Premiere: Meet SAMETIME, who make infectious indie-pop with Moving On

SAMETIME are a duo you might have on your radars already. The Sunshine Coast pairing - composed of brothers Tim and Sam Aitken - have established themselves as exciting newcomers in the lead up to this year, as shown through an introductory debut EP in 2018 and the few singles that have littered the years since (including two rather brilliant ones last year, titled Get To Know Ya and Til Ur Not OK). There's also their extensive history in performing as well, including a decade-long journey of busking - to growing audiences, no less - and a couple of high profile shows here and there in between.

Coming into the year off the back of those two aforementioned singles, it seemed that 2021 was going to be SAMETIME's for the taking. Instead, they've gone a little more low-key, keeping their heads down amongst the madness of the last eight months or so to record new music and grow their sound and image, beginning a period of evolution that we reckon might set up the duo brilliantly from here on out. 

It's a period of evolution that we begin to see unravel in the form of Moving On, SAMETIME's first single for 2021 and with it, a re-establishing of their name and the joyful sounds connected to it. Moving On is a bright-eyed indie-dance banger, digging into the same infectious hooks as you'd expect from bands like The Jungle Giants but with a slightly distinct twist, capturing a unique atmosphere surrounding their sound that heavier emphasises the light-hearted and care-free spirit of the duo's sound (even when it does include some slightly heavier themes).

"Moving On is about reminiscing on the good times we had with friends growing up and how getting older got in the way," the duo say on that single; that nostalgia present within the fibres of the single's dancing production. "The decisions a person made on a night out that resulted in something worse than a hangover the next morning. The sweet sound of this song counteracts the lyrics and the bitterness of coming to terms with the fact people change and it sucks."

Moving On is the type of song that feels like an introduction to SAMETIME hitting their peak, and with plenty more to come - including tour dates this October, and a new EP on the way - we are assured that there are going to be more peaks in their near future. In the meantime, jump on board early and dive into Moving On as it premieres below, and introduce yourself to the pair underneath. Moving On comes out officially this Thursday, and if you love it, don't forget to pre-order it here. 

Tell us about yourself?

We are two brothers from the Sunshine Coast (19 & 22). We've been writing and playing music together since we were young. In terms of musical tastes, we are polar opposites, but we have fortunately found a small but beautiful corner of the musical galaxy that floats both our boats and that happens to be a sort of alt disco pop thing which we both totally dig. 

What’s the ‘vibe’ music-wise?

Our upcoming EP Maybe We Can Get High? is five songs about young hedonism, getting smashed, nightclub queues, waiting for Ubers, all the colours, smells and sounds of a big night in the city, and the brutal come down that always follows.

Our songs tend to sound very up and sweet but our lyrics are mainly ironic and sour. We make you dance and sneer at the same time.

What are your production and writing processes usually like?

We've been co-writing and producing with a brilliant Sydney based guy called Fletcher Matthews. He has really given our songs an edge while keeping the energy right in the sweet spot. His beats and bass are awesome and seem to fit beautifully with our melodies. We had one face to face session with him in Sydney that delivered Get To Know Ya then the world turned to shit and we had to get up to speed with Zoom and DropBox and remote writing. The remote process has remained the same as face to face; Chord progression, leading to our mad assed psycho babble to explore the melody then we start making sense of the bits we have and hammer it into some sort of shape.

Can you tell us about your new single, Moving On?

Moving On is about reminiscing on the good times we had with friends growing up and about how growing older got in the way. It's based on a true story about the decisions a person made on a night out that resulted in something much much worse than the hangover the following morning. The sweet sonic palette of this song fights with the bitterness of the lyric and the awful realisation that people can change for the worse… and it sucks.

What does the rest of 2021 have in store for Sametime?

We are looking forward to our single and EP release and getting a body of work out there that we are really proud of. We also look forward to booking in a load of live shows, having to cancel them due to COVID, rebooking them and re cancelling them… rinse & repeat. Apart from that, writing a ton more songs and watching funny shit that makes us smile, not that you can tell under our masks!

What do you want people to take away from the new single?

We’ve been working for a long time, (sometimes unsuccessfully) to develop a sound that we're proud of. We reckon our new single and EP for the first time really shows us in the light we want to be regarded. We really believe in the pop ethic but are keen to frame it with some darker colours to tone down the sugar rush. We also really, really want to make people dance.

Where can we find more of your music?

We can be found in all the usual places, Spotify, Apple, (possibly even Lime wire!).

Follow SAMETIME: FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM