Fresh off the heels of their debut EP, Golden Century Group, we asked Sydney duo F-POS a slog of burning Get To Know questions.
F-POS, the brainchild of Paddy Cornwall and Taras Hrubyj-Piper, released their debut EP Golden Century Group last Friday. The release comes off the heels of the duo’s recently released singles ‘Classic’ and ‘Life Turns On’ which were received to wide acclaim.
Lauded by Rolling Stone Australia editor, Tyler Jenke as “an exceptional introduction to the outfit,” brought by the sound of their “infectious reggae-influenced jam”, their music has already become undeniably synonymous with infectious euphoria.
Recorded in their home in Sydney, the EP saw the duo enlist a slew of their favorite artists to play, sing, and collaborate on the EP. Featuring the likes of Trinidad-born athlete-turned-artist Gold Fang, Moody Beach, and Caro. New Zealand’s super-producer Dann Hume jumped on board to add final flourishes to each track.
“We’d wake up in the morning, work for five hours, then go to work in our normal lives. Then when everyone was asleep at night again, we’d work again,” Paddy says of the record.
Taras adds, “It was all about melody, about endorphin hits, about hooking into the motherdome. We have a compulsion to write and record and make art.”
To celebrate the release of Golden Century Group, we asked F-POS only the most pressing Get To Know questions. Check out what they had to say below.
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Check out ‘No Cause’ by F-POS
How did your artist’s name come about?
The question we asked was: “what is the most high-tek invention of the last 20 years?” The Internet? Cloning? DVDs? Yes, but also there’s EFTPOS, a bit older (1981 year of birth of Paris Hilton), a bit more overlooked, a bit dusty, but full of cash. The idea was sold when one of us told our mums and she said “oh, that stands for Fucking Piece Of Shit, doesn’t it?”. And we said “yes it does”, and because we had already paid $20 for the domain name we couldn’t backtrack anymore. But, which electronic funds process did we use for that domain name…
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
Dr. Kongs grandma was very very very involved in the Bavarian Mountain Alfenßpitz movement. Think big tubas, lederhosen, the Alps, and incredible amounts of alcoholism. Even though we love big tubas, we’d probably tell her it’s the exact opposite of that. Also, we’d say it’s like buying a Gorillaz CD at ALDI.
Tell us about a few of your tracks; their titles and what they’re about?
‘Millionz’ is us trying to come to terms with the beauty of being average. We sent Shogun a real brief idea of the song, and he came to the recording session with a briefcase full of nearly shredded paper with billions of notes, ideas, ruminations, and lyrics.
Anytime he’s part of the creative process, he puts the work in. God, we love him. ‘Life Turns On’ is about people being cunts but you still gotta love them. We’ll probably have to write the sequel soon, cuz after reflection you sometimes realize you’ve also been the chucklefuck in the situation. ‘Classic’ is about the wild life of an artist.
‘No Cause’ lyrics we just re-read after doing the clip, and they’re probably some of our best words we’ve written. So pregnant with meaning and visuals.
What do you love about your hometown?
Love that it brought us up. Love that it put us with a billion different cultures while growing up and today: Djembes at school sports carnivals and The Million Dollar Smile Man from Sydney’s best Vietnamese restaurant. Love that it’s not fully fucked yet. Maybe it is but we just don’t realize it.
Listen to Golden Century Group by F-Pos
Career highlight so far?
Stoked people are diggin it. Love making the videos and music and sending it out there. Love when the photographer uses photoshop to make us look more handsome as well.
Fave non-music hobby?
Dr. Kong loves Snorkelling. Xing-Xang Dog loves his pooch and StarCraft II. Dr. Kong also loves those two things as well. Really hard to finish this interview cuz we want to be lightsabre nerds and play Zerg and Protoss against each other.
What’s on your dream rider?
Give us the expensive healthy stuff. Sushi, fruits, Goji Berries. Dr. Kong literally only makes himself avocado on toast. Every day. Every meal. He’s really good at it. Cold-pressed olive oil, chili flakes, sourdough, some sort of seasoning. So don’t put that on the rider cuz he has it enough. Maybe some soda water. Xing Xang Dog still fangs a Big Mac every now and then, but probably better give him some fruit or some shit otherwise he’ll become unhealthily obese.
Dream music collaboration?
Dr. Kong says he only cares if the song is good. Doesn’t care about paying some guy to be in the studio so they can get their cut and bail. Says most collabs he’s been part of haven’t cut the mustard. Xing Xang dog wants to collaborate with Mac DeMarco and The Internet crew.
Check out ‘Classic’ by F-Pos
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
‘I Want It That Way’ by The Backstreet Boys. Max Martin really brought the custard home when writing that one 20 years ago. Doesn’t even make sense, but god damn does it get the crowd going. Robbie Williams is also a personal favorite of Dr. Kongs.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Dr. Kong’s dad once gave the best advice to his brother. Before a tense cricket game, he said “son, before you bowl, make sure you take a deep breath, focus on where you want the ball to go, keep eye contact, and then release your inhibitions”. Only advice me or my brother has ever gotten from him. We have NEVER seen him bowl a single ball in his life.
What’s one obsession you have that no one would guess after listening to your music?
Dr. Kong is obsessed with seasoning. He loves good seasoning for putting onto my avo toast. Spices, herbs, condiments are the taste foundation of nearly every meal. He just bought a 1kg box of parmesan cheese. The cheap type you find at cheap Italian diners. It’s the best stuff. He says Most food items are just vehicles to get the flavor sensation of mayo and tabasco into your face”.
