Wollongong has long been known for producing talented musicians, this reputation has been solidified with the explosion of Pirra into the mainstream collective of Australian Music. Pirra recently teamed up with Tim Wheatley for the latest track ‘Out of my Hands’ our first sample of their forthcoming album Spirals which is set for release at the end of September. We were lucky enough to have a chat with guitarist, James McKendry, were we asked him about the collaboration with Tim, what fans can expect from the forthcoming album Spirals and who he’s planning to “fan-girl” over at the slew of festival shows they have coming up including Jungle Love, Relish & Listen Out.

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Music Festivals Australia/Music Kingdom Australia

Our pleasure!

Your music is labelled "danceable, indie-pop", is that how you describe the band's music?

I’d say that’s as good a label as any. We’re kind of eclectic as far as pop bands go and we’ve changed over the years, but these kinds of labels just give people a rough idea of what to expect.

You have just released your latest track 'Out Of My Hands' which is a collab with Tim Wheatley. How did teaming up with Tim come about?

So Pirra is signed to a UK label called Cr2, which is owned and run by Mark Brown. Mark had met Tim Wheatley in London and mentioned he’d signed an Australian band and that he’d love us to do a collaboration. We’d written Out of My Hands, but weren’t sure it was the right song for Pirra, then it dawned on us that Tim had the perfect voice for the track so we sent it to him, it turned out he loved it and recorded his parts and sent them back to us from London.

Tim's vocals were recorded with him in London, were there any difficulties putting the song together with him there and the band in Australia?

It all happened quite easily, we had the track mostly done and then Tim nailed his parts whilst injecting his flavour and personality into the track. He’s come from more of a rock and Alt-Americana background, so there’s a bit of gravel in there which is nice.

Tell us about 'Out Of My Hands’. What does the song mean to you?

To me, the song outlines a tense relationship and being uncontrollably drawn to someone. There’s a hard edge and some darkness to the sounds in my mind. I wasn’t thinking about any scenario in particular when writing it, it was more just putting together the words that felt right and letting the song build its own story, but I’d like to think people can find their own meaning to it.

Were there any nerves working with Tim, given his pedigree in Australian Music?

There weren’t any nerves because of the way it happened, I didn’t even meet Tim until we’d finished the track, and we still haven’t met him in person! But I definitely plan to remedy that, and hopefully, we can even share the stage at some point. I’m a fan of his music and it’s an honour to have made a track together and I’m proud of what we’ve done.

“we hope to make you dance, fist pump, and cry all in roughly 45mins”

— James - Pirra

'Out Of My Hands' is a taste of what's to come from your new album 'Spirals' which is due out on the 30th of September. What else can fans expect from the new album?

Genre-wise we’ve covered a fair bit of ground but tried to keep it as cohesive as we can. So we hope to make you dance, fist pump, and cry all in roughly 45mins. Compared to our first album ‘Animal Kingdom’ we’ve come a lot further in our songwriting and production so hopefully, that hard work pays off and people enjoy it. ‘Spirals’ is mostly self-produced but it’s also been a privilege to collaborate with Tim Wheatley and Cumbiafrica, as well as having producers Konstantin Kersting and Sam La More get involved on a few tracks.

You and Curtis (from the band) took on the roles of producer for this song, will you be doing more of the producing for the band's material in future or was this a one-off?

I’d love for us to collaborate with other producers as well as producing our own music. The times we’ve worked with producers in person have been the steepest learning curves we’ve ever had and forced us to break out of our comfort zones. In turn, those experiences make your own producing better. These days , we’re so lucky to have access to amazing tools and knowledge online. More and more artists make music from home and the lines between songwriting, producing and mixing have become blurred. I think that trend will continue and it’s an exciting time to make music.

“Something I felt we’d neglected in the past is showcasing Jess’ voice”

— Jmaes - Pirra

Do you have a favourite song off the album or one that is particularly special to you? If so, which is it and why?

(James)I go through phases with songs, but at the moment there’s a song called ‘Out in the Air’ that is really grabbing me. It had fallen into the Pirra Demo Graveyard and I’d forgotten about it. It was a late appearance on the album due to Mark and Jess heckling for it. Maybe I love it so much because I didn’t over listen to it. But I will say the way Jess sings the bridge is absolutely beautiful and inspiring. Something I felt we’d neglected in the past is showcasing Jess’ voice. There are a few moments in the album, particularly the title track Spirals where Jess has the space to be vulnerable but powerful and I think it adds another dimension to the music.

You have worked with Cumbiafrica (on Deep Dive) as well as Tim, who else is on your wish list to collab with?

(James) If we can say anyone alive, I’d say Kimbra, Rufus Du Sol, PNAU and the Jungle Giants would be top of the list for me.

Pirra are locked in to play at some big festivals in September including Listen Out, Jungle Love & Relish. What's your favourite part of playing festivals?

(James) It’s impossible to describe the feeling when everyone is coming together to connect in this little happiness zone. I love seeing people put aside their troubles and share the moment together.

“I’ll certainly be fan-girling over The Black Seeds at the Relish Festival”

— James - Pirra

Is there anyone on these big lineups you're planning to "fan-girl" it from the side of the stage or anyone you're keen to meet?

(James) I’ll certainly be fan-girling over The Black Seeds at the Relish Festival. I’m also a fan of Winston Surfshirt, it’s embarrassing to admit but during the lockdowns I managed to get jobkeeper and spent every spare dollar at a music shop where the drummer worked, so he kinda had to deal with me hanging out for hours and asking to play with heaps of gear and asking nerdy questions. My face is probably on his dartboard.

After the festivals are there plans to do a headline tour for the album?

At this point we’ve got a healthy run of gigs and festivals running up until December, so we’re focusing on getting tight for those so we can present new music to people. I’d say for us the key is getting on as many festival lineups as possible, and booking gigs in between.

What's the one word you would use to describe the life of a Musician?

Unpredictable

Where was Pirra's first gig? Was it a success or flop?

The first gig I ever remember playing together was forever ago at a Spanish restaurant playing jazz. This was before Pirra was conceived, but I’d say it was a success because we drank Sangria, ate Paella and got paid. The first actual gig as Pirra? I’m not sure exactly, but one that comes to mind was playing at a place called The Green Room in Newtown on Enmore Rd. We managed to get two people there, we had fun and I like to think we gave them a great night, but it’s generally not good to have more people in the band than the audience! I don’t know if it’s still a venue, they probably shut down because of us.

Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?

(James) Michael Hutchings. He’s played so many roles in the band's history, he’s been manager, booker and Counsellor. But ultimately he’s a Pirra family member who’s given us unwavering support since the very beginning. One of the funnest things to do is have a few wines around the kitchen table and let him take you on a tour of music. He’ll dust off the record player and give you an evening of places, people, history and genres.

You have a busy few months ahead, what's 2023 looking like for Pirra ?

(James) Spirals was a long time coming and I think we’re all proud of it and are excited to see it out in the world. I think we’re all excited to share our new music with people at the shows. And I think it’ll be exciting to keep collaborating with other artists and producers so that we keep learning new things and just keep enjoying the journey.

Out Of My Hands is out now

Spirals is set for release on Friday September 30 via BLK&WHT Records.

Pre save: Spirals

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