Introducing Perth synth-pop duo Telete and their swirling new single, Basketball Boy

Over the past year, some of Perth's most influential electronic forces have picked themselves up and left us for extensive touring and writing sessions overseas, particularly in the US. In their absence, it seems that a bunch of young emerging names have stepped up to the plate to take over, with artists such as Feels notably winning us over with their innovative electronic sound. Telete, a new Perth duo consisting of Mai Barnes and Hayley Ayres, are another name to add to the list, with their synth-drenched, Purity Ring-esque sound holding steady on their second single Basketball Boy. Basketball Boy sees Telete bring together a soft, fragile vocal with swirling layers of lush synth, which seem to draw more and more prevalent as the single continues. It's an incredible piece of work for a second single and shows us that the duo are primed to do great things in 2018, which is why we sent them a couple of questions to get to know them a little better. Check em out with the lush single below:

Tell us about yourself?

We’re two gal pals who share a love of baked cheese. We also play music together in a band named after the mythological goddess of orgies, Telete. Except instead of having orgies, we just write songs.

What kinda tunes we talkin’?

We like to think that if chamber pop and synthgaze had a sad baby, it might resemble our sound. It’s a melange of strings, synth lines and canned percussion, with kind of intimate vocals. When we play live, we synchronise our loop stations to build layered, tautly structured songs. 

Production/writing process:

Well, all of our songs begin with sadness and synth tones. Usually, I (Mai) start by mashing together random combinations of notes until a chord progression falls out, then Hayley writes the strings and arranges the more technical aspects of the composition. Our friend Jack then records and produces the songs, shaping them into a cohesive aesthetic and sometimes adding in bass drops for laughs.  

Can you tell us about your new single, Basketball Boy?

Basketball Boy is a response to subtle forms of sexism, and the way they’re normalised or excused. Ultimately, we felt frustrated that certain incidents were being discussed in isolation as a way to diminish their impact (How bad is one insensitive comment, really? Is one catcall going to affect you that much? Does it matter if one local gig on a Tuesday night features an all-male line-up?) and wanted to draw attention to their accumulated weight or effect. Women’s reactions are often misaligned with singular incidents, and in doing this, our emotions are passed off as irrational or disproportionate—but it’s not hysterical to be upset about a pattern of behaviour that we’ve witnessed our whole lives.

Any shows coming up?

We’re playing at Mojos on Tuesday the 19^th of December, the Moon on January 7^th, then at 459 on January 14^th supporting Michael Strong. In early February we’re going to go on a little tour over east and play some shows in Melbourne and Sydney.

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

Well, Christmas is approaching. So ideally we’ll get drunk on eggnog and write some songs. Otherwise, we’ll just get drunk and leave the songwriting for 2018.

Where can we hear more of your music?

You can find us on Spotify, Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Or drop us a line if you’re feeling sad and we’ll come serenade you outside your house.

Follow Telete: FACEBOOK