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Body Type reflect on saying "yes", friendship and their debut EP

19 October 2018 | 2:20 pm | Staff Writer

Since finding their foothold in 2016, Sydney based Body Type has climbed to reach national attention with whimsical dream pop singles and and an endearing image. Already having opened for the likes of Japandroids, Frankie Cosmos, and Big Thief, Body Type was about to open for Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever when guitar/vocalist Annabel Blackman and drummer Cecil Coleman found a quiet space in the corners of the Retreat Hotel to chat about the development of their debut EP.

“We've played three shows so far,” Blackman says, reflecting upon the tour with Rolling Blackouts. “Started off in Sydney and played with a bunch of our friends there — another band called Bored Shorts, Cecil also plays in that band at the moment. So far it's been really nice. Rolling Blackouts… they’d always crash in our house. When we all lived together they’d just sleep on our lounge room floor, so we kinda know them pretty well already just by not playing with them.”

We know their sleeping patterns,” Coleman adds, though she explains that between studio sessions and her day job, her own are unpredictable. “There have been many late nights and questioning the drive or train ride to work the next day.”

“And questioning how good free beer really is,” Blackman interjects, pausing to consider, “free everything tastes great.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Coleman agrees, “Rolling blackouts have a great rider.”

“Tonight they’ve got the full rider; they have pre rolled cigarettes and they also have a pair of socks.”

“Novelty socks!” bursts Coleman.

I don’t know who they’re for but I’d wear them on my hands more likely, than my feet.”

The two concur with my offhand perspective: hands really are just the feet of the arms. The comparison seemed even more appropriate as Coleman explained that only by grasping every given opportunity could Body Type run towards success so quickly.

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“We just wanted to jam. We all really loved music but we’ve all got jobs on the side but we were like ‘it would be really cool if we had the space to jam’ and that’s how it kinda came it be. Georgia, Sophie and I are all from Perth; that was our connection. Annabel moved into a mutual friend’s share house; we saw she had a guitar and asked her along to jam one day.”

We got offered to play our first show and it kind of just spiralled from there. We just said ‘yes’ to everything. ‘Let’s just release it and see what happens, let’s just play a show and see what happens…’ That’s kind of the mindset we’ve been in from the beginning.”

On the path that is their two year career, Body Type has made stops at Gizzfest, Sydney Festival, and Electric Lady Festival. Just earlier this year, the group signed to Partisan Music and Inertia Records, and yet despite this success, Body Type remains just big enough for their boots, maybe because they prefer to wear socks on their hands, or, as Blackman supposes, simply because the quadfecta assembled with no aim other than to have fun.

We’ve just been yes people for the past 2 years and it’s just lead to good things. We didn’t have any real intentions. As we met Scott [Armstrong] from Conversion, he sort of became our manager; everything got a bit more proper and we did more high fidelity recording.”

We’ve been really lucky to work with the most amazing people,” Coleman says. “Honestly I think one of the things we all get out of it... we just get to play music on stage with our best friends. That’s why we kept on saying ‘yes’... because we were having fun with each other.”

Body Type embodies an ethos characterised by positivity. Of the relationships and sentimental events which precipitated, one of the most essential to the identity of the band is a fateful studio session and an unexpected parking ticket.

That’s on the cover of our EP as a little memento,” says Coleman in reference to the the parking slip.

“We were having a really shitty rehearsal,” Blackman recalls with passion, “and I was borrowing a car at the time and we came back for the car and it had this ticket on it and we were really pissed off and it was midnight and I think it was raining. I think there was a comment that was like ‘oh maybe there’s a band name on that.’

Coincidentally we had been thinking about Kim Gordon’s other band, Body/Head, and were like, ‘Oh that’s such a cool name, wish we had something like that.’”

Body Type, name and all, is a reflection of life as a seemingly arbitrary series of experiences. What began as a jam session evolved into an exemplary instance of music as a catalyst for social change— a paradigm that, as Blackman explains, is all but random.

“Essentially we just came into this as friends and we were very fortunate to find each other, but it’s an inherently political world and that means you have to take a stance and be responsible for your actions and your presence and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

“There aren’t a lot of all female bands out there and it is very frustrating,” Coleman continues. “What we’ve tried to do is create safe spaces when we play and also offer a more diverse lineup.”

Body Type’s debut EP not only stands as a monument to friendship, determination, and good fortune, but the influence that a shared passion and collectivism can have on the fabric of a society and a music industry longing for progression.

“We feel really strongly and emotionally attached to each of the songs,” says Blackman in regards to the EP.

As for a tour to support the release, Coleman maintains secrecy. “That’s under wraps,” she says. “There is a headline situation happening... we’re just really excited to let this out into the world.”

Body Type EP is out October 19th via Inertia Music/Partisan Records. Stream it here.

BODY TYPE tour dates:

Saturday November 3 - FBI Turns 15 @ Manning House, Sydney

Sunday December 14 - Festival Of The Sun, Port Macquarie

Image: Dakota Gordon

Words by JACKSON LEMBKE

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