The Australian duo fill the hole that Daft Punk’s departure left

Just last year electropop duo Barley Passable joined forces and released their first single All I Have. Not stopping there, they released their debut EP earlier this month and it’s safe to say they’re ones to watch.

The Australian pair, consisting of Kai Ollmann and Davy Brown, have expertly filled the hole that electronic veterans Daft Punk left when they announced that they were breaking up.

Their EP comes at a time where everyone has turned to create music at home and, while some haven’t mastered the art, it’s clear to see that this finely-tuned band have mastered it on every account.

Starting off with the effervescent Turnaround, they bring the light in a time of darkness, transporting you to the dancefloor and easing the pain of lockdown. While doing the residents of Great Britain a service, it’s hard to forget they’re free of the dreaded lockdown. I’m booking a one-way ticket to Australia as soon as possible.

Although I’m not hugely well-versed in the electropop genre, having only so much as listened to Daft Punk’s hits, I find myself enjoying tracks such as Step Inside and the glitteringly loud Silver (Unseen).

Since it’s the slower of the five, I am drawn to the infectious beat of For Now, a song that explodes like fireworks on the 4th of July and rounds off the genre-bending EP in a delightful manner.

We managed to grab the pair for a quick chat about their new release, have a read of what they had to say:

What got you into making music?

The two of us come from different musical backgrounds, both definitely influenced by our parents taste in music. Davy started playing classical piano as a child and was drawn into that world because of his mother’s love for it. Kai started as a rock guitarist, also because of his parents. We both met studying jazz, and when we were rather disillusioned by the rigidity of the course and by the fact that we weren’t doing very well in one of our classes, we decided to write music to blow off studying for our exams. It just clicked from there.

If you had to describe your sound in 3 words…?

Sleek, chic, and unique. 

Has covid had an effect on making music?

Definitely! It hasn’t been nearly as bad as it sounds like it has been in the UK, but there were times we were locked down and physically couldn't be around each other to write music. We really love writing together and we live pretty close so it was weird to not be able to pop into a studio to get ideas out over that period of time. In the end, though, we found when we did come together we had a whole lot more to write about.

What are your personal fav songs on the EP and why?

‘Silver’ is Davy’s all-time favourite on the EP, it is the epitome of our sound, and carries such a strong message about empowering oneself. Also feels pretty good to dance to. 

Kai’s favourite is either ‘Turnaround’ or ‘Silver (Unseen)’. Both songs really feel like a summary of how our songwriting has changed and grown over time and is a place where we are trying to leap off to guide our next releases. All the tracks on the EP are our babies and, when you spend that much time with a collection of songs that we think are really special, you grow fond of every one of them in their own unique way. 

Who are your biggest musical inspirations, especially for the EP?

It’s definitely hard to pinpoint just a few inspirations because we try to consume as much music as possible! Whilst we were writing the EP, we were really digging Justice (especially ‘Audio Video Disco’), Grapetooth from over in Chicago, and Air’s ‘Moon Safari’. All artists and albums that aren't just straight-forward dance and electronic, some feel really hard to define and are simply beautiful and powerful albums.

Do you have any plans to tour the UK in the future?

Yeah! Before the pandemic hit, we were in the process of moving over to Berlin to continue writing, recording and playing—that is very much still on the cards. As soon as all the craziness dies down around the world, we will be jetting off to Europe and you best believe the UK is top of our touring list. We promise we’ll see you soon, get ready to dance. x

WORDS BY KAMALA ADAMS / INTERVIEW BY CHLOE WOODS