Brisbane’s self-confessed “dancey trash-pop” collective FeelsClub have unveiled their latest single ‘skin’, revealing the ten inspirations behind it.
FeelsClub have been on the scene since 2016, and have been unleashing hit after driving hit, both playing at mates’ house parties, and even selling out headlining shows while sharing the stage with The Jungle Giants, Confidence Man, and even Client Liasion.
2020 hasn’t slowed down the collective, as the year has seen them put out numerous tunes with their signature dancey trash-pop sound, and really put forth a new electronic sound with their latest single ‘skin’.
Diving deep into exploring the self-improvement front and imposter syndrome, frontman St Jonnie notes that the new tune “address the imposter syndrome you can face when you start to try and correct your behaviours. Be it learning to call out your own toxic traits by choice or force, or just learning to understand what your personal boundaries are and asking others to respect them. All in all, it can be a very confronting thing.”
“It’s like you have this whole new person trying to fit into and walk around in your old skin. It’s hard when you meet people you used to vibe with and they say some weird shit you used to agree with, because you lacked perspective and understanding, and then you just feel like… ‘Who even am?’ ‘What is under this skin and does it even matter if people still just see and expect the old you?’ Life is weird. Let’s try and be nice to each other and grow.”
Put forth as the third dive into their forthcoming EP A Wave Inevitable, FeelsClub’s latest single ‘skin’ will get you itching for whats to come with it’s pulsing beats, smooth electronics, and lyrics that will get you talking.
Check out ‘skin’ by FeelsClub:
Seven inspirations behind ‘skin’ by FeelsClub:
Season High by Little Dragon
Season High inspired and helped glue together those larger elements of effects and synth textures, within a lot of new ideas of what FeelsClub ‘could be’; a term that we continuously threw around. Going back and listening to this album of Little Dragon’s kept me grounded and held our hands as we ventured into the unknown.
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‘talkTALK’ was our first successful attempt at moving away from what we had come to know as the norm. ‘Celebrate’, the first track off this album, inspired my contributions to ‘talkTALK’ with its bouncing rhythms and the big guitar solo change. This is what gave me the confidence to execute a similar idea in our own form.
SBTRKT by SBTRKT
SBTRKT’s self-titled album sonically gave me a new way to visualise what FeelsClub could grow into. When listening to the percussive and bass elements SBTRKT uses, the relationship between them is almost respiratory. This encouraged me to push to deliver our songs with the same intent emotively, taking you on this journey to a new FeelsClub.
No Geography by The Chemical Brothers
The band traveled to Japan mid last year, and it had a big impact on our new music. For me personally (DJLJ), No Geography will always remind me of that time. It was my go to choice on our bullet train journeys, and really made that time I got abandoned, because the others were too slow to get off at the right station, actually enjoyable.
Music Complete by New Order
On our first EP we were really honing in on our songcraft. Especially stuff like pop song structure, arrangement, making the chorus soar, blah blah blah. Ultimately during that process we brushed aside some of the most fun parts of our live show.
Dirty basslines, four to the floor beats, and a lot of yelling. Music Complete by New Order is an essential reminder a seven minute dance track can still slay in the pop sphere.
Free Your Mind by Cut Copy
Wouldn’t be a FeelsClub listicle without a mention of Cut Copy. Free Your Mind is probably the most unique entry in their soon to be six album discography. The album returns in part to the late eighties/early nineties, and brings to the front the best bits of acid house.
For our new music this year, a number of our vibes are pulling from mid 2000’s dance, so maybe we can make that period as cool as acid house is.
Raingirl by Yaeji
Soft whispers, repeating chorus’ and a subtle thumping beat had me gooood… I’m pretty sure I had this song (any probably all her others) on repeat through hours on the road whilst touring, parties and working on design.
It’s relaxed but THRIVES. So you know it was an all rounder for me and surely if i’d listen to this style in any setting, everyone else would right.
How I’m Feeling Now by Charli XCX
I got on the Charli boat a little late, but tbh I probably didn’t overly connect to her until I saw her this year at Laneway and then mostly until this album came out.
It came out whilst we were in the midst of working on our EP and as we were already making the shift to a more electronic sound, IDK I guess it gave me confidence that yeee, perhaps the world IS ready for a more electronic FeelsClub.
Sound And Fury by Sturgill Simpson
Not that I have ever eaten magic mushrooms or that I would ever advocate for drug usage buuut this album has a netflix visual thaaang that would hypothetically go down a treat with that type of activity and yeah per say you did watch it after consuming such things… wow wouldn’t that be a whole thing.
All that said and done I grew up listening to a lot of country music because my dad legit grew up around rodeos and cattle. I also used to read my older cousins’ graphic novels/comic books of post apocalyptic/conan style worlds that were hyper violent and I’d get in trouble if I got caught with them so well this just stokes the fire in my veins and makes me feel at home but is also just fucking wild cause some how it makes those two random ass parts of my life come alive at the same time.
That’s a great combo… so yeah that really just made something click for me and be like ok this is country punk, funk disco and it works… I can literally do whatever I want. Cool thanks.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by John Williams
What a bloody ripper soundtrack. Just floor to ceiling bangers. I mean you start with ‘Star Wars Main Title’ and ‘The Arrival at Naboo’ which is just crazy nostalgia and then baaaaam baby here is some new Naboo stuff… it’s like hey I know and love this but what’s this next bit? Where are they taking what I know and love? What have they done with what I wanted to always stay the same? NO TIME TO THINK CAUSE TRACK TWO IS DUAL OF THE MOTHER FUCKING FATES!!!
Don’t get me wrong there are some more classic tunes in there like ‘The Droid Invasion’ and ‘The Appearance of Darth Maul’ and the titular favourite ‘He is the Chosen One’ and they really do just set the scene and take you write back to those 1999 classic questionable Trade Federation invasion of Naboo film moments that the Jedi Order had to help unofficially back because the Senate couldn’t get involved in such complicated state matters, but they ain’t no ‘Duel of the Fates’.
And look I know you might be thinking this is a piss take but dude if I write a song that slaps right to the heart half as good as Duel of the Fates then yeah I’d be happy. It’s 4 minutes and 14 seconds of tension that just gets the heart racing and takes you right to where John Williams wants you… I want that power. I tried to put it into tracks like NO PEACE and HUMINGA… but yeah I dunno, I don’t have the London Symphony Orchestra.
Starz by Yung Lean
Man this kid… this kid was the forefront of so much of what is a norm now and I remember the world thinking it was a joke when he dropped Ginseng Strip 2002. Hell even I was like “what the fuck is this?” Hooked me though. To think 7 years later he is still just crushing the scene and his sound is growing and continuing to push and be unique in a wave of so many that have chased him.
This shit right here gives me strength in knowing I can just do whatever and it either hits or it doesn’t but there is gotta be someone out there vibing it and maybe one day that will just land right and I’ll have the whole team covered in jawns quitting day jobs. That makes me smile :). Big Inspo.
Keen to hear more about FeelsClub’s upcoming EP A Wave Inevitable which will be out on September 24th? Hook into our Electronic Observer, and we’ll keep you updated.
