Pretty City

Aside from living in Melbourne and band member John-Luis Moretti’s moustache, there’s not much that’s ‘pretty’ about the band. Instead they unleash a unique blend of shoe-gaze, fuzz and straight out rock onto their listeners, that’s pretty incredible. We had a chat to the band ahead of their Triple A Single tour and their love of ‘riding the wave’.
Hey thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte Magazine, how are you?
Well thanks, shows, coffee, vintage gear on ebay..it’s the circle of life..
You guys have just finished off your residency at The Workers Club, was it nice to have a ‘home’ of sorts to perform at?
We enjoyed how it built up, and each show had a new energy and you just went with it. It was like home, I came to rely on it as a tranquil moment each week. I don’t quite know how I’ll go on without it now. Our friend Ken is the same, he’s gutted but I’m like, ‘It’s alright Ken’.
And how did the shows go?
We got a lot of exercise, and discovered some new places inside the songs. People are pretty legit with their party legs, we must say thanks as they made it super enjoyable.
You’ve also just announced a tour in support of your new music, are you looking forward to being able to share it with fans?
We mixed these songs with reference to how it sounds to be in the middle of the stage, surrounded by all the flavours of the band. I know that sounds obvious, but a lot of music really doesn’t sound anything like that at the moment. We love the energy of a show and bringing people onto that wave is the greatest feeling. Let’s do this right people!
We saw that you had a bit of trouble deciding on what single to release, in the end going with all three, has it been a hard process deciding what to include on your upcoming album?
It’s an ongoing conversation, everyone in a band sees a different picture. Johnny has strong ideas, I have mellow fuzzy ideas and Drew is a clear thinker. This album has been quite measured and calm by our standards, we went to the hills outside Melbourne to chill and record it.
Is there a voting process of sorts? What’s your system of making decisions in the band?
It’s more of a rolling passive-aggressive txt conversation – subtle mind games are important.
Given that your music is a really awesome blend of shoe-gaze, fuzz and straight out rock, were these the kind of bands you would go to see before you were on the stage yourself?
Thanks for the kind words! We like the place we have arrived at. Music constantly feels as if it is converging. I had a couple of wow moments at shows that opened my mind to possibilities. The Delta Riggs jumping around in Sydney and Interpol at Falls festival. When we started we hung out and saw My Piranha, Bored Nothing, Sunbeam Sound Machine a lot, and there are bits and pieces of those bands swimming around our sound.
That kind of music is really meant to lose yourself to, are you still able to get lost in the music on stage or is there too much focus in the performance?
Live shows are a heightened experience that is unique. It feels like riding a brontosaurus around the ‘Rainbow Road’ level of Mariokart 64. It really feels massive when the sound is right. I’ve never had a ‘going through the motions’ moment, we find something to channel and ride it.
Lastly, we’re really loving the trippy watercolour art that’s on your posters and covers, is there someone in the band responsible for creating the amazing pieces?
The watercolour images are just the beginning, we have some pretty special imagery coming up for the releases. The single artwork was designed by our friend Sophie, who does amazing fluro-psych stuff. We are really happy with the visuals too, I’m glad people share our enthusiasm for them.
Thanks again for the chat, any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?
Thanks for the chat, come to a show and ride the wave.
When & Where: St James, Geelong – June 19 & Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne – June 20