There’s no locking up INOVO
Photo credit: Ben Andrew
Brisbane alt-prog rockers inovo have released their brand new immersive single titled ’Swim Alone’. The song blends groove with moody textures and also is also accompanied by a visual feast that sucks you deeper into the band’s sonic universe. inovo will officially launch ‘Swim Alone’ on Friday the 31st of March at BackDock Arts in Brisbane but before then we caught up with the band to ask them about the new track, the metal scene in Brissy and what fans can expect release wise for the rest of the year.
Congratulations on the drop of your first single for 2023, ‘Swim Alone’. What’s been the response from fans and critics to the release?
Declan: So far we’ve had mostly shock and awe reactions, and it seems like 80% of that is from them digging our stuff. The other 20% is probably because it’s been so long since we’ve released anything! All jokes aside though, we’re insanely proud of what we’ve made and the fact that more people are hearing us and liking what they hear is giving us so much more motivation to continue creating!
“It’s like we’ve toiled away in secret creating this precious little squishy thing, and now we’re holding it out for the world to see and saying ‘Here he is! Please love him!’”
You have been quoted as saying “it’s very revealing to release Swim Alone”, what do you mean by this statement?
Declan: As I mentioned, It’s been just SO LONG since we released anything substantial. It seems to be a common problem for the creative types that the more personal something is to you, or the more you refine and develop something, the closer you are to the work, and so it’s hard to tell how that will be received by new eyes and ears. It’s like we’ve toiled away in secret creating this precious little squishy thing, and now we’re holding it out for the world to see and saying ‘Here he is! Please love him!’
Is it true the inspiration for the writing of ‘Swim Alone’ came from a dream? Is this the standard inspiration for your songs?
Declan: That’s true! I don’t think we even have a standard inspiration for our songs, when I write lyrics they come from a place in my brain that connects with what the song is trying to say. So this can be dreams, books, movies, poems, pretty much anything that fascinates me or fills me with dread. Lovely, I know.
‘Swim Alone’ is also accompanied by a music video that you shot yourselves, was the concept a band collective?
Rhys: A lot of meaning, for the audience, generally is interpreted from lyrics and the music backs that up. With the video I thought it would be interesting to reverse this. To base the imagery off of the feeling of the instrumentation and then incorporate the intension of the lyrics. I then storyboarded the music video extensively so we could combine ideas and lock them in before I designed some of the costumes and before we shot anything.
“sitting in your underwear in Jackson’s back yard, shivering from the cold night and covered in acrylic paint and blue slime is not something I’d describe as therapeutic”
You used props for the video including masks, costumes and body organs made by Guitarist Rhys, was it fun to play dress up to shoot? Were there any memorable or funny moments during the making?
Declan: It was heaps of fun. Definitely uncomfortable at times - sitting in your underwear in Jackson’s back yard, shivering from the cold night and covered in acrylic paint and blue slime is not something I’d describe as therapeutic, but it was worth it! It also helped to look forward to the inevitable hot shower after each shoot. My favorite memory was filming Jackson’s running scene. He had to repeatedly run about 10-15 feet while wearing a mask that didn’t allow him to see, so that was an exciting and hilarious stage of the process.
You used actors, friends and crew to film, who was the easiest to work with?
Declan: We can’t thank everyone enough for their help, and honestly we’d be remiss to say anyone was easier to work with since every shoot was such a blast and went very smoothly. The toughest character to work with was nature herself actually, since we filmed it outside we were constantly at the mercy of cold nights, high winds, sudden rain and other such obstacles. But we pushed through!
Inovo have a launch show for ‘Swim Alone’ happening on Backdock Arts in your hometown of Brisbane on the 31st of March, are you looking forward to getting out and play the song live and receiving that feedback only a live performance can provide.
Rhys: Totally! We've played the song many times live but with the help of James See, who mixed the tracks, we have solidified the instrumentation into a cohesive, happier and more productive model.
“I hear dark ambience, touches of jazz and a gothy, post-punk vibe that’s blended in with the metal, alt-rock and prog-rock influences. ”
Your bio labels your music as “alt-prog rock” how does that classification sit with you?
Karl O’Shea: Labels are a necessary evil when it comes to music. I think “alt-prog” comes pretty close to describing what we do but doesn’t box us in too much. I joined the band about 4 years ago and I was hearing much more than just prog when I was learning the songs, which is what always attracted me to inovo and made them stand out from the local prog scene. I hear dark ambience, touches of jazz and a gothy, post-punk vibe that’s blended in with the metal, alt-rock and prog-rock influences. Plus, the appreciation for cosmic horror and avant-garde imagery adds an excellent touch of the weird to what we do.
What is the scene for rock/metal in Brisbane like? Have you ever considered moving to one of better-known cities for this genre e.g. Melbourne?
Jackson: It's struggling a fair bit post covid unfortunately. It has been an incredibly hard time to get a response from a venue or even find a venue that would let us play and sell tickets. We did eventually find one of course but I would assume there might be more opportunity in other cities such as Melbourne compared to Brisbane at the moment?
“We plan to release a string of short films (webseries) to accompany each track off our upcoming album ‘Desmoterion’.”
“Swim Alone is just the beginning of 2023” for inovo does this mean fans can anticipate an album/EP release some time this year or are there a bunch of single releases coming?
Jackson: We plan to release a string of short films (webseries) to accompany each track off our upcoming album ‘Desmoterion’. They’ll be worth a watch as they will hint a little at what each song is about… But in a more humorous way.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is they do that keeps your world turning?
Karl O’Shea: I think the band partners who helped out on set deserve the biggest shout-out considering how much time and moral support they provided during many a late night working on the videos. Whether it’s helping out, going out for a snack run or simply being there to help keep the mood light, Bella, Ze and Remy have been absolute legends.
Where would you like to see inovo in five years’ time? What do you hope the band has achieved?
Declan: I would love to see us on tour, potentially playing alongside some of our idols or favorite acts. Maybe the tour could be to promote our second or third album! I have to say though, if in five years time we play a show and even one person in the audience is singing along, I can’t imagine wanting more than that.
Swim Alone Official Launch
FRI 31 MAR - BACKDOCK ARTS, BRISBANE QLD | 18+
Tickets available from https://www.tickettailor.com/events/backdockarts/860530
Swim Alone Cover Art
Interview by Michelle Symes
March 2023