If you live in Brisbane, you sure as hell know Twin Haus. If you live outside of Brisbane, you may know them. If you’re not in the know at all, you should be. Furiously ambitious, this four piece make meticulous, psych-tinged rock and are one of the most underrated acts in the country. Just days out from releasing their second EP, Nothing Lavish, the band are continuing to go from strength to strength, and slowly but surely are achieving the recognition they deserve.
Ahead of the release, the band have been sharing something special with their fans and fans-to-be. Over the past couple of weeks, they’ve revealed artworks created by artists around the world that have been inspired by the tracks on their EP. First was Tel Aviv-born, London-based artist Yuli Serfaty, then Melbourne artist Adrianna Mammino, followed by fellow Brisbanite Sophie Hopkins. Now, we have the fourth and final instalment of the series, from Serbian artist Marija Kozomora. Inspired by Twin Haus’ song, The Revue, the artwork is absolutely stunning and limited to 10 editions which you can purchase.
It doesn’t stop there though. The band have also teamed up with filmmakers Kids of Bill for short videos to accompany each piece. Featuring a snippet of each song, these videos were also inspired by Twin Haus’ music, and help to set the scene a little whilst gazing at the artworks. You can check out both below, as well as a few quick questions with Marija herself. Preorder the artwork here.
https://www.facebook.com/twinhaus/videos/vb.576905185654590/1140982905913479/?type=2&theater
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m an artist with strong passion for fashion design, drawing and painting. I’m currently studying textile design at the School of Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia. Before I made that decision, I had been painting for ages. After a couple of years, I realised that I want to make something different and extraordinary with fashion design, so I redirected my painting skills to fashion design and the result is overwhelming. I want to create solutions for classic and simple pieces using selected colour palettes, mostly with degraded colours. It’s very important for me to develop my own design, even for textile.
What about the song you chose drew you to it? What do you look for when you’re looking for inspiration?
To be honest, I’m really thrilled to be part of this project with these amazing guys! I’ve chosen song named The Revue. I look for my inspiration in my perception of society, my feelings, and the music has influence on me as well. In this case, I was thinking only in along the path that the music took me.
How important is symbolism to you? What stood out as the strongest symbols for you in this track?
Symbolism has huge importance. In this track, The Revue, what stood out as a strongest symbol was the subject of “lost human being.” I was using abstraction and distortion to convey feelings and a particular mood, because often things can be expressed more successfully in forms that are personalised, rather than through the use of realism.
Does this process of being presented with the basis of the artwork differ much from your normal way of creating, if there even is a normal way at all?
No. Because I’m using distortion and abstraction in every form of art. It’s just my formed style which I cherish, and am still working on.
Can you talk us through this artwork? How did it come together and what were you trying to focus on?
Through this project and my artwork I was trying to focus on a human’s downs, you could say, and the prospect of someone’s change of course. I imagined some creature formed, possibly a human, but if so, stricken with abnormality. This “human” isn’t struggling with the environment, but with himself. He is the only threat and danger to his world and environment – I think he realises this and it hurts him. He can acknowledge that he is a problem, and maybe he improves from this.
Do you see mediums like music and visual art as intertwined? Would you ever do something like this again?
Yes definitely! Firstly because this way of thinking and connecting music and visual art is, for me, simply the best way of showing your inside and your feelings. On the other hand each of us has a different perspective, which is what I think is the true value of each of us.
Twin Haus’ Nothing Lavish EP comes out March 22 via Bedlam Records.
Since rising from the ashes of the Mustang Bar (shudders), Woolly Mammoth in the heart of Fortitude Valley is quickly becoming one of the best places to catch gigs in Brisbane. It’s a balmy Friday night and they’re hosting one of the final dates of the East Coast EP-launching Barely Moving tour of heavy psych masters Upskirts tonight with some special guests.
Local quartet Shady Bliss kick proceedings off very, very nicely, their new single Deluge is a gorgeous instrumental track that they mesmerise the modest early evening crowd with and old standards like The Clouds Are Almost Over and Monster are solid psych jams with some subtle grunge undertones that provide a really nice and laidback start to the evening. I’m lucky enough to meet and have a brief chat with one of the band members (I think?) over a cigarette afterwards and he asked me to give a shoutout to keyboardist/vocalist Chrissa. Hey Chrissa, you’re alright.
Some more Brisbane residents in Twin Haus are up next. They released their debut EP Waxen Myriad in March of last year, headlined a ripper of a Psych Night earlier this year and are known as being an outstanding live act, the crowd understandably beginning to swell in number and sway along to some more stellar psych rock. Their latest single Blood Tapes is mind-bendingly good, burning along very softly before creeping up and positively chokeslamming us all into the dirt with some monster riffs that are even more gargantuan live than on record.
They have shades of Foals in a lot of their music, I personally loved both Night Locust and old standard Lumberjack Loveshack for this reason, and the bouncing and upbeat Blackwater from their EP is a total crowd-pleaser as well. By the end of their rather rapturously received set the dancefloor is getting just a little cramped, so thank God we have a little bit of breathing room for a beer and a dart in between Haus and Upskirts.
I’ll be completely honest, I’d never actually heard of Sydneysiders and tonight’s headliners Upskirts before about 2pm this afternoon when the Friday beers were frosty and my night was wide open. All it took was one track (see below) to have me hooked and incredibly keen to catch them live as well as incredibly remorseful that I’d been sleeping on such a fantastic up and coming Australian band.
The Woolly Mammoth area isn’t exactly an aircraft hangar in size and so the Godzilla riffs of songs like Mind’s A Burden and the aforementioned Where are just about shaking the walls and certainly rattling the teeth of everyone in attendance, an experience I’ll never not enjoy.
The tracks from their new EP are a solid collection of psychedelic rock. Much more progressive and juiced up in both size and scope, they translate to a live environment ever so nicely and the Upskirts boys know how to get a crowd going with a well-timed jam here and there.
It’s a reverb heavy set that stands many a hair on end The fuzzy solo from their latest single Open Yourself To The Sky has everyone in attendance in awe before we’re all kicked back into clarity with the ten-tonne guitars that close the song. Lo-fi slow burner Nothing Happens In Roseville is an auditory treat, dreamily filtered vocals over some initially sleepy guitars, progressing hypnotically and building to an absolute hammering crescendo.
The crowd enjoys every moment of it and so do I. The chemistry between the band is easily palpable, the musical gifts of each member interacting so very fluidly to create one heck of a sound. If Upskirts weren’t on your radar already then live shows like this will catapult them straight onto it (and if you want to get to know them a little more personally, we got the hot tip on their favourite tunes). Hats off to the bands and to Woolly Mammoth for a bloody good night of psych!
Barely Moving is out now via Inertia Access
Brisbane boys Twin Haus are in for a big couple of weeks, kicking off their east coast tour tonight in their hometown! Their latest track, Blood Tapes, represents what I believe to be a big step up for them, and I’m predicting pretty big things to come from the Haus.
Packed with heart-wrenching vocals, guitar licks and pounding drums, Bloods Tapes is not only incredibly dynamic and captivating, but is also raising the bar in regards to the band’s production. There is so much going on with this song, yet they’ve managed to keep it all under control whilst reaching a sonic depth not often heard in the local scene. I really cannot fucking wait to see this song recreated live!
You can catch Twin Haus at the following dates!
November 7 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
November 8 – The Northern, Byron Bay
November 13 – Boney, Melbourne
November 15 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
November 22 – Jungle Love Festival, Lake Moogerah