Introducing: OKBADLANDS

Last week saw the release of Brisbane duo OKBADLANDS' new single, PTY LTD, which also served as the announcement for the release of their debut EP, Dust & Gold, due March 31. Needless to say, we fell pretty hard for PTY LTD, and sent the best pals (Kate Gurren and Sally Latter) a few questions to get to know 'em a little better:

Tell us about about yourselves?

We’re a band from the suburbs of North Brisbane. We’ve been friends for ages, but a few years ago we came together to jam and brought alongside our juxtaposed music interests with us. Years later and here we are, still writing, still gal pals.

What kinda tunes we talkin’?

We write a mixture of jazz, electronic and harmony-layered tunes. Sounds kind of complicated and jarring, but we’ve spent the last three years working together to make it work. We’ve taken inspiration from a vast range of artists and bands such as: Hiatus Kaiyote, Jeff Buckley, Warpaint, and myriad jazz musos - just to name a few. The way we see it is that we’re given the ability to create, and we create what is nesting in our souls. So our music process is about listening and drawing from songs that resonate with us, and letting them influence what we write in turn.

Production/writing process:

We demoed a lot of the songs for our EP while Sal was living at Palm Beach last year. It was a peaceful time and a lot of the songs reflect that. If you listen closely you can hear the dull roar of the Gold Coast Highway in the background, although we liked to pretend it was the ocean. Our tunes generally start out with an idea outlined on either a piano or guitar. From there we demo onto Ableton and do as much of the instrumentation we can ourselves. Our pal Max Byrne, or better known as Golden Vessel, will jump in and sprinkle some of his production magic. The songs are generally about things that happen in our day-to-day lives. The people we encounter, the real human feelings we feel - no lyric is wasted and no note is there without reason.

What do you do outside of music?

This year holds a whole lotta new for us. Sal’s working her first law job after graduating uni, and I, Kate, am studying to become a high school teacher. Sal loves reading/writing and gravitating to the nearest body of water at every possible occasion. I love to teach singing, take part in community/church events, and drink 3000 cups of tea a day (Sal does too - it’s a shared passion).

Can you tell us about your latest single, PTY LTD?

The verse lyrics talk specifically about consumerism and how easy it is for us to get caught up in its futility. Maria Popova, who curates a great blog called Brain Pickings, wrote in an article – ‘do nothing for prestige or status or money or approval alone’ as those things can detract from pursuits that do offer deeper rewards. The song challenges the idea of how we measure our success. The choruses lay down the fact that we have the option to come together in solidarity as friends to break free of those pressures.

Any shows coming up?

We’re doing our first interstate tour in April which we are stoked about! That will be announced soon. Then we have our first headline show to release our EP on May 6 at Black Bear in Brisbane. There’s a few other little gigs here and there before that, which will be on our social medias in the coming weeks.

What’s the rest of the year have in store?

Our debut EP is being released on March 31st, which will be followed up with our first headline show on May 6th at Black Bear Lodge. This is something we have been working towards for a while so it’s gonna be a fun time.

Where can we hear more of your music?

Our music is on most of the popular music platforms - SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, and SOUNDCLOUD.

Follow OKBADLANDS: FACEBOOK