2020 has seen Sydney indie artist Luke Hansen introduce himself to the local music scene with his debut single 'Simple Minds' (in late May).
Luke's musical journey began with the guitar. An exploration into the worlds of psych rock, blues, folk, funk and jazz soon followed inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, to The Flaming Lips, Thunder Cat and Duke Ellington."My styling is a blend of psych rock, grassroots blues, with a healthy mix of dream pop," Luke says.
Last Friday, Luke released his debut EP, also titled 'Simple Minds', featuring five sublime cuts of psych rock, dream pop audio bless.
Alongside the title track, the EP also features Luke's previous single, the blues-laced, folk-rocker 'Who I Am' as well as the epic 'Time' which showcases Luke's psych rock, dream-pop chops.
I would describe my sound.... In simplicity as a mix between folk and indie rock, with a healthy dose of experimentation drawing from Jeff Buckley and Connan Mockasin.
My first singles 'Simple Minds' and 'Who I Am', are raw blends of exactly this, with 'Simple Minds' slanted to a dream pop styling and 'Who I Am' in a more driving blues, gritty feel.
The songs on this EP came mainly together in an inspired burst of a few months, the finishing touches of mixing and mastering took longer but the core was laid early on.
With the help of Jonathan Samuels in lyric writing and instrumentalist Benjamin Samuels, the final pieces of the long-awaited puzzle fell into position and the EP was conjured into existence.
My first gig... Was at a small pub in Newcastle. It was a rather mundane, empty hallway but still a place to sing and gain exposure to something nonetheless.
In the studio... Most nights of the week either working on new songs or just jamming.
If we could tour with anyone... Probably Rodriguez, haha.
Social Media... Is a tool that is required to build anything these days, but it's not something that I am good at or like.
What is your debut EP inspired by... It's about the constant battle of inertia which is I guess intrinsic to an artist.
Lyrically, what are you wanting to express, convey to the listener on the 'Simple Minds' EP? The meaning is the listener's burden.
Live shows; it's been a struggle no doubt, but can we expect to see you on stage somewhere soon? It has been a struggle but that is felt by all, and although Australia's remarkable response to the pandemic safety measures, caution should still be heavily instilled.
Thankfully, I do have some shows coming up. I have a co-headline show with my fellow bandmate and long-time friend Will Armstrong on 20 November at Civic Underground (Sydney). I am very excited to showcase my new songs, it's been so long.
And I'm very thrilled to announce a show (date TBA) at The Factory Theatre (Sydney) with Santpoort. Stay tuned for more details as the year goes on.
Out of the wreckage of 2020, what positives can you draw upon as you approach the future? Over this pandemic period, and the wreckage of 2020, I have learnt to develop stability as an artist and knuckle down phasing all the distractions out of my mind and focusing on the music itself. So I'm looking forward to executing all this work I've done over this year for next year.
2021 is just around the corner… we're all at the mercy of what restrictions maybe still in place, but musically the next 12 months for you; what are your goals? For the next 12 months, I want to work on my next EP or album and release that sometime next year.
Do lots of gigging once restrictions ease. I am also really keen to link up and collaborate with local Australians artists. And do heaps of jamming.
The most scary scenario I found myself in... Was when a big, wild brown bear ran up on me and I ran for my life. Turned out it was just my mate Jimmy in a bear suit.
Do you have any phobias? Purple sneakers. My mate Jimmy was wearing purple sneakers in the bear suit.
The one chore you hate the most is... sleeping.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... John Malkovich.
