So in making this mix we wanted to incorporate a number of different things. Firstly we wanted to use some artists that we have drawn some inspiration from in writing our own music, such as Zero Boys, Stiff Richards and Trash Talk. The high energy tempo of the music, alongside the distorted tonality in the instruments, paired with aggressive yet catchy vocals, lays the foundation for our own music creation. Secondly, artists such as Idles, Shame and Fuzz helped influence us to write outside of the box, which is important nowadays since it seems everybody loves to categorize artists and their music.  

Talk us through the flow of the mix, what is the ideal listening environment?

The ideal environment is being submerged deep inside a concrete slab, skateboarding as fast and as recklessly as possible.

Describe the kind of music you usually gravitate towards, do you listen to the same kind of music that you make or are those things separate for you?

We all tend to listen to music in a similar way. Whether you're driving to work dusty on a Monday morning or your misses just left you, the music we listen to changes. Music can either reflect an emotion or encourage a new one. I guess that’s also a part of the reason we play the music we do. With the majority of our work being upbeat and energetic, we want to reflect a positive and energy-full environment to get people moving.  

What are the touchstones that you refer back to that you think that inform your sound? (Could be an artist, an era, a place etc)

People might hate this but we’re going to say Aussie…. Especially in the early days of Bear Trap, a lot of the tonality we were going for was shaped around Australian garage punk bands such as Civic, Stiff Richards and Clamm. There's something about the rawness of it all that made it exciting and relatable. However, we believe touchstones are temporary and choose to jump across them when we discover new music.

What are the touchstones that you refer back to that you think inform your aesthetic?

Skateboarding, 100%.

Who would you invite to Friday beers... (living or passed, famous or non-famous)?

Luke Brennan: Joe Dart for sure, he's the bassist for Vulfpeck and a few other projects I like. Probably the steeziest player alive due to his black out sunnies and chicken neck groove.

Mitch Barnard: Chef Matty Matheson, he’s super into music and I like eating so I feel like we’d get along.
 
Blair Galvin: Probably Ty Segall. He’s played in so many bands that have influenced my taste in music over the last 5 years (Fuzz, Goggs, Meatbodies etc).

What's your go to performance look or formula for a look?

LB: I love to wear a pretty little mesh black dress and do my hair real nice for special gigs.

MB: Mine is rather simple. As I resemble a character of peak male performance, I tend to play topless. Not only for the look, but as a performance enhancing tool.

BG: I generally keep it pretty casual, usually rocking docs, blue jeans, black tee and a flannel, something that’s easy to move around in.

What is your favourite item of clothing you've ever owned, or an item that you have a strong memory of?

LB: For me it's my Independent vest. Although it has faded substantially over the years, I have worn it for 90% of shows and don't plan on retiring it anytime soon.

MB: One memory that sticks out is I think I was about 11 or 12, I managed to convince my mum to buy me a pair of DC skate shoes, like the most ridiculously puffed tongue early 2000’s vibe. I thought I was the coolest kid in town.

BG: I feel like my Arthurs Pass hat is pretty iconic. I saw it in a window of a second hand shop one night after band practice. I made Mitch go back the next day to buy it for me while I was at work to make sure no one else could buy it.

Have you got anything coming up that we can help boost/ anything else we should know?

The only thing we want to promote is something you guys are already doing so well. Which is supporting the local music scene. As a group, we can't stress the importance of going out and supporting local music enough. Whether it be going to shows, listening to music, buying merch etc, all of it matters hugely. Especially local gigs, the artists aren't on a massive three month tour and you can see the passion in every performance. Keeping in mind as well, all the admin and promotion takes hours of work alongside consistent practises and songwriting sessions. Furthermore, we would like to extend our gratitude to Infinite Definite for creating a platform such as this interview. We appreciate it so much.  

Thanks for having us.

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