Meet: Blusher

From Naarm/Melbourne comes the self-described ‘angry sparkly pop chaos’ sounds of Blusher, a trio who write, produce, share instruments, and lead vocals together. Last year saw great things for the group, releasing their debut single Softly Spoken, showcasing at Bigsound, signing to Atlantic Records/Warner Music Australia, and being picked up by Powerhouse Management. Continuing this winning streak, they announce a supporting slot on Norwegian artist Aurora’s Australian and New Zealand The God We Can Touch Tour leg this March, and unveil their second single; Dead End.

Sporting polished pop sensibilities, Dead End’s driving beat and gritty bassline push sparkling synths to new heights, whilst intimate vocals draw you in with tales of nights out in a bid to avoid suburban boredom. On the release Blusher shares “Miranda told the story of using a fake ID to get into sticky-floored dive bars (and crying the night she got caught). We pictured a run-down club called the Dead End, where you find yourself on a Tuesday night having a terrible and fantastic time.”

Out now, we thought we’d celebrate the release of Dead End by getting to know Blusher a little better with a writer Q&A. Be sure to hit play on this exciting and enticing sophomore track, as you take a read through what the trio had to say below.

Tell us about Blusher?

We created Blusher in late 2021. We had a lot of pent up energy and just wanted to make some pop to dance to. We knew of each other through the music industry, we’d been cutting our teeth with our solo projects for a while before Lauren arrange-married us in a writing session. Our first day in the studio was such a magical combining of forces where we realised how compatible we were as songwriters. We wanted to write energetic, hard-hitting pop, the kind that you listen to when you’re getting ready to go out, or getting really into running because you’re newly single - and it was so exciting to really align on that goal. We wrote our first song “Softly Spoken” that day and released it soon after.

What were all of your first forays into making music?

We each have unique but strangely similar experiences of starting out. Jade grew up in a musical family, her parents were in an ABBA tribute band performing as Benny and Frida. Lauren started producing music on garageband on an ipad and was fascinated by layering vocals and playing synths, and Miranda was a classically trained violinist before she rebelled by picking up a guitar and writing her own songs. Before the band started, we each pursued music as solo artists, producers and topline writers.

Tell us about your creative process?

We are super collaborative. It’s amazing being a part of a band where everyone sings, produces and writes. We swap instruments in the studio, and in our live show. We each have our individual strengths - Lauren is head chef of production, Jade is a vocal melody machine and Miranda can write basslines in her sleep. It also helps that we share a lot of the same influences - we’re usually excited by the same kinds of alt pop and meaningful lyrics. There’s a lot of laughing and dumb jokes involved, and also a lot of experimentation.

Tell us about your new single Dead End?

Dead End was inspired by the feeling of wanting to escape suburban boredom. We went into the session wanting to write about nostalgia, teenage restlessness, and the way that we still long for the grunge and glamour of those late nights with our friends. Miranda told the story of using a fake ID to get into sticky-floored clubs, and crying the night she got caught. We pictured a run-down club called the Dead End, where you find yourself on a Tuesday night having a terrible and fantastic time. We wanted the song to be high energy and danceable, so it could soundtrack those restless nights, and hopefully inspire groups of girls like us to go out and make some funny stories with their friends. Robby De Sa brought such great energy to the session and the track. His distorted guitars help the production of Dead End to mirror the feeling of those long, late nights. We hope you can hear how much fun we were having in the studio that day.

Congrats on signing to Atlantic - tell us how that went down?

Thanks so much! It’s honestly such a dream come true. We played our first show at BIGSOUND last year, and our amazing A&R flew to Australia just to watch the set. If we weren’t already nervous enough for our first ever show, knowing she was in the country for 24 hours just to see us play definitely did the trick. We must have played okay because we ended up signing with them a few minutes after we got off stage (we were still puffing from the dance routine). It was a strange cosmic coincidence that we signed our deal in the same venue where Lauren and Miranda first met years ago, playing a gig to no one. They’re such an amazing team and they really share our vision for what Blusher could become. We feel very lucky.

What's coming up for the rest of the year?

We’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio finishing up a bunch of music, so we can’t wait to get it all out into the world this year. We’re excited to be going on our first tour in March, supporting Aurora who is one of our favourite artists. After that we’re planning to head overseas for a writing trip - we’re excited to turn an airbnb into one long Blusher sleepover and makeshift studio and see what comes of it!

How can fans best support your music?

One thing we’re super excited for this year alongside the music, is the visuals that we’re planning to come with each song. When we write, we tend to have a really strong vision for what the ‘world’ of that song looks like, and how we can use the visuals to invite people into our Blusher world and convey who we are. For people that want to support us, we hope that we can bring them into that world and into our friendship, so they feel like just another member of the band.

What have you been listening to lately?

We’ve been really loving the new Rebecca Black, Paramore, Fred again.., Hatchie, and Ninajirachi.

BLUSHER LIVE DATES

Friday 3 March | The Power Station, Auckland

Sunday 5 March | Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane

Monday 6 March | Liberty Hall, Sydney T

hursday 9 March | Palais Theatre, Melbourne

Follow Blusher: TikTok / Instagram / Facebook