Formula Indie Sessions : Interview with Ratfink
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Singing sea shantys with my Dad
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I used to write heaps of lyrics as a five year old. Probably cause we use to sing old bush ballads all the time in the evenings. Then I learnt to add music as a teenager.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I got bored and had all these songs in me that just needed to get out!
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before? Rock n roll, funky, chill and nostalgic. Bit of everything really.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
How to groove on the bass. People bang on about guitar heroes all the time but it’s all about the slap baby. One you know you just know, y’know?
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
I have a custom built guitar a friend made that cost about a hundred bucks to put together. Some cheap Shure rip offs from Japan and an amazing lil amp that is a secret.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Arc De Soleil. He’s got the funky rhythms of a crazy cat. I hope he comes to Australia one day. He’s like Glass Beams, Kruangbin and Jimi Hendrix all at once.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Well the album title WHEN U WERE MINE is pretty obvious. That’s only one song though. Most of the tracks are just silly observations of the world around me.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
That you can make good music on the cheap in your room. I hate studios. When I was younger I remember spending five hundred bucks a day in a professional studio with a producer I didn’t know who is somehow supposed to get your sound straight away, and in one or two takes. Never been more uncomfortable in my life.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Haha I don’t like this question. Sounds like I’m at school or something.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
The Forum, Meredith, Glastonbury – that’ll do me I reckon.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Ben Danks&the Bandits – rock n roll from the suburbs. What’s not to like?
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Ratfink! On Spotify and instagram.com/ratfinkmusic
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey? I just wanna get gigging to be honest. I’ve already got all the songs for the next record but I wanna take a breather from the recording process for now. It can be exhausting when you’re a perfectionist. And I’m sure my mixing engineer agrees!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That I think people take music way too seriously. It should be fun, duh.
