After their return earlier this year with comeback single 'Does It Matter?' (their first new music since 2019's ARIA-nominated album 'Nature / Nurture'), Melbourne band Clowns explore the addictive emotions of love with the frenetic intensity of 'Sarah'.
A co-write with Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, One Direction), the track is vivid and bright, without losing any of the punch that has dictated Clowns material of the past."I've never met a Sarah that I haven't liked," frontman Stevie Williams says. "It's a great name which seems to breed excellent qualities in people.
"That being said, the Sarah we are referring to metaphorically in this song is the hormone serotonin, and oh boy, our Facebook relationship status – 'it's complicated'.
"'Sarah' explores the idea of how love can be like a drug. Dizzying highs and soul destroying lows. It can elevate your life to heights you never knew were possible but can at the same time be life crushingly addictive.
"We all love Sarah, don't we? But what happens when she goes away? Why does she go away so often? How come we are so smitten in her presence and yet so surprised when she leaves, especially after a life-long history of this ambivalent behaviour? It's love and lacklustre for all of us with love and Sarah."
As the band prep for shows, hopefully, later in 2021, Stevie shares ten songs he wished he'd written.
"I've dedicated a third of my life to punk rock, and I love it so so much, but honestly if I could've written any song in the world very few of them would be punk," Stevie says.
"I'm constantly in awe of all types of music and although the music my band has become most known for sits relatively comfortably in a punk pigeonhole, the secret to our sound and creative process has been drawing inspiration from outside what can feel like the very rigid boundaries of punk orthodoxy.
"Here's ten songs that have inspired me, ten songs I wish I wrote and 10 songs that I regularly perform for the shampoo bottles in my shower."
Maximum The Hormone - 'ChuChu Lovely MuniMuni MuraMura PrinPrin Boron Nururu ReroRero'
Have you heard of Maximum The Hormone? Well, you have now. Imagine if System Of A Down were a J-pop band. Sometimes it's tough/ heavy beatdown metal and then in an instant it's pop melodies and pop-punk guitars.It's extremely bipolar and I'm here for it. You never really know what you are going to get, but even at its toughest and meanest, it's still kinda cute and kawaii. I want this song played as my casket is lowered into my grave.
Dua Lipa - 'Don't Start Now'
On many of our expeditions over the world, we've experienced some of the most 'punk' orthodoxy that exists. I've been snarled at for suggesting Rollins-era Black Flag wasn't that good (sorry, not sorry).I've been called a poser for drinking water on stage. I've been called a fascist for eating non-vegan food supplied by the venue. I sometimes wonder how many of these people would feel if they knew that the songs people were all singing along to at the show were heavily influenced by pop stars like Dua Lipa.
Honestly, my advice to anyone looking to start a punk band is to steer away from being influenced too heavily by punk music that already exists and start paying attention to music wayyyy outside that scope.
When you boil songs like 'Don't Start Now' down, they are simple chords and clever melodies which can really be transposed and moulded into any genre including punk. I will say though, that it's current official version is a slammin' bop and I love dancing to it on a sweaty 3am dance floor under a few shots of tequila.
The All Seeing Hand - 'Clot'
I love this song and I wish we wrote it just so we could play it on stage and gauge people's reactions. Man, I first heard this song at Camp A Low Hum festival in New Zealand 2014. My brain was drenching itself in serotonin for some unexplained reason and I walked inside a music hall where this band was playing on the ground.The band were all inside one giant latex suit that looked like and was the size of a dinosaur's pancreas, with only their human arms flailing from outside the three-person full body suit. I had to sit down because it was so overwhelming.
I've always felt that the essence of music and art is to create something that you simply just cannot forget; The All Seeing Hand have done a very, very good job at that.
My Chemical Romance - 'Welcome To The Black Parade'
Since COVID hit, I've been working on new ways that I continue making money as a performer/ musician. It's led me down a snaking path of picking up regular DJing work at rock bars, festival after-parties and a particular queer/ emo hybrid club night called Bonez.One of my observations since being in control of the music at these events is that people LOVE My Chemical Romance, and playing this song is pretty much a guaranteed sing-along, party-starting journey destined to explode.
The last time I played it at Bonez, the energy bursting from the room and the vibe paralleled the hit of adrenaline similar to when we play a bangin' Clowns gig. I can only imagine what it must be like to play it in a band.
Bag Raiders - 'Shooting Stars'
I love this song and I pretty much listen to it daily. Another song that is perfection in its original form, but so inspiring melodically and structurally.It might feel like a simple construction of a repetitive synth melody, but under the surface there is so much going on. The entire song is essentially building tension, with every chord change, with every line, with every bar, the song is building and slowly boiling.
Then once you think it's cooled down, BAM! The biggest climax and catchiest melody you've ever heard. Also, how many pop songs do you know that don't have a clear-cut chorus or verse. The structure of this song goes Intro > Verse > Breakdown > Chorus > End, and I love it.
Infected Mushroom - 'Becoming Insane'
Love this track. After the earth explodes and we all move to Mars, I imagine this song playing in the background as I sit in a rocking chair on my patio.
Hole - 'Violet'
Just a bangin' track from start to finish. IMO the perfect rock song laden with Courtney Love's charming finesse. Her lack of class is a level of class in itself, and as someone who often lacks class, I find this very inspiring.
Slipknot - 'My Plague'
Honestly, I struggle to think of a band that has been more influential on me than Slipknot. My Mum often jokes that at around 4 or 5 my musical attention transitioned straight from The Wiggles to Slipknot, and it hasn't really diverted since.There's so much to unpack. Musically, they are super-talented songwriters and seem to be able to blend all subgenres of metal seamlessly into their archetypes of the genre. Couple that with their artistic flair of the band's concept.
Obviously they are superstars now, but back '99 when the band was first exploding my mind was being blown by these anonymous crazed maniacs. This song is my favourite. It's a bit of a hidden gem and not known as the strongest track from this album, but IMO undeniably one of their best.
