone in my Spotify Playlists, and they are huge. From the top of my head Kazy Lambist, Austra, Poolside, Pional, Christine and the Queens.
What are some of the themes that you’ve been interested in working with on the forthcoming album?
R) I did a lot of songwriting as therapy when I first started writing. So I’ve mostly got that out of my system now. These days I try and write positively. Even if I’m having a shit day, I feel better if I write how I wish I felt. It turns me around pretty quickly.
A) We kept the production pretty narrow for this one, we didn’t want it to sound like a compilation. So I tried to always incorporate the same instruments, like my Jupiter 6 and my Korg Minilogue, as well as key outboard distortion and compressors.
You’ve been releasing music as Monarchy for more than ten years now, what’s the most significant difference regarding your process of making an album now compared to back then?
R) I feel like a completely different writer and human to 10 years ago, yet when I try and think back to our process then, I’m not sure it’s massively different. How I think about it is different, but essentially the process is just like cooking. You take one idea, add more ideas to that idea, you keep on cooking until you’ve made something tasty.
A) I don’t really look back too much. I keep changing throughout my whole life. For sure, I use less autotune now and realize the importance of noise, mistakes, and imperfections. I embrace them more now.
And how have you guys grown as musicians since the first album?
R) My ears are better for sure. Before, I would just create and not really listen critically to what I created. Kind of childish, really. I might have technically been a better musician back then, I used to practice regularly and care about being “correct”. Hopefully, I’m a better artist these days.
A) Definitely, I’ve grown as a musician. I try and keep it fresh, though. We sometimes come across musicians who have been working on a project for ten years, and they are so bitter. “It’s not like it used to be” kind of vibe. I don’t ever want to be like that. I approach every song as though it’s my first.
What can your audience look forward to in 2020?
R) We will have a bunch of new songs coming out!
A) And touring! Some heartbreak. A few hangovers.
