Get to know Close Counters before they hit the stage at #PS13

It's hard to escape the ever-reaching, infectious sounds created by Melbourne duo CLOSE COUNTERS. Once they draw you in for the first time, there's a chance that there's no turning back. After all, they are damn good at what they do. Last year, the pair released their debut record, SOULACOASTA, and since then, they've been going at it all guns blazing.

At the tail end of 2018, they gave us 'Way Out' with Au Dré on the vocal line. The artists came together for the eclectic, jagged track, Au Dré's vocals providing the perfect medium for delivery on this one.

A few months later, and we premiered their latest single, 'Tip of My Tongue' featuring Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Laneous. It's the perfect blend of oddball indie funk, RnB and everything in between. Harmonies are the dominant point in the track, with the careful instrumental shuffling along to the sweet sounds of Laneous and the CC boys singing along together.

They'll be coming up to Sydney in a few weeks time for our Thirteenth Birthday as part of Vivid Sydney. They'll be bringing their live show, so to get to know them a little better and to check in on what they've been up to, we sent a few questions their way. Take a read below!

You recently had the chance to remix Motez & KWAYE’s ‘Steady Motion’. How did that one come about?

We were honoured to be asked to remix Motez’s tune! He’s been such a great support to us recently, having opened his latest Mixmag live stream with our tune 'Third Gear'. We then connected in person and supported him in Melbourne on his tour last summer.

Your single ‘TIP OF MY TONGUE’ features fellow Melbourne artist Laneous. How did you guys meet?

We’ve been fans of all the projects that Lachy has brought to life: his other project Vulture Street Tape Gang or his white-board improvisation night called Uncomfortable Science. We have played at Unc Sci, a weekly residency where 4 jazz musos improvise songs based on the chords that Lachy writes on the board. We properly connected at one of those.

Can you talk us through the creation of that track?

Having already made a skeleton of a beat, we headed round to have a session with Laneous in his room. Within a couple of hours he had already laid down almost every layer of vocal including counter melodies and stacks of harmonies. He’s just one of those underrated geniuses that can conceptualise an entire form in a short amount of time.

You’re both excellent musicians in your own right. How did you both hone in on your sound?

We both learned the piano from a young age and got into beat making in our teens around the time we started making music as Close Counters. Our first releases included a range of different electronic styles, but after playing a few live shows we really started vibing on more of a house/future disco sound. We both play in many different projects as keys players where we are able to expand our knowledge and skills and then feed that back into CC. Allan has performed for acts such as Dylan Joel, Duckwrth, Mallrat, Teymori. Finn plays in Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, Elle Shimada Collective, 30/70 collective, Sex On Toast, Cofi and more. This diverse range of bands inspire us as artists, helps develop our sound and grow into the community.

What have you got in the works at the moment?

We’re currently working on our EP which will feature 'TIP OF MY TONGUE' as well as visual content to go with it. We’re also upgrading our live show for the next tour later this year.

We’re so excited to have you coming up to perform at PS13! Can you give us a bit of a rundown of your current live setup?

So are we! Our current duo live setup includes live synths/keyboards which we play, as well as some percussion and of course - visuals which feature some of Finn’s animations.

What advice would you guys give to your thirteen year old self?

Finn - I would tell my 13 year old self to ask more questions, listen and not try to cater too much to people's judgments or expectations! And nurture good friendships. I think a lot of kids can dull their creativity down in school when they think it’s too ‘weird’.

Allan - Probably to know that it’s ok to be uncertain about life direction, career choices and general purpose but to just go with it!

Do you remember what kind of music you were listening to at age thirteen?

Finn - I think I was between my dad’s music taste - Queen, Frank Zappa, The Who etc. and what other kids at school were listening to - Muse, Bliss n Eso, MGMT but I’d also just bought my first “Ministry of Sounds Annual 20 & something” compilation which was pretty wild.

Allan - I was probably in the thick of a good phase of nu-metal/thrash metal, so a lot of Slayer, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Pantera. I was always down to sport some of their merch on free dress days at school. But then I was also in to all the big acts on the J’s/falls line up, including The Presets, Flight of The Conchords, Art Vs Science and The Living End!