Track-By-Track: Body Type talk their self-titled debut EP

Header photo by Nick McKinlay.

After initially causing a stir with a pair of singles back in 2016, Ludlow and 264, Sydney band Body Type have become one of the country's most exciting newcomers in the indie-rock field, with singles such as 2017's Silver and this year's Arrow copping a heap of acclaim from just about everyone. They picked up a pair of FBi Radio's SMAC Awards, received a bunch of airplay on Beats1, BBC and triple j alike, and have been covered by many international music sites known for their tip-top discovery - The Fader, DIY Mag, NME and *cough* us *cough* among them. "The Sydney four-piece have become one of our indie scene's most exciting, combining bright nuances of pop music with this raw and guitar-driven rock sound for a combination that is simply unstoppable," we said on the band when they released Palms around a month back.

After being announced on next year's Australian-heavy SXSW billing and signing to Inertia Music/Partisan Records earlier this year, today sees the arrival of Body Type - the group's long-awaited, self-titled debut EP. Joining the past singles in Palms, Arrow and Silver are two tracks that further showcase Body Type's pop-shaded indie sound, all kicking off with Ludlow (Do You Believe In Karma?) - a re-recorded take on their debut single which acts as a nice 'coming full circle' moment for the band. While it's marked with a hazy DIY feel, Body Type is an EP that is remarkably slick and polished for a local band's debut, whether they be taking on the more accessible and pop-hook-rooted sound or one more raw and instrumental, driving with thick guitar melodies that really wipe the need for over-complexity. "[Body Type is a] fierce ensemble of women who are writing, living and learning how to create together," says the band's bassist and vocalist, Georgia Wilkinson-Derums. "It’s the midnight drive home after Tuesday rehearsal, the multiple parking fines, the post-gig sleep deprived commute to work, the Newtown home we once shared together... ultimately it’s this gutsy/vulnerable/emotional sonic combo platter of four female friends who found each other in this weird and crazy city," adds drummer Cecil Coleman.

Arriving ahead of a just-announced national tour that'll see the band head around the country over November and December, we've got Body Type themselves walking us through their debut EP, which you can stream and read below, with the dates and tour deets at the end. Grab the EP HERE.

LUDLOW (DO YOU BELIEVE IN KARMA?)

This is the very first song we jammed on together way back when. It was called Karma then but I ended up thinking that name sounded too much like a curse, too damning - so I named it after a street in New York City, in a neighbourhood I lived in for a bit and a place where I felt all kinds of feelings.

Its first (real) recorded iteration, the original, was tracked in the attic of a sharehouse I was living in at the time and was the first song we ever had played on the radio. When we were in the studio tracking everything else for the EP, we thought it only fair to give this - our very first song - the high-end treatment, even just to see where it would go, so here it is.

PALMS

This is my favourite BT song so far yayyy. It is the sound of all my dreams coming true. That’s all. - SM

TEETH

Love and wisdom teeth. Trying to shake a memory of the heart that seems as if it will be lodged in you forever - like a big molar stuck deep in the back of your jaw, taking up too much space, inflaming your gums and making all your other teeth grow all crooked. But memories fade, teeth crack and fall out, so even though they can seem wedged real deep in there, nothing is permanent be it molar or l’amour.

This song is brute force live - throbbing drums, rubber band bass, maybe my favourite outro of a BT song. Plus me and Annabel share lead guitar duties which I love - we follow each other around through the song and take turns on the solos, like duelling riffs or something. - SM

DRY GRASS

Dry Grass was written on a train ride back to my hometown, and as I lay computering in my childhood bed that night it became a melancholy keyboard eulogy for my suburban youth. I dredged up a half memory of the chords at our next rehearsal and it transformed into an angsty disco stab at the lethargy and drama my neighbourhood changing as I grew up, complete with a breakdown that summons up my feelings of returning to my childhood bed, where I would sometimes lie awake at night listening to my chaotic narcotic neighbours fight. - AB

SILVER

Self-indulgence vs self-reflection in ourselves and in other people all blended into one lil pop number. Silver is a very voyeuristic song. The title is a reference to the passing of time through the greying of hair - but also to something cold and metallic that was happening to someone close to me, someone who was pushing a lot of people away. Watching them disappear as if no one would notice. But if you are watching through a rose-tinted lens is it just a simulacrum anyway? - SM

ARROW

Arrow is a tongue in cheek pop-rock tantrum about the prick of love. It was my second attempt at bringing something forward to Body Type and I wanted to be a little playful in my approach. We had all been love-stung at the same time and I thought a spitting revealing rock track might be a lively addition to the set at this point. What I like is that it’s kind’ve appropriated, there’s a playful self awareness on stage and a high energy aggression that showcases the power of female physicality in performance. - GWD

Tour Dates:

Sat 3 Nov - FBi Radio Turns 15, Manning Bar - Sydney
Sat 10 Nov - End of the Line Festival, Brisbane
Fri 16 Nov - Mojo’s Bar, Fremantle
Sat 17 Nov - Fire Station, Busselton
Fri 30 Nov - Fairgrounds, Berry
Sat 1 Dec - Gizzfest, Melbourne Showgrounds
Sat 8 Dec - Stonecutters, Adelaide
Thu 13 Dec - Old Bar, Melbourne
Fri 14 Dec - The Lansdowne, Sydney
Sat 15 Dec - Festival Of The Sun, Port Macquarie

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