If you’re someone who likes their music with a bit of atmosphere and emotion, then the Sunshine Coast’s Fragile Animals need to be at the top of your list.
It was only a few years ago that Fragile Animals hit the scene, releasing their debut EP in 2017 and helping to bring focus to themselves as purveyors of the immersive dreamgaze genre.
With a sound that is reminiscent of an intoxicating mixture of Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and Silversun Pickups, Fragile Animals are undoubtedly a unique band whose music stays with you long after you’ve stopped listening.
Having only been round a few years though, the group have already achieved some major milestones, including scoring a triple j Unearthed Feature Artist slot, supporting the likes of Jebediah, Polish Club, and more, while also earning finalist spots on the APRA AMCOS Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition and the International Songwriting Competition.
Now, with their latest single ‘Waiting’ being released last month, we had a chat with frontwoman Victoria Jenkins to learn more about this stunning outfit, and to get some answers to the burning questions that their devoted fans might have.
Check out ‘Waiting’ by Fragile Animals:
How did your artist name come about?
We’re not actually sure but it’s safe to say we’d gone through a whole heap of rubbish names before we decided to stick with Fragile Animals. Pretty sure coming up with a name you don’t 100% cringe at is the hardest part of being a band.
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
I seriously have no idea. I feel like she wouldn’t really like us but she would absolutely pretend she did so as not to hurt our feelings.
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Tell us about a few tracks; their titles and what they’re about?
Well our newest single is called ‘Waiting’. It’s about having friends who aren’t OK and wondering about your own mental health and why we’ve created this kind of society for ourselves.
‘Landing’ was a single from our Only Shallow//Only More EP and it was written on the flight home at the end of a run of east coast shows we’d done. I was feeling really sad that the tour was finished and that I’d have to go back to everyday life.
And just to include something from our first EP; ’Home’ is basically a mental picture of somewhere beautiful and cold and a million miles away from an Australian summer.
What do you love about your hometown?
I feel like it’s pretty impossible to think of your home town objectively, haha. We all live on the Sunshine Coast. I guess we have some pretty nice beaches. There’s green space and room for nature here too which is pretty cool, especially considering how precious the environment is and how easily it’s neglected.
Check out ‘Landing’ by Fragile Animals:
Career highlight so far?
Winning the triple j Unearthed Big Piney comp was pretty cool. Apart from that the response to our latest single has been pretty incredible. It’s hard to put into words but when we were getting ready to release it we didn’t expect that people would care so much.
We actually put the track up on Bandcamp the night before it was due to be officially released thinking no one would even notice but by the morning we’d had a whole bunch of people from around the world purchase the song… whoops. Haha, it was the best feeling though!
Favourite non-music hobby?
Hmm, well Kyle is super fit and does triathlons and stuff. Dan is just always listening to or writing music… literally all the time. I’m definitely less cool; I like books and my dogs, I guess pets aren’t a hobby though.
What’s on your dream rider?
Haha, we once got laughed at by a promoter for only listing three beers, two ginger beers, and water on our rider. We still didn’t get it. So I’d probs say anything is a win at this point.
Dream music collab?
It’s weird, on the one hand we’re huge music fans and the idea of working with other artists we adore seems super appealing. On the other hand songwriting is so personal it would almost be too confronting to work with someone outside of our band.
I’m sure it’ll happen down the track though. I guess we’ll just know when it’s the right fit. There’d be heaps of people it would be cool to work with.
I guess the most exciting collabs would be with people who are the most different stylistically. Like what would happen if we worked on something Kevin Parker or had someone like Eric Valentine produce our music?
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Fingers crossed we’ll be somewhere cold playing a sold out show with set list that spans several diverse albums that were all well-received and earnt us enough money to quit our shitty day jobs.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Karaoke is terrifying. Like I can play shows anytime but karaoke is something else entirely. The last time I did Karaoke I was fourteen and I sang the theme song from Aladdin with my big brother.
Check out ‘Home’ by Fragile Animals:
