Interview - The Great Emu War Casualties: "Releasing this album is the most success I could hope for, it only took us three years! "

It’s not often you get a band with a name like The Great Emu War Casualties. And when you do, it’s even rarer to discover that they’re a British/Australian/Nepalese collective playing music with indie-pop hooks, art-rock sophistication and a flair for quirky, sharp-witted lyricism. Their album ‘Public Sweetheart No. 1’ was written by vocalist/guitarist Joe Jackson and bassist/vocalist Saskia Clapton.

LATCH Magazine caught up with Saskia and Joe to find out all about it.

Your album Public Sweetheart No. 1 is described as a “blunt, honest self-assessment.” How difficult was it to be that vulnerable in your songwriting, and did it change how you see those experiences now?

Joe: It's not too difficult to be that way in songwriting, but it's incredibly difficult to be that way in song editing. Did you see how i avoided using the word vulnerable in that last sentence? Maybe it is more difficult than i think. It has helped me reframe my life's experiences being able to look at them from a more detached third party kind of way, but it hasn't helped me change at all.

There’s a strong theme of contradiction in the album —“joyously depressed” and “sorrow-with-a-smile.” Is that duality something you consciously aim for, or does it emerge naturally in your writing?

Joe: I don't think i'd noticed until you pointed it out. I think that we all contain a myriad of contradictory feelings, opinions and behaviours and so then the only way to be honest is to be inconsistent and hypocritical which starts to become the definition of dishonesty. It just happens. I might prefer if things were joyously upbeat, happiness with a smile, but that isn't what falls out of me when i close my eyes.

The focus track “Ashes” pairs upbeat, shimmering instrumentation with heartbreak. Why do you think that contrast works so well emotionally?

Saskia: This is kind of a Joe question, but my two cents is something my mother says, which is "play the opposites".

Joe: I wouldn't risk contradicting your mother.

You mentioned the album is almost an “anthemic apology.” Who—or what—were you apologising to most when writing it?

Joe: i don't know. of course i do. how long do you need the list to be? i don't like to talk about the record in deep specifics because i think that can block other people from resonating with it, if that makes sense for example, the second verse of old world is a reference to a very specific thing that did happen to me, but then if someone were to say that it spoke to them in a certain way because of x, y, z, how could i argue against that? i've written from experience and i've written about specifics in my experience, but experiencing things is universal, so if you've had a bit of a weird time lately then maybe there's something in it for you. i didn't write about my little brother on this record, for example, but if something makes you think of yours then that's for you

The band’s journey spans Sydney, Japan, England, The Netherlands, and Melbourne. How have those different places shaped your sound and identity as a group?

Saskia: We surely took full advantage of the working holiday visa program between these places, didn't we! Lucky us. I would chuck in Nepal for Bibek too - I'm sure the thriving metal scene in Kathmandu influenced his playing massively. It's one of my favourite things about music though, that even if you don't have good communication with words (whether that's due to language, culture or just plain social awkwardness) you can get to understand each other through your playing, and you adapt to and borrow each other's qualities, similar to how people do when they talk. That sounds like the biggest wank ever, I'm sorry... but it's true, dammit. Musos know what I'm talking about (probably. I mean, idk what I'm talking about, so...)

Your influences seem to range from indie-pop and art-rock to J-rock and even metal. How do you balance such varied backgrounds without losing a cohesive sound?

Saskia: Lol, I'm glad you think we have a cohesive sound. I mean... further to my convoluted answer above, even if you adapt slightly to the people and sounds around you, at the end of the day you're still you, right? It's just by virtue of us having played together for so long that we just sound like 'us' (whoever that is).

Tracks like “Donut” and “Overreacting” have a playful, almost ironic edge. How important is humour in your music, especially when dealing with heavier themes?

Saskia: Maybe this is one for joe, but my two cents is something Philip Carey says in Of Human Bondage, which is "'By Jove, if I weren't flippant I should hang myself', he thought cheerfully". Honestly, best book ever.

Joe: Maybe it's lucky i'm flippant then?

You’ve worked with Wayne Connolly, who’s produced artists like The Teskey Brothers and Julia Jacklin. What did he bring to the project that elevated the album?

Saskia: Wayne is just a legend. He brought the hilarious weird stories that went on for hours and he wore great hats. He could be agonisingly slow and then next minute he's nudged all your shit into perfect harmony in like five minutes. He has great taste too which is absolutely a game changer. Not sure why he worked with us tbh, he probably doesn't even remember that he did... but glad we got to do it (twice!) 5/5 stars.

The band jokes that your shared connection is “desperation or trauma.” How much truth is there behind that, and how does that dynamic play out creatively?

Saskia: LOL. Look, it's not real trauma... it's just the shared trauma of being a bitter and cynical failed musician, that's all. Bonds are stronger through negative energies you know. (Does that just sound like an abusive relationship?)

Now that your debut album is out, what does success look like for you—personally and as a band—over the next couple of years?

Saskia: Releasing this album is the most success I could hope for, it only took us three years! The real challenge is to release the next one...

Joe: I just got a message asking me what i'm hoping to achieve with the album. i've never felt so attacked to my core. It was my Dad who asked that. Love you, Dad  

Listen to The Great Emu War Casualties album (Public Sweetheart No.1) on Spotify