Melbourne rock band Rumours spent 2020 building up their loyal fanbase, so we decided to chat with them and see what made them tick.
Having formed back in 2016, the quartet – comprised of Jackson Bentley (vocals), Harry Coote (guitar), Dustin Bayley (bass) and Benjamin Canham (guitar) – caught everyone’s attention with the release of their singles ‘Paralysed’ and ‘Incredulous’, scoring raves from fans and attention from the likes of triple j.
After spending 2020 building up their following and recording their upcoming sophomore EP If Only You Could Feel Something Too, which will be available on Friday, March 19th, the band are kicking off 2021 in a big way with the release of their new single, ‘MANIA’.
So to get a sense of who Rumours are as a band and what made the quartet tick, we had a chat with Jackson as part of our popular Get To Know series.
How did your artist name come about?
It is probably the most boring story ever. We were sitting around at practice one night trying to come up with names and our drummer at the time recommended Rumours. I hated it and in fact still do – but bands are a democracy and I was in fact out-voted on this one.
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
My grandma is very, very deaf so I probably wouldn’t even bother explaining it to her, and playing it to her might make her even more deaf. But if I had to do it, I would say “Elvis Presley played through an aux cord plugged into a guitar amp with the distortion channel on.”
Tell us about a few of your tracks; their titles and what they’re about?
These next couple of singles are from our upcoming EP, and we’re super excited about them!
Love Classic Rock?
Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
‘Mania’ is out today! And very self explanatory I think. The song is about that manic state you might find yourself in whilst you’re laying in bed and you start to think about every mistake, the risks you’ve taken, the future, self doubt, I could honestly write an entire list but I won’t. I used to find myself in this situation fighting with my head just before sleep and would sometimes get to the point where I would need to get out of bed and go for a run or a walk. I think I’ve always had a bit of trouble getting to sleep at bedtime.
‘If Only You Could Feel Something Too’ – This name originated in quite an odd way. We were looking at the track listing and noticed a lot of the songs were kind of one worded/named. I really like how bands like Chiodos, Enter Shikari, and The 1975 use sentences for names. I was thinking about the track and what it was about and the name just came out of my mouth, I guess it’s kind of like what you would say to someone who you are fond of that doesn’t feel the same way back, it’s actually quite sad now I come to think of it.
What do you love about your hometown?
My ma and her 2 dogs. I have such a love-hate relationship with my mum’s dog, it’s very conflicting. One moment he’s this beautiful Hungarian Vizsla pup, the next he is the absolute devil stealing your shoes or your $200 sunglasses, waits for you to notice then runs for miles and miles, I’ve never simultaneously loved and hated something so much.
Career highlight so far?
When I get asked this question from family, friends or doing something like this, without sounding like a pretentious twat, I think one of my highlights has been watching my friends and their bands and careers grow.
When you’ve known bands from when they began and watch them start to lay and sell out 400+ shows nationwide and get festival slots etc, it is very humbling to see your close peers achieve.
But also to be selfish, I think doing our first headline run and selling more tickets to each show then we would’ve imagined, and backing it up with sold out shows with Windwaker, and then playing our final show with Ocean Grove and Amity to a packed out Geelong venue was quite the cherry on top.
Fave non-music hobby?
Painting, making music videos or recently my new hobby is The Crown. That show is my guilty pleasure, I even drink tea whilst watching that series, it’s great!
What’s on your dream rider?
Dream music collaboration?
Sigur Ros, I think they are the most incredible musicians. However I would be quite intimidated by Jonsi’s falsetto range.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
My good friend asked me this a while ago and she was quite shocked at my response. In 10 years I think I want to be a typical suburban dad, just your average Joe in a pair of New Balance sneakers and cargo pants blowing the leaves off my driveway and trimming the edges.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
‘We Found Love’ by Rihanna.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I don’t think it was advice but my good friend always says “It’s so much easier to be nice to people than to be rude, it literally takes more energy to be a dick than what it does to be kind.” Shout out to Colin Jeffs!
What’s one obsession you have that no one would guess after listening to your music?
I don’t think I really have one, I’m quite an open book. I think I have a coffee obsession, I love making coffee and of course drinking it, but other than that I can’t think of anything too secretive. I’m pretty boring!
