Interview: Sydney Duo Warwick Smith Talk About Their New Single/Video "Vertigo"
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“I think next we’re going to lean into that more rock-based sound that we teased throughout “Vertigo”. This felt like the best song to represent our transition into a new era for our music... ”
Congratulations on the release of your single/video “Vertigo”; what initially inspired the creation of the song itself?
Warwick: For me, “Vertigo” started as a translation of what I felt almost immediately after I experienced my first anxiety attack last year, it was a new and somewhat scary experience for me so I grabbed my phone and started sending lines to Luke, mid-shower, to expand on when I was fully clothed and in a position to write.
Luke: I really enjoyed writing the drumline for this, from the very start I told Warwick my idea of letting the drums convey that feeling of “unsteadiness” with what I described to be a “spinning beat” on the hi-hat. One of my favourite parts was in the pre-chorus closing and opening the hi-hat in time with the vocals portraying the “short breath” he’s singing about.
The music video is awesome; how did you connect with the clip’s director, Joshua Frost, and how difficult was it to film remotely?
Warwick: We had the pleasure of meeting our director for “Vertigo”, Joshua Frost, online through a social group chat and he had done a lot of videography work before, especially with music. Alongside him, we had a very talented, internationally scattered, production team doing the concept and visual effects for the video.
Luke: Working with them remotely was at times difficult; especially trying to coordinate time zones from different places like Sydney, Atlanta, Britain and even Mexico but I think it gave us a really unique opportunity to work together digitally. They were even on a conference call while we were on set at a soundstage in Sydney. They’re work was truly incredible on the video and the entire concept.
With “Vertigo” now released, what is next for you guys musically and will it be appearing on an upcoming EP or album?
Warwick: I think next we’re going to lean into that more rock-based sound that we teased throughout “Vertigo”. This felt like the best song to represent our transition into a new era for our music and I think it’s a safe bet it’ll make its way onto an upcoming album.
Luke: I’ll go a step further and tell you it's slated to be track five out of fourteen. I do feel that these coming songs are a lot more refined and “Vertigo” is a pretty fair indicator of what’s to come. I really like how our sound is coming along and I’m very excited for these future releases.
Tell us about how you two met and what made you decide to join together as a musical duo?
Warwick: We met for the first time at a concert where I think I said five words to Luke and then bounced. A few weeks later in a group chat for that concert, I mistook him for a loud mouthed guy screaming at everyone there but he quickly cleared up that he was not that awful person. So I agreed to go visit him and stay in his basement (I know, real smart move) and we immediately started jamming together.
Luke: We decided to start playing music together the very second time we met, however it was just covering songs we both liked for fun in my basement. But that helped us see that there was some musical chemistry at play and ultimately led me joining Warwick for releases and shows.
What’s the music scene like in Sydney right now? Are venues back open for artists to perform and if so, do you have shows coming up?
Warwick: The music scene in Sydney is almost non-existent right now. Venues are shut for the time being and we’re, at the time of writing, in another lockdown. We’re hoping we can play our debut Sydney show at The Factory Theatre, it’s scheduled for July 24th and we’re very excited to play the same stage that some of our biggest influences have played. That being said, it’s currently a mystery as to whether or not it’ll move forward.
Luke: The brightside to this otherwise very dim situation is that since larger bands aren’t really allowed to tour to Australia right now, venues are willing to take chances on smaller, local bands (like us) giving them the opportunity to establish themselves. Once the dust settles, there’s a good chance that we’ll be adding a lot more dates to our tour schedule. It’s going to be great to see everyone come out.
Stream and Share “Vertigo” on Spotify
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