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"Deja entendu" means "already heard" in French. There just so happens to be a Melbourne electro band by that name, and if you haven't already heard them, you better run along and have a listen to their hot tunes so their name isn't false advertising.
The local three-piece comprises of the lovely Claire Rayner, Jack Arentz (formerly of MTV Kickstart winning band Skye Harbour) and Corey Schneider, and together they smush together bright melodies, pretty electric sounds and smashing party beats.
Paper-Deer had a chat to Jack about their name, their sound and their evolution.
“Deja entendu” means “already heard” in French... was there any story behind choosing that name for the band?
The band name actually comes from the album of a really great band called Brand New - they have a record called Deja Entendu. The name seemed like it would let our music speak for itself without a pre-imposed idea of what genre we are, or what sort of music we might make.
How did the three of you meet?
I met Claire at a Syn FM radio show that she was doing with the drummer in Skye Harbour (Frank Sweet). At the time I was interested in making some of my own music and she seemed to be pretty into where my ideas were heading. I met Corey over the budget PC games bin at EB games.
What does each member of the band bring to DE in terms of energy, personality and talent?
We're all pretty upbeat people. Claire and Corey bring the fashion aesthetic. I bring the beats. We all work on the sounds. Corey is the man that knows where all the cables need to be plugged into at any given time. Claire is really great with harmonies. We all focus a lot with the arrangement together, drawing from our own musical backgrounds.
A lot of people seem to call your music “shiny”. How would you describe it?
I guess shiny is appropriate. We're all into really big kick drums and snares. When we make music we're always trying to blow people away with strong rhythms, chords and melodies. I guess for us the next natural step is to make the song sound as good as possible. It's in fashion right now for things to sound 'lo-fi'. I dig the aesthetic, but sometimes it can be annoying that current trends in Australian music are encouraging so many people to be entirely derivative of music from older genres.
How has your music evolved from your Skeleton days to your current single Fast, Hard!?
Hugely! Fast, Hard! is only the beginning of a more focused sound from us. Like most bands, we're pretty over our first EP. Obviously it had its time and place, but we're looking forward to showing people a more focused song writing direction with more interesting sounds and melodies.
What was the inspiration behind Fast, Hard!?
Actually that song came from going out a lot and hearing lots of music directed at amphetamine takers. I guess I was just fascinated with the concept of how drugs affected people and the way that they heard popular music. The song is about being involved in a culture that is so immersed in drugs that it flows into the art and aesthetics of the nightlife. We just tried to capture the vibe of this environment.
What separates you from the gazillions of electro rock bands in Melbourne?
Our dedication to melody, rhythm and arrangement. I'm not saying we're perfect, but we spend a lot of time discussing what sounds good and bad.
What was it like building a studio?
Really draining. I think that the hard work involved in setting everything up almost took the life out of our song writing. Despite this, we realised the enormous potential for our creative ideas in the studio. Most importantly, it open up doors for us to work with other artists and extend our musical influence.
Is it different recording in your own studio, as opposed to hiring out someone else’s studio?
Yes. It's very different! We can work any time that we see fit, and it gives us the opportunity to realise our mistakes and elaborate on our strengths.
Your MySpace says there’s a debut LP on the way... Any clues that you can give us?
Well, we're working pretty hard. We're focusing on one song at a time right now. We will get there eventually!!!
Any embarrassing secrets that you’d like to share with Paper-Deer?
Claire blew a goat.
Umm, okay... Anything else?
Come to our shows motherfuckers. We work really hard and are nice people. Please. We love you?
DATES:
- July 15: The Vineyard with Kristina Miltiadou
- August 26: Shake Some Action (One Six One) with Cosmo Black
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