Melbourne based prog-rock outfit Qlaye Face hage just released their EP Nascence. Comprised of four intricate and atmospheric tracks that feature complex time signatures and rhythmic ideas, the moody quartet's mission statement is to execute their craft with ambition, precision and integrity.
Tomatrax caught up with Cameron Bobbitt, the band's guitarist and lead singer, to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?
The band formed out of high school friendships, we all really began to be heavily involved with music in high school and two classes a week of music was not satiating our creative bug.
Where did the name Qlaye Face come from?
We feel like every band has to have some sort of secret to legitimise itself... This can be our bit of a secret, sorry guys.
You recently released your EP, what's it like to have it out?
It's fantastic, a lot of hard work and literally months and months of writing and demoing, then re demoing and recording went into the work. We all really wanted to push ourselves and we are very happy with the work ourselves and David Carr put into the EP. It's crazy seeing it featured on blogs and radio and meeting people for the first time via being listeners of 'Nascence'.
You said how you were wanting to push your creative boundaries on this EP, was this hard to do?
In some ways it was, more so in terms of the amount of time it took. The ideas came flooding through all the time, but we had to make the ideas grow and work into a song; which took a long time to explore different directions and moods that the song could develop to. Some songs ended up without what ever original ideas sparked itself. It is pretty bizarre to look back on old demos.
What made you pick Nascence as the title track / single from the EP?
We all felt that that song represented where we were at the time creatively as a group and as individuals. A lot of personal growth and change was occurring in all of us at the time and the song lent itself to that and reflects that.
What was the inspiration behind the video for Nascence?
Ewan Macleod and Anthony Guilbert are a dynamic duo. I think they really got immersed in the lyrics and concepts within the song and the ideas of cycles struck out at them both. They're also cinema nuts and mysterious and dark, weird sci-fi stuff seemed to fit with the song really well visually.
Where did the EPs front cover come from?
That was something that Cameron came up with and created, it tries to encapsulate genetics and growth and even the origin of that; touching on the universe and massive energies.
When writing what comes first, the words or the music?
Always the music for us, sometimes lyrics will enhance certain motifs in the music or direct the evolution of the song but there is always a musical idea to begin things. It feels more organic to understand the mood and energy of the song before the message can be laced through.
You did a few shows around Australia in support of your EP, how did that go?
The tour was amazing, we had so much fun. Got to meet so many cool people and become good friends with the guys from the bands we played with like Kodiak Empire. It was a learning experience for sure also going from different sized venues and different audiences state to state, but thats all exciting for us.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Only really during the writing and recording processes, otherwise not really maybe once in a blue moon.
What music do you listen to?
Pretty varied, all of our tastes are broad. Of course we love listening to Prog and definitely pump Sound Awake and Altered State on our way to rehearsal, but lots from classical to electronic or acoustic folk to hardcore stuff. Long drive feature an eclectic array of artists and genres.
Now that the EP is out what do you have planned next?
We have a few shows coming up in Melbourne, that we can't announce just yet towards the end of the year. After that its get into pre production for EP number two and release another film clip for the 'Nascence' EP and another tour early next year. So keep your eyes peeled for our interstate shows, we're chomping at the bit to get back up the coast!