Q&A: meet BANTA., Melbourne producer duo serving melancholic realness

Aug 16

Melbournes BANTA., which consists of high school mates Oliver McNamara and Caleb Linder, have opened up their 2020 account with a fresh melancholic summery hit. Think girl-meets-boy showcased through an electro-pop fantasy. Their new drop Hold produced by the two boys, features their angelic friend Jade Alice. This single is the first release of a trilogy of songs that each unveil the stylistic depth of the duo. It’s their “Hey, Hi, How are ya?” to the world.

The pairs writing is heavily inspired by a range of visual mediums. One super interesting way they find writing flows is to have a range of films playing in the background while they make music. Playing around with chords and melodies while being intrenched with different visuals. I wonder what song I’d end up with if I had Mean Girls playing on loop? Probably a banger TBH.

The Duo’s new drop Hold took a little under a year to complete. The song is about this sense of urgency to be close to someone and the overwhelming feeling over longing for something that you know deep down you shouldn’t have. Now that could be a 7/11 Krispy Kreme, a relationship or whatever you feel is bad for you. This song evokes all the feels with it’s melancholy vocals layered with a beat you only want to dance to.

We caught up with our Melbourne friends to talk about their new track, their ‘lost on an island essentials’ and of course their favourite chocolate.

Check out all the feels below with this snippet of our conversation:

What got you into music?

Caleb: Back in high school, Oli and I would listen to a lot of hip-hop music and we eventually branched off into electronic music. We started doing some courses where we learned electronic music production.
Oli: Most people love music, me included, but at high school I was kind of learning instrumental music. I think everyone kind of reaches a point where it's like reading notes on a page can drive you insane. So that deterred me from any further studies in that regard. And then Caleb and I decided to take a bus to a school about 10kms down the road to learn how to set up studios and microphones. That kind of stuff inspired us to get into music.

How do you describe your music?

Caleb: Our music is electronic pop music. We try to make things that are a bit nonconventional and less clean than you would normally see in pop music. We also try to incorporate a lot of acoustic instruments and timbres and tones.
Oli: I don't think we think too much about how we sound or what our music sounds like. It’s a more in the moment kind of thing. I think it’s kind of like in the spirit of like ‘Do It Yourself’. I mean, everyone at the moment seems to be able to build their own studio and record in any space they want. So I think that's our kind of our strategy, kind of DIY pop music.

How do you deal with writers block?

Oli: Like any creator, writers block can feel like a daunting thing. But I think really the only way to solve it, I guess, or not really solve it is just to move sideways, go for a walk, make a coffee. Do something else. You know, get your mind off things and then often the idea will come to you at the most unexpected moment.

Where do you work from?

Caleb: So currently we work out of the back of my dad's shed.
Oli: Very glamorous. We owe them lots of money and thanks, but now we don't piss off the neighbours anymore... so that’s great!

Who are you favourite producers?

Caleb: For me personally, one of my favourite record producers is Daft Punk with their really, really great sounds and timbres, and actually the first CD that Oli ever gave me was Daft Punk back when we were 14. We both listened to it for like six months straight.

Tell us about your new track?

Caleb: So we have a new track out with our good friend, Jade Alice. It's called Hold. We've been working on it for just under a year and It's been a really fun experience to work with Jade on this one.

How would you describe the song?

Jade: I would call it a sad banger, tears on the dance floor kind of vibe. It combines a melancholy feeling with this driving danceability from the production that really lifts the song. The boys have done such a wonderful job with all these detailed textual sounds in the track.

How did the song come to be?

Oli: The song really emerged kind of by accident. We were going on a songwriting camp with like fifteen or so musicians trying to really collaborate with anyone we could. On the last night we showed Jade a demo that we had from a while back, and she took just that beat and like a simple synth pad and wrote an entire song to it, which kind of shocked us in a good way. And that was kind of really the beginning of the song.

How did you find working together?

Oli: Working with Jade was an absolute dream. Jade is very good at lyricism, melodies, anything to do with the human voice. She just absolutely nails it so she kind of carried us on this one I'm gonna be honest.
Jade: Caleb and Oli are the dream team. They're so professional, but at the same time, they make you feel so comfortable to be open and honest about anything. They're so talented and I have loved being able to combine minds and make music with them. We've had a lot of laughs making something so sad.

What's your favourite chocolate?

Caleb: I don't know if this counts but my mum keeps baking us heaps of chocolate brownies to eat in the studio - Probably our favourite right now.

What's your idea of the perfect holiday?

Caleb + Oli: Going to the beach with some mates is always fun! We're also super keen to get over to Europe soon and see the world and family. As well as collaborate with some artists overseas.

What’re three things you’re taking with you to a deserted island to help get by?

Caleb + Oli: Probably an iPod classic (those things had mad storage), a wide-brimmed Bunnings sun hat, and a copy of the movie Castaway. That way we can have endless music, not get sunburnt and learn from the greats haha.

We LOVE and STAN a mothers brownie that’s for sure. My mum makes this white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake that ugh, slaps!

This Melbourne duo are pumping out some great tracks recently and we can’t wait for the release of their trilogy of singles.

Check out BANTA.’s song below or head to our I’m So Indie You 🌞 playlist to hear more songs like it.

By Samuel Seedsman.

Sam Seedsman