Meet Broke House and get the first look at their video for Extra Indigo

If you're yet to be acquainted, Broke House are the pairing of two of Sydney's finest songwriters Luke Costelloe and Ron Francois, who with their debut, self-titled album last year, spotlighted this really emotive and melancholy brand of soft indie that you would perhaps expect from bands including The National - with a focus more on songwriting and lyrical composition than anything else. For example, take one of the album's star moments Extra Indigo, which combines this subtle, bass guitar backbone with soft guitar and soothing, emotionally-charged vocals that wash over you with wave after wave, finding something a little more tender and heart-wrenching.

Today, they match Extra Indigo's gentle and emotive pulse with perfectly accompanying visuals, which really spotlight the draining, but romantic feeling the single radiates. Directed by filmmaker Jordan Watton, the video reflects the single's lyrical theme of heartbreak and showcases all the complex emotion that heartbreak can sometimes bring. "Extra Indigo is a kind of flashback to a teen heartbreak that resurfaces a decade later due to a new moment of insincerity," they say on the single and its accompanying video clip. "It’s all guilt, paranoia, and melancholia, but the music sublimates it somehow." Arriving ahead of shows throughout March and April, watch the clip below, and better get to know Broke House and their dreamy sound underneath.

Tell us about yourself?

Luke: We met about a decade ago when I was playing in an indie garage band on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Roni caught us at a gig and liked our sound.

Ron: Yeah I ran into the band’s drummer out on a soccer pitch one Saturday and got chatting with him about recording in my studio.

Luke: After a few years the band drifted apart, as they tend to do, but Roni and I stayed in touch - always sharing our current favourite records or great movies we’d recently seen.

Ron: Yeah, we'd started writing the odd song at that stage too, but then Luke went off to Uni and pursued other interests for a few years.

Luke: Then in 2017 a few jam sessions with friends sucked me back in again and I started penning songs after a long time away from it. Roni and I started meeting regularly again and before we knew it we were halfway through a record.

What’s the vibe music-wise?

We always have trouble answering this...but basically it's a sort of restrained and yet intensely emotive back-beat indie rock, with a touch of melancholic alt-country in there. Theme-wise we aim for the deeply personal but simultaneously universal. I think we like sharing secrets with people. The stuff most people would only share with their closest friends haha. I think we are intrigued by ambivalence.

What are your production and writing processes like?

Luke: Usually I start with a mood and try to transpose it to guitar. Then comes a melody, then the lyrics, which always take the longest. When I feel I’ve gotten close to building a tidy little vehicle for the idea I’ll bring it into Ron’s studio.

Ron: Yeah, lyrics are incredibly important for us. I'll interrogate Luke about the narrative. I may write additional parts or lyrics. I help work up the concepts for songs, focus the material. It's actually a pretty organic process with a lot of time spent on the song. Then it's down into the studio. Sometimes I'll accompany Luke's guitar and voice with drums, other times guitar or bass.

Can you tell us about your latest single, Extra Indigo?

Extra Indigo is one of our favourites from the self-titled album we recently released. It came together in the studio relatively naturally compared to some of the other tracks. We spoke about Carry Me Ohio by Sun Kil Moon and the beautiful slow floating feel of that song before diving into recording it. Extra Indigo is a kind of flashback to a teen heartbreak that resurfaces a decade later due to a new moment of insincerity. It’s all guilt, paranoia, and melancholia, but the music sublimates it somehow.

Any shows coming up?

We’ve got a string of dates coming up over the next two months.

Thursday, Mar 14th - The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown
Sunday, Mar 24th - The Botany View Hotel, Newtown
Wednesday, Apr 3rd - The Dock, Redfern
Friday, Apr 12th - The Lass, Newcastle
Thursday, Apr 18th - Lazy Bones, Marrickville
Saturday, Apr 27th - Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle

What does 2019 have in store for you?

There’s a lot we want to squeeze in this year. We want to play a lot more shows, find a keyboard/guitarist to join the band (DM us!), make another music video, maybe press a vinyl of the current album, and start recording our next album, which is always the funnest part.

Where can we find more of your music?

Our debut record is all over the internet but I suppose the first place to look would be Spotify and Apple Music.

Follow Broke House: FACEBOOK