Feuds Talk QOTSA, The End Of The World & Other Influences On Their Debut EP

Emergent/resurgent Brisbane band Feuds are releasing their debut EP, Stay Lost, today, and The Music is stoked to have got our on hands an exclusive stream and track-by-track rundown of the inspirations behind the songs on the release.

The members of Feuds have been steadfast fixtures of the local scene for several years, sometimes even together, having previously performed under a previous moniker alongside the likes of Bad//Dreems, Holy Holy, Harts and The Belligerents. The name doesn't really matter — it's a new day and a new chapter, and all you really need to know is that that kind of existing experience goes a long way towards explaining how Feuds have pulled together such an assured and accomplished collection of tunes for their first recorded outing together in their new incarnation.

Astute listeners may have already had a taste of the EP's delights by way of first single River Of Wine, which the band largely self-produced with assistance from man-about-town Konstantin Kersting (Art Of Sleeping, Moses Gunn Collective, The Belligerents, WAAX) and premiered recently, but there's a wider diversity of sounds coming to the fore here across the EP's five tracks. That's little surprise; frontman Jeremy Hunter name-checks as songwriting inspiration everything from Queens Of The Stone Age and a casual visit from a former member of fellow local legends Babaganouj to the inevitable death of the planet — and the end result is a meticulously crafted, eminently replayable collection of stirring indie-rock tunes.

Stay Lost is available now, and you can give it a listen in all its glory, and read all about the backstory behind the release straight from the horse's mouth, below.

Feuds will launch the EP at The Bearded Lady next Friday, 26 August, with support from Wolver, beneb and Acid On Andy. For more information, see theGuide.

Feuds — Stay Lost, Track By Track

EachOther

This track has a real QOTSA-style groove going on, and I knew that it needed that classic eighth-note percussive piano style, so I cruised up to my parents' place in Toowoomba and chucked a mic in front of the upright that I'd grown up playing. The thing is old, with stuck keys and everything, but it's in tune and it suited the vibe perfectly, and gave a cool counterpoint to the guitars in the choruses.

The lyrics have to do with the balancing act between the desire to be your own person versus the need to be part of the group or culture. If that sounds like deep thinking to you, just know that this song’s working title for about two years was “Chugg Riffy”; that should clear things up.

River of Wine

This song's meaning is essentially "alcohol + depression = a feedback loop of badness". I know that sounds like a barrel of laughs, but I swear I was actually trying to write something upbeat and poppy at the time!

It started when Babaganouj's old drummer, Jack [Gleeson], came round to mine and showed me the rough mix of their song Can't Stop. I was completely blown away and thus, naturally, I was also jealous AF. Damn their pop songwriting prowess! So, upon Jack’s departure I sat down to write my own upbeat pop hit and ended up with THIS. So, whether you like it or not, its all Babaganouj's fault.

Incinerator

A jaunty tune about the inevitable end of civilisation. I think the first verse is one of the densest things I’ve ever written. The idea was that after sea levels rise, our cities and cemeteries will be swamped, and fish will feed on humans for a change, which has a beautiful irony about it if you happen to be a massive misanthropist.

This song also features the biggest and stupidest riff of the EP and an ending that sounds like the earth being swallowed by the sun.

Sandcastles

The EP’s prettiest song. The first three minutes are a melodic rumination on love and loss. The next six minutes are the sound of [guitarist] Perry [Walker] attempting to pry open his soul with an overdriven Strat and a wah pedal.

This solo was pretty much THE most important thing to Perry on the entire EP, him being the stereotypical lead guitarist that he is. We did a couple takes early on in the process at his parent's farm in Noosa but it really needed more attention, so a few months later we spent a few hours getting it down at our Bowen Hills rehearsal room. I must have listened to this freaking solo about ninety times whilst mixing; I can probably sing it off the top of my head note for note. At least, up until the end bit where it devolves into glorious guitar chaos.

Stay Lost

This is the first song we wrote as a full band, simply from jamming up the sections and putting all the pieces together. That’s the way we write all of our new material now, so it’s fitting that it closes the EP and points to whatever the next record will be.

Fun fact: it was originally named Maverick because, according to [bassist] Gav [Callaghan], "This song plays by its own rules." That’s a direct quote, by the way. We eventually changed the name but there are still two simultaneous guitar solos at the end so make of that what you will.