FOLEY
Photo credit: Frances Carter
I am so excited to share this new interview with New-Zealand duo Foley. Their new single “Better Than Love” is one of the best music I’ve heard in a little while and it might be one of my favorite new releases. The production on this song is fucking amazing and those melodies are incredible. This song somehow makes me feel good especially when I listen to the chorus. Those melodies are perfect.
Their music is a breath fresh air in the music industry. It’s fun, nostalgic, catchy and colorful. I’ve definitely become a fan.
I really cannot wait for them to drop their debut EP Vacation, out on March 15th !! But for now, let’s support “Better Than Love”, because it deserves so much love. Thank you Foley for your music :)
Photo credit: Frances Carter
Introduce the band - what's your story?
Hi! We’re best pals Ash & Gabe and our band is called Foley. We’ve been best friends for about 7 or 8 years and met way back in a high school band competition. We were both the main songwriters for separate bands and both bands became this close group of mates. It wasn’t until a few years into that friendship that we decided to write together and obviously we're really glad we did!
Who was the first person to ever believe in you and your music?
Our parents have always been super supportive of us especially at a young age, putting up with us practicing all the time! But the manager at the practice space we used back in high school, Gareth, was an absolute legend who always saw the potential of people. He’s been responsible for so many musician’s careers, it’s crazy! He put his heart and soul into teaching music and we owe a lot to him!
How would you define Foley, the band?
We’re just two mates navigating our 20-somethings together, writing pop/funk music and trying to piece together the madness that can be love, learning and finding yourself. We’re super honest with each other and think that comes across in our music, but we try and keep everything a bit lighthearted, carefree and joyful. Trying to convert the overthinking nature of both of us into something positive!
What lessons have you learnt since the beginning of your career?
Just have patience, really. Success doesn’t happen overnight and the song or video or whatever you think is going to be the big one, might not be and that’s OK! Just focus on your own craft and figure out what you’re trying to say - as cliche as it sounds, you have to be true to yourself - and like minded people will find you! It’s also really important to be a positive voice in your community and be as helpful to your fellow creatives as possible because it can be a tough industry.
"Better Than Love" is your upcoming single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
Ash: "Better Than Love" stemmed from me meeting my now partner, and feeling this total rush of expectation and huge potential of meeting someone really incredible. I felt this inner struggle between excitement of something new and incredible, and fear that it wasn't going to work out how I wanted it to and I would be hurt again. I think that contrasting feeling is really common when we’ve been let down in the past, and just feel a bit like giving up on trying to meet someone. I was at this point where I tried not to get ahead of myself and get my hopes up. In the end he is actually everything I could ever have asked for, so it's a happy ending!
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this particular song?
This song was really different to all the others, because it was written essentially all in one day with Josh Naley and Jono Boyle - two awesome songwriters, and Ash, at a song camp together. We essentially had a massive yarn about how I was feeling and how drained I was from feeling really cautious and anxious, when I really should have been feeling excitement and energy. Jono layed down this incredible piano part and once that was in we just flowed so easily the whole day. You can still hear the squeaks from his piano stool in that original recording! I think the boys just understood that this was kind of a therapeutic song for me and I was feeling really vulnerable, and they were just such brilliant collaborators to get what needed to be expressed out into the song.
What's your favorite thing about this song?
Gabe: My personal favourite thing is the real clarity of the lyrics. The concept is a really tricky one to approach and is super vulnerable but I’m really proud of the way it was written.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
We were lucky to work with an amazing photographer Frances Carter here in NZ, who really captured the mood we were going for. This one’s a little serious compared to the other covers of this EP, but we wanted something bright and slightly playful, with styling nods to the 80s and 90s to match our musical influences. Design and layout was done by an amazing female team from an agency called Likeminds. We’re really stoked with how the final product came out
What can you tell us about your upcoming EP Vacation?
Vacation is not as much a linear trajectory or journey like the first EP, but it definitely captures some pretty pivotal points in our lives. A lot of the songs were inspired by meeting our respective partners and the feelings that go along that. We’re lucky to be able to work with some amazing producers and writers who all bring their respective flavours to the songs, and really pushed us creatively and made the songs super playful and positive!
Vacation has a certain confidence to it. As a concept it’s obviously an escape from the normal, but is also quite aspirational. Everyone has an idea of their perfect holiday or getaway spot, being somewhere or being with someone who you can feel at peace with, and where you can be your best. For us, Vacation is us trying to be our best to our partners, friends, families, and a reminder to enjoy ourselves. It’s us being confident in our creativity and aspiring to be better.
What's the best thing about being in a band?
The friendship and knowing that there’s people in your corner who will back you and challenge you creatively no matter what. It’s an awesome feeling collaborating and creating something that’s completely different, and often greater than what you could do by yourself. You’ve always got someone by your side!
What are the biggest struggles you've dealt with as artists?
We obviously have inherent privilege, and so don’t experience it as much as other artists, but defining ourselves the way we want has sometimes been tricky. As a half male, half female group there’s sometimes a big disparity in how each of us get treated as musicians, assuming one of us writes the songs and the other just sings. We’ve always made a big point about being as 50/50 as possible for this reason and hope to challenge a lot of pre-existing beliefs and biases.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
We can’t speak for the rest of the world, but the music industry in New Zealand is super close-knit and can be really supportive. We’re privileged enough to be a part of it and be surrounded by amazing creatives. As a whole, there’s never been a better time to get your music out into the world and there’s some great ways to retain your rights and make it on your own. We’d love to see some change around valuing diversity & inclusiveness and weeding out some of those deep-rooted problems that carry over from a male-dominated industry though!
You are from New Zealand - could you describe to us the music scene out there?
The music scene here is incredible. It’s super diverse and at the moment is experiencing a real burst of collaboration. We’re quite an outwardly facing country, and so can be quite influenced by music from the US and the rest of the world, but we put our own laid-back Kiwi spin on it and what comes out is super unique. Really proud to be a part of the small little scene we’ve got going on here!
What's the best advice you've ever received?
Be patient! I think people are used to this story in music that everything happens really quickly/overnight BUT, in fact, most people work really bloody hard for a really long time, so you have to remember to enjoy the ride and let yourself have small wins, on the way to the big win.
What do you hope to accomplish in your professional lives and in your personal lives?
I think we just want to always be able to write and perform and never have to stop because we run out of money or get really drained. It's always about balance in life so that you can keep doing what you love and it will always be a blessing never a chore. We would hate to get to a point where it loses its energy for us, so I think our goal really is just to collaborate with talented people, meet unique people around the world, and write songs that are honest and powerful. Aside from that, it's all just up in the air!
What biggest life lessons have you learnt so far?
It’s important to think over things but not everything is consequential and sometimes you just have to let things happen. Life is long and there’s so much out there to experience, so make sure you don’t miss those meaningful moments... but, also, do whatever you want! Don’t let us tell ya what to do!
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
A lot more understanding, compassion and empathy.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
That it’s OK to not have all the answers, we’re all just figuring it out as we go along and there’s nothing wrong with that. Back yourself and support your friends and family!
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