⋆˚⟡˖ ࣪ ₊˚⊹ ｡𖦹° Welcome to SPOUSE.NET.AU – The official blog of Spouse, a 5-piece emo/shoegaze outfit based on unceded Ngunnawal/Ngambri land. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁
I’ve been reflecting a lot about music’s place in my life as of late.
Music-making for me, to me, operates as part of this big venn diagram between Vocation and Vacation.
I don’t want to lose you too early here on pretension but I’m an etymology nerd and I think those two words are interesting to pick apart.
Vocation comes from the Latin vocationem, which itself comes from vox, voice. It’s use often has an air of careeriness about it, the thing you were meant to do is linked in that sense to ‘the thing you have to do’, to make money and all that. To me that original meaning of ‘Calling’, a figurative voice, a sort of force toward something is more important here.
Vacation comes from the Latin vacationem, again, there’s a work-associated link you make immediately. That latin phrase means leisure, freedom from responsibilities.
The trouble here, and why I bring it up at all is that these are similar words, set in opposition to each other in modern context. To dip into a cliché ‘Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’.
If the people around me are any indication this phrase is horse shit, I don’t know anyone working harder than the people doing what they love. Be that my nurse mother or my band mates, the first two that spring to mind.
There’s something to this idea that it isn’t work really if you love it. It’s effort no doubt, but work is fairly unambiguously something you must do, not choose to do.
There’s a phrase we use often in At Last, the other project me, Daan and Emmett share together outside Spouse: “No one made us do this.”
That phrase first came out of my mouth standing in the crowd at Fiddlehead’s Sydney concert in 2023. Spouse were lucky enough to get to play that gig.
At the time Spouse was not a massively travelled band, we’d played interstate but it was (to me especially), a fairly new thing for us to be on the road.
It struck me standing in that room that at no point had someone pointed a finger at me and said ‘You have to get into Daan’s station wagon, drive to another city and play in front of everyone’. There was no broader order given out. So standing there, utterly immersed and still floating on the cloud of love generated by that kind of room, I had the thought, ‘If no one made me do this, why am I doing it?’
It was a sense of autonomy, a distillation of luck, which at the age of 21 struck me like a tailwind.
I remember in the early days of performing I found it extremely difficult to ‘perform’. My tendency was to stand on stage very still, and play the notes very carefully, and to be all around pretty uncomfortable.
Carry this over to writing as well. I knew the sounds I enjoyed; I did not know the emotions they made me feel, not as clearly as when they had come from outside. That’s a beautiful thing of course, to have the thought ‘where did that come from?’
This levy broke for me when I started to perform to my bandmates instead. Afterall I was writing the music for them. The conversation I was having was with them. There was something inimitable and magic to a chord or line that meant something to Em instead of one that meant something to me. If felt better to find a rhythm which made Daan’s hands heavier or lighter in response, it felt better to see the effect of how I moved on how Josh moved, and to pay attention to the inverse, what were they all doing and what was it doing to me?
Suddenly I could move, I could think less, feel more. And this is because the people with me were doing 90% of the ‘Work’ for me.
Back to Vocation vs Vacation. If vocation is a calling and vacation is freedom, music is the meeting point. No longer something I have to do, but something I have to do.
The reason being (and I have no fear of coming across trite in this), friendship. I met nearly everyone I know not blood related to me, through music.
I steal here a passage of Joyce from the poem Lean out of the window, (also stolen in part from Fiddlehead again, who have used it as stage backing):
I have left my book, I have left my room, For I heard you singing Through the gloom.
This is an expression of love. One I find very closely linked to the musical experience. It’s absolute efficiency as a loneliness killer, as something to get you out of the room.
And boy do you have to get out of the room.
The biproduct of making music was making friends, the biproduct of making friends was making music, and on and on and on. No decision is easier made than one put to this committee, no problem made simpler by anything else than by that equation.
There are songs I only ever heard played live by bands which no longer exist, which pop into my head constantly, written by friends I may not see that often, that are even in that head-form elusive by the fact that they changed every time I heard them. Music made by developing people, songs which either changed to fit them or were left behind as they developed past them.
These relationships are sustaining and motivating in ways little else can match. Those memories grounding and reassuring. What a gift to have received.
SPOUSE REPORT DOUBLE HEADER – We have had a big few months with the release of our single so we’ve been a bit behind blog-wise! We’re catching up on it all today with not one but TWO spouse reports 🙂
JOSH
Hello spouse blog! Not to be dramatic but recently at work they’ve been putting me in that medieval torture machine that stretches you out by your arms and legs. Spouse dropped the smash hit single of the summer though (!!) so things have been very busy but incredibly fulfilling – proud of the gang and very excited about what’s to come. Feeling very grateful for my friends.
A movie I watched this month:
So I was keen to see the new Spiderman movie but Ash had never seen any of them, so over the months of July and August I made her watch 15+ hours of Spiderman movies in preparation (we did skip the Andrew Garfield ones, sorry to my garfheads out there). Truly insane that there are eleven of them. My ranking is as follows:
Spiderman 2 (2004)
Spiderman (2002)
Spiderman: Into The SpiderVerse (2018)
Spiderman: Brand New Day (2026)
Spiderman 3 (2007)
Spiderman: Across The SpiderVerse (2023)
The Amazing Spiderman (2012)
Spiderman: No Way Home (2021)
Spiderman: Far From Home (2019)
Spiderman: Homecoming (2017)
The Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014)
Completely different vibe but I also went with Ella to see La Bola Negra at MIFF, which was a gorgeous gay spanish war movie (it truly did have everything).
An album I listened to this month:
Whiplash of a month music-wise for me – My favourite albums I listened to were C**T by Sidney Phillips, AVANT NOVA by slayr, a lifetime spent sitting down by frogurt, Fuzao by Faye Wong, Forward by First Day Back, and E by Effie.
I also revisited Halcyon by Ellie Goulding – kind of a random pick but when I was 13 I entered a playlist competition and won tickets to Avicii (my idol at the time). Devastatingly I was too young to go, so the label running the comp instead sent me a signed Avicii shirt and a stack of CDs as a replacement prize. One of these was Halcyon, which ended up being weirdly formative for me for some reason lmao. It was really interesting to hear how much of it holds up – I probably wouldn’t give it a second thought if I heard it for the first time today but it certainly instilled a number of pop sensibilities within me that are still present to this day.
A gig I went to this month:
I went back up to Canberra for the Gutwrench Birthday Show! Daan invited me up for a cover which was lots of fun, I sang Let’s Dance by David Bowie and rocked the house down. The last couple of times I’ve been back home have been very quick trips to play shows, so it was really rejuvenating to have that extra time to spend with people. i ❤ canberra, there, I said it.
A game I played this month:
I have been far too busy with important things to play many games so I’m still making my way through FF7 Rebirth – I’m kinda rushing through it now so I can start a new game but I know I’ll be sad when it’s over.
In the queue currently is 007 First Light, then either Metaphor Refantazio or Black Myth: Wukong, then hopefully at that point the new Zelda will be out and I can get into that. I also thought I got too cool and woke to care about GTA VI but the previews unfortunately looks reallyyy good, so may have to do some inward thinking there.
A photo I took this month:
A humungous cheese wheel, mutilated
DAAN
Hello Splogosphere, another month goes by. Everytime I do one of these I look back through my camera roll to see what happened and god there are so many memories in one month. I forget what an incredibly busy and active life I live until I look back and then I realise I have done so so much. Anyway this month Emmett sang onstage with Horse at Memory Card 3 (event of the year), I bought some fund ties, I played lots of guitar, farewelled Jenna & my brother (shoutouts), made a bunch of shirts, celebrated Gutwrench’s 4th birthday, turned 26 and got super sick with the Flu. Shoutouts to the GWR 4th Birthday that was the most fun night ever!! Love this little community 4 ever. Also Spouse put out our first single!!!! The Birds Are Dead Along The Highway. That’s been super super rewarding to put out. Bless you all for listening, supporting and all the kind words. It’s so nice to have it out in the world
A movie I watched this month:
This month I watched a bunch of stuff including The Odyssey (top tier boy movie), The Maze Runner Trilogy (sure, what the hell) & The Italian Job (does Jason Statham ever do anything else?) but I really want to talk about Heat bc I also watched that! I’ve been meaning to watch Heat for years (another top tier boy movie I fear). It’s flames bro. I haven’t seen much with Al Pacino but he is incredible in this movie. The casting is truely bonkers. Val Kilmer, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Jon Voight, Ted Lavine, Natalie Portman AND Henry Rollins. It’s bonkers. The Henry Rollins feature really caught me off guard, he gets thrown around at one point and I swear I saw his Black Flag tattoo on the back of his neck (he does have one on the back of his neck right?)
An album I listened to this month:
I’ve been rinsing the new Frogurt album! Shoutouts! It’s so so good I love them so much. Give it a listen. My fav track is Full Metal Spine
A gig I went to this month:
I went to / and played Woodastock this month with Atlast. Was an epic house show in Ainslie with a skate ramp in the backyard. Truly life affirming show to play for a bunch of friends on a cold Canberra night. Also saw my buddies in All That’s Left Of You at the Capital Noise showcase (also a house show) later in the month which was lovely. Shoutout Declan and all the hard work he does
A book I read this month:
I’ve been reading Richard Bachman’s ‘Rage’ this month and it’s a very different vibe to fall asleep to than the previous books I was reading lol. Very glad to be reading a Stephen King novel again, I feel so at home in his books. I’ve read so many of his books that his writing is a real comfort to me. After watching the Maze Runner books I kind of want to read those. Might go grab a copy this month.
A photo I took this month:
Jenna, Ellie & I at the house show ❤
EMMETT
Emmett spent August trapped in the Piss Dimension so he unfortunately couldn’t provide us with a blog update.
EZRA
Hoo boy. Oh boy yipee hooray.
A movie I watched this month:
I could be crazy but I straight up dunno if I even saw a movie. I watched a shit tonne of sex and the city though however. For those in the know I think I land somewhere between a Charlotte and a Carrie, but Steve is best boy I literally don’t care do not @ me, I like that he talks like a dork in a peanuts cartoon.
An album I listened to this month:
I’ve been on my mid-air thief shit again. Really enjoying the Campthehills EP, has made me go back and listen to some old MGMT and Passion Pit. I associate all that music with playing Fallout 3 as a kid, and like, message boards and Threadless and shit like that. Also been listening to the Late of the Pier album Fantasy Black Channel a fair amount.
A gig I went to this month:
Gutwrench Birthday! Cried several times. You don’t see the Strawberry Prince sing U2 everyday man, but you should, you should.
A book I read / game I played this month:
I’ve been reading God Emperor of Dune, just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in. Leto II is one of the weirdest protagonists(?) I’ve ever seen in a book. Game wise I beat AC II and AC Brotherhood and have started Revelations, I played these games so much as a kid without beating them it’s surreal to actually see the endings. Were you aware that you fist fight the Pope? With a dozen clones of yourself? In this game? They don’t make them like they used to dude.
A photo I took this month:
Off the coast of Hobart on a boat tour, saw seals and dolphins and a cave and a historic lighthouse, asked the boatman so many questions I thought he’d hate me but my guy just kept having answers.
EM
This month was full of highs and lows. The highs were plenty of moments of friendship and good company which I’m always grateful for. My parents were in the country this month, and actually the whole family were together in Melbourne for the first time in nearly a decade. Sadly I had to say goodbye to my beautiful auntie Lisa, it’s maybe a bit too somber for the blog, but I guess this is about vulnerability and honesty. I want to share how amazing and wonderful she was, Lisa was a wholly creative, colourful and bright person, and inspired me so much when it came to anything creative. She was an amazing painter, musician and teacher. She was totally on board and so excited about Spouse, and was very supportive of me and us always. There are so many times of doubt and uncertainty in pursuing music and a creative career, but she always had a helpful and cheering perspective, it really made me feel like there were no wrong choices, or that whatever happened was meant to happen. I’m so lucky and grateful to have been fueled and so warmly encouraged by my beautiful aunt. She fought a very hard battle for five years and I’m sad to say goodbye but grateful to get to be sad. It was equally special and fitting to be reunited with family that I haven’t seen in a long time. Love you Lisa.
A movie I watched this month:
The gang went to see The Odyssey (I imagine you’ll be seeing the rest of spouse saying the same) – not in iMAX and perhaps there were some moments where you could tell Chris wanted the gimungous screen to show it all – but I didn’t feel like I was missing out really. Entertaining and very loud. 6.5/10
An album I listened to this month:
Natural Part – Horse Jumper of Love (10/10)
I’ve been back in Horse Jumper of Love obsession (ongoing for many a year), but have newfound love for their 2022 record. I’ve always liked this one but forgot how weird and freaky it is whilst still being sweet and earnest. I think dimitri is top 3 songwriters of all time.
Train on the island – Aldous Harding (10/10)
Have also been rinsing this one, I shamefully confess it’s the only Aldous album I’ve properly heard so far as a recently introduced fan, but I love that she’s a freak and seems to really traverse different worlds and characters.
A gig I went to this month:
Josh and I went n saw our good friends Horse play at the Ev! Love those guys and love seeing them play.
A book I read this month:
I’ve been reading There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib, it’s beautiful and interesting in form (kind of autobiographical but becomes poetry here and there). Thank you sky for lending it to me
SPOUSE REPORT DOUBLE HEADER – We have had a big few months with the release of our single so we’ve been a bit behind blog-wise! We’re catching up on it all today with not one but TWO spouse reports 🙂
EM
Hi Splig. July was very busy and crazy I had many lovely friends visiting Melbourne! I think my house guest list hit 9 people across one week. Lots of nice events lots of gigs, played a solo show at Thornbury bowls w Adela who I’ll be recording in Adelaide soon!
A gig I saw this month:
Luka and I went to see a few awesome gigs while he was in town – we saw Swapmeet at the Nightcat, Twine and Craning (first time watching craning and they fucking ruled – one of those rare gigs you stand there with your jaw hanging open the whole time), and we saw YHWH nailgun at the nightcat too!
I also saw Local the neighbour, Daisy Picker, Reach and XS which were awesome and lovely.
A movie I watched this month:
I went for my first solo cinema expedition to see In The Mouth of Madness (RIP Sam Neil) at Cinema Nova! It was awesome, John Carpenter doing John Carpenter weird gooey practical effect gore 9/10
An album I listened to this month:
Rinsed Secret Love by Dry Cleaning (9/10) – I did the typical thing where you get super into an artist right after they play a gig in your city that you didn’t go to. Self inflicted FOMO.
A book I read this month:
I started there’s always this year by Hanif Abdurraqid which my friend Sky lent me (really good and interesting voice)
A photo I took this month:
josh and josh 67
EMMETT
Emmett spent July trapped in the Piss Dimension so he unfortunately couldn’t provide us with a blog update.
EZRA
Great month, busy month. Got to see Horse twice which is always a blessing, a beautiful rooftop show in Newcastle and then again at Memory Card in Canberra (Also on a roof, also technically on Aug 1st but that’s spiritually july).
A movie I watched this month:
Ya boy just hit the blockbusters, spiderman and odyssey, what can I say I fuck with it. You put me in front of just about any movie in the theatre and I think I just kinda get swept up by the size of the screen so my opinion there is not to be trusted.
An album I listened to this month:
Lots of the Horse EP ‘Ask me again next year’ which goes crazy. Revisited the old Gouge Away albums and forgot how much I loved them. Swapmeet ‘Mount Zero’ has been on repeat. Lots of fiddlehead and Have Heart. Got a cd of Desaparecidos ‘Read music/speak spanish’ which I loved in highschool and still love now.
A book I read / game I played this month:
I finished Children of Dune which was as weird as the others. Have been reading Meditations on and off. Been playing mad stardew valley, and going back through the old Assassins Creed games. I played the shit out of them as a kid but don’t think I ever beat one. AC II holds up pretty fucking great, I do find the ‘what if historical figures all wore hoodies wouldn’t that be badass thing’ kind of hilarious in retrospect, but Ezio Auditore fucks and there’s just no two ways about it.
A photo I took this month:
Found this stump on a drive with At Last and guessed it would make me and Daan the same height, and I was goddamn right.
DAAN
Hello Splogosphere! This month has gone by so quickly! I’ve been settling into the new house I’m in. Slowly but surely putting boxes away & arranging things to give me a calm in the house. I bought a fern for my shower which has been awesome. I got really sick this month & had to pull out of some shows but beyond that life’s been good. I farewelled my good friend Sophie Edwards who moved away to Melbourne this month. We were office neighbours at work & I will miss her & her company very much. I spent a lot of July getting a first draft of a documentary I’m working on with Georgia (shoutouts). It’s been pretty gruelling but I’m proud of us for all the hard work we’ve put into it. Got to go to Newcastle at the end of the month with Atlast & play an epic rooftop DIY for Horse’s EP launch. Shoutouts to all the friends in Newcastle. I needed that.
A gig I went to:
I saw Frogurt this month at Sover’s house show in O’Connor with Hampton State Forest & Silo Country (me). I love Frogurt! My friends from Europe were in town so they go to see me play. It was nice to get to show them a cute CBR DIY gig like that.
A movie I watched this month:
I was really sick for a week or so & watched all three Oceans movies. It’s honestly so epic I didn’t know they’d be so funny & charming. It’s rare to say but I honestly think each film got better. It was a really satisfying franchise as the pay off film to film was so good. I love Matt Damon
An album I listened to this month:
I listened to a lot of First Day Back, Q & Not U, Hoover & Circa 40. Epic times. Would love to play guitar in an emo / post HC band one day.
A book I readthis month:
I finished the 3rd installment of the book series I was reading & am now onto the final book ‘Special Operations: Dead & Alive’. The book before was ‘Special Operations: Wolf Squadron’ which sees the team of teenage resistance fighters land in Holland to try & rescue some pilots from the clutches of the Nazi occupation. I got it when I was 10 bc it had an awesome cover & it still rules. It’s set in Holland so there’s excerpts of Dutch which makes me feel special when I can read it, also it’s set on Dutch farmland & all that so I like it for that reason still. The final book in the series is now underway. I’ve been really enjoying reading lately & am going to bed so early so I can read in bed. #itsthesimplethings
A photo I took this month:
Me in my Crumpler
JOSH
Josh spent July trapped in the Piss Dimension so he unfortunately couldn’t provide us with a blog update.
Emily Hunter
I banish Emmett to the piss dimension for ONE MORE MONTH as punishment
Another month that has flown by! Grateful that this is the first June in a while where I haven’t felt too blue in the cold. It’s been a really nice month of Spouse time, friend time and family time – I went to Canberra for two shows, I felt spoilt rotten there for my Birthday. My beautiful friend Lara surprised me at the Spouse show with a cake and party poppers and I felt so lucky and loved. Spouse were in Melbourne the following weekend for a show and some big business, always good to spend time with my bros. My actual real life brother was also in Melbourne a few times this month, as was his wonderful partner Ellen, we got to eat lots of good food, including Jim’s Greek Tavern. This place is nuts, you go in and they seat you (gruffly), next to a deli-style fridge stuffed with the gaping fish caught that day, then they ask if you have any dietries – you say no – and then its a beautiful, simple game of “yes or no”. Want Calamari? Yes. Prawns? Yes. Salad? No. Dip? Absolutely yes etc. No menu They Just Bring You The Food and You Eat it and Say Thank You Very Much It Was Delicious. The three of us were getting whiplash watching secret dishes we hadn’t been offered yet flying past, with lots of “ooh whats that? Looks so good – we’ll get it next time”. I intend on asking for the Octopus next time. The staff are so stressed and angry, but they are decent to you and it seems like a three-generation family business, with the clientele to match. Must go back.
A gig I saw this month:
I saw Lover and Hatchie at Punters Club and had a blast, ended up staying until 4am gabbing away with my nice coworkers who played and attended.
A movie I watched this month:
In the theatres I saw the Backrooms (3/5) – we went out for ramen before and I had several lemon highballs so I fell asleep in the theatre – woke up to josh standing over me laughing – the rest of the movie that I was awake for was fun and entertaining – Aneesha was using my arms as shields/blinders which made me feel big and brave.
An album I listened to this month:
I’ve been back on my Elliott Smith shit this month, listened to Figure 8 three times on my solo drives to/from Canberra and loved it. This has always been my favourite album of his. I feel this is the album where he flexed his classical and freak muscles, but continued to remind us that he LOVED the Beatles. Everything Means Nothing To Me has always been my favourite Elliott song – it has such a strange and hypnotising melody, and the anticipation of the repetition is released so incredibly with such interesting drum production. My highschool boyfriend introduced me to Elliott Smith when I was 17, his pitch was cruel, “he’s this really incredible folk songwriter, but he’s not a very good singer and he was super ugly. He killed himself.” He was nice but this is a mean pitch.
A book I read this month:
I’m nearly finished with Constant Gardner by Jon Lecarre – it’s been good and entertaining! 560 pages have gone by pretty easily. I have since realised that it is not dissimilar to the plot of The Fugitive, a movie Ash showed me a few days ago and i LOVED. YOU SWITCHED THE SAMPLES!
A photo I took this month:
Hiroki and Ellen assess the dip platter at Jims Tavern (it was delicious and incredibly garlicy).
EMMETT
June, u beautiful bastard.
Was a lovely month but also big.
Started the month off putting the stereo from my first car into my new car ( thanks felix for the help ) so now the bus has bluetooth!! Life has been great with bluetooth.
Got to see Royalla perform at Room 04! They killed it obviously, they’re royalla. The room 04 set up is unbelievable, such cool work done by such lovely people.
I walked LD’s dog ollie aswell with LD and daan, that was fucking awesome. Had two cbr spouse shows which was fun! Really fun playing a bunch of covers for Ems bday. You Oughta know has a very fun bassline lol. Had a very fun melb trip aswell. Got to play a fun show with some awesome bands and do alot of interesting spouse and GWR stuff!
Spent the last weeks of the month at home working on all kinds of exciting stuff coming out soon 🙂 also got to help daan and ezra move, was fun for me, cant imagine how stressful it would’ve been for them haha.
A movie I watched this month:
Nuremberg movie was good lol, russel crowe is mint Leviticus was incredibly beautiful
An album I listened to this month:
Listened to strawberry princes developing narratives album alot, shit is awesome Lotto by tagabow is mint Got back on my twine shit too, NOH is awesome
A game I played this month:
Played soooo much resident evil with nell and felix, finished first play through of re2
A photo I took this month:
Photo of daan at the laundromat with me and felix
DAAN
And so another month passes. Time is going fast right now. Earlier this month I went up to Sydney to see Wednesday AGAIN. This time with my friend Max (shoutouts) we went up for the night to see Wednesday at the Metro Theatre. I ran into a billion friends at that show and it was so nice to connect with everyone after the show ❤
Spouse played a couple of shows including a show at Shadows with Anhedonia & Garfism (shoutouts) and then another in Melbourne with Jazz Tiger, Hound, Sover & Wriding (shoutouts). Both shows were awesome & it felt to be great doing shows together as always. So grateful to everyone who comes out, especially in Melbourne where it’s always such a welcome surprise.
Spouse had a nice little week together in Melbourne doing Spouse things. Will be able to share more about that in the coming months.
This month I also got to go on Triple J, Home & Hosed, to chat about Gutwrench Records, CBR music & DIY. It was such an honour & a privilege to get to chat to Anika about the things I’m most passionate about. Big shoutout to Anika for making me feel so comfortable and facilitating the conversation. Thanks to all my lovely friends who listened in to support me & thanks to Meg, Lara, Georgia, Tom, Tilly & Katie for doing a little listening party at your house.
Beyond this I was moving house which has ruined me but I’m thankfully settling into my new place back in 2602. Thanks Emmett, Felix & Taine for all your help with the move ❤
A gig I went to:
I saw a lot of awesome shows this month! Most recently I saw Anhedonia & Body Shirt at Shadows & Squeaky Clean. I love when there’s a few gigs happening in the city you can hop between, those always prove to be the memorable evenings for me. I went to see a little bit of Paloma before going to Squeaky’s to see Body Shirt (shakkas up). Then made it back to Shadows for Anhedonia. They played 27 by Title Fight twice & everyone was singing along the whole time. My heart was full, nothing beats getting to sing in a room full of friends.
Also saw Stone Bird at the Corduroy Company farewell gig! Both sets were awesome but as a first time viewing of Stone Bird I was blown away. I think it was their first show too. Very excited to see them again soon.
A movie I watched this month:
Together with Spouse we watched How To Train Your Dragon 1 & 2 which ruled. First one is probs one of my fav movies I think, it’s a classic that I can always revisit. I also watched the horrors of the moment including Backrooms, Obsession & Hokum. Obsession & Hokum were sick, Backrooms I didn’t really care for 😦
An album I listened to this month:
I’ve been listening to a lot of ‘Patience, Moonbeam’ by Great Grandpa & ‘What People Call Low Self Esteem Is Really Just You Seeing Yourself The Way That Other People See You’ by Awakebutstillinbed this month. I can’t remember how I found them but they’re both awesome. Would recommend for different reasons.
A book I read this month:
I finished the book I was reading last blog, ‘Death Ray’ by Craig Simpson. It’s the second book in a series I’m revisiting. In my pursuit of reading easy, smooth brain books atm I’ve been recommended Skullduggery Pleasant which I had never read as a kid for some reason. My Mum doesn’t like skeletons so that’s probably why. Thanks Ben for lending me your copy bc it actually rules. Skeleton detective in a world of magic c’mon, it’s so 2000’s skeleton on fire graphic tee coded I love it.
A photo I took this month:
All the homies watching Obession 🙂
EZRA
Ahhhhhhhh. Moving sucks! Ass!
But we had a lovely spouse month!
A movie I watched this month:
Jackass Best and Last, you already know it’s good. I did think it was a shame that a lot of it was best of stuff but hey. I haven’t watched a jackass movie without tearing up in years.
An album I listened to this month:
I’ve been fucking with The Modern Shoe Is Ruining The Foot by Any Young Mechanic.
Also straight up just a lot of this one best of Misfits cd I have in my car.
A book I read/Game I played this month:
My reading time has been very eaten up by moving stress. I also haven’t had the time to play many games. I did play Reanimal with my partner and that game is awesome, very creepy and cool, takes the little nightmares formula and expands on it well.
A photo I took this month:
JOSH
Everything kinda happened in June!! I got my ass kicked by a throat infection + winter cold combo at the start of the month. Ash put me on every drug the pharmacy was allowed to give us and lemme tell ya, I was dreaming in AI-upscaled 8k OLED 120hz refresh rate – I dreamt that I was fighting a elden ring style manifestation of my throat infection in an industrial sci-fi factory thing, but halfway into the dream the whole thing turned into some sort of film that I was directing. Apparently I was doing such a terrible job of directing that I got fired and replaced by Kane Parsons (youtuber and director of Backrooms) but then he proceeded to do an even worse job of directing than I was and we both got sued by the studio while the whole thing turned into a courtroom drama. Three genre switches in one dream is a lot more than I’m generally comfortable with but hey that’s showbiz baby.
Anyway as a result I sadly couldn’t play the Spouse show with COLA, but I was able to recover in time for Em’s birthday show in Canberra which was so much fun. I’ve been missing the band like a mf so it was wonderful to spend so much time with everyone. Everyone came down to Melb a week later to work on Spouse Business™, which I’m extremely excited to start showing everyone in the coming months.
A gig I went to:
I saw Danny Brown at Northcote Theatre at the start of the month and I hate to say it but it was the most fun I’ve had at a show in a very long time. Nobody is doing it like he is and my ultimate goal is to get him on a Spouse remix at some point in the near future 😼
We also saw Lover and Hatchie at punters club – Ash and I went to a Hatchie gig on our first date three and a half years ago so it was a nice full circle kinda show :))
A movie I watched this month:
I watched very few movies this month for some reason! I did see Backrooms with the gang – I had a bad headache that day and the prominent shaky-cam in the movie made it a lot worse, so will have to revisit in a better headspace 😖 I also watched Lars and the Real Girl (7/10⭐️), The Secret of NIMH (6/10⭐️) and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (5/10⭐️)
An album I listened to this month:
Chanel Beads album is very good! I did the same thing to them I did with mk.gee where I subconsciously ignore them out of protest because everyone I know insists they’re amazing – I’m always like “it can’t be THAT good” but it always is and I always just end up late to the party. I was smarter this time and tagged along to their live show with Em Charlie and Ella which was very awesome.
I also loved the Olivia Rodrigo album more than I thought I would! i love pop music !!!
A game I played this month:
Still playing Final Fantasy VII – moved on to Rebirth now. I’ve conquered the arbiters of fate and now the future is in my hands etc etc. I had to upgrade my xbox to run it properly, so I sold my old one to a black holden commodore full of eshays on a busy street in collingwood. I gave them an unmarked box, they gave me a handful of $50 notes, we both drove off, and I spent the rest of the day worried about the general optics of the whole transaction. Game runs great now though!
(Spouse is aware this month’s post is a bit late – we sincerely apologise and will punish the perpetrators appropriately.)
EM
This month was nice and peaceful for me! Lots of socialising and enjoying time with my friends, including a very sweet (though short) adventure with the lovely Adeladians AYM on their 7 hour layover in Melbourne on their way to their exciting UK/EU tour! This included one of the many trips to Luther’s this month (Banoffee pie I love you forever). My lovely friend Harry visited from Canberra, Ethne and I took him to the Espy (another Brunswick fave) and went for a lovely dinner at Teta Mona (big recommend, its an awesome Lebanese spot on Lygon st). I also went to Sydney for a very nice weekend and solo set at Mary’s Underground (played with Thom Bastick, Local Tough Guy and Pictures with Yuki). I always eat amazingly in Sydney as I get to stay with my awesome brother Hiroki and sister-in-law Ellen, who treat me to wonderful cooking and dining out at the best spots in town. This time we revisited this fantastic Korean hand-cut-noodle spot in Strathfield that Hiroki and I used to go to as kids, it still looks the exact same as it did in 2010 and is very legit with very fresh Kimchi, (here’s the map pin)
The final weekend of May was fantastic, I went up to Canberra to see friends and go to the Slavic Ball at the Polish club, it was also a slightly sadder goodbye to my lovely friend Jye as he is off to Italy to go on exchange. Straight back to Melbourne with Jenna and Daan to go see Wednesday – had a lovely time with a big gang of Ella, Ash, Ellie, Ezra, Josh, Max, Aidan, Daan.
A gig I saw this month:
I got to see Hana Stretton perform at Bell City! It was a very tightly packed and intimate (I kinda hate this word in this context but I can’t think of a better one) show, but the whole audience really locked in together and stood quietly to take it all in. I actually couldn’t get into the room for the opener – Alice Barlow – because it was sold out and those who made it in early were enjoying her set sitting on the floor. I managed to snake my way to the front – I went alone so I didn’t feel too bad about this – and enjoyed a really breathtaking and moving set. Watching the recorded songs I’d listened to so many times played just-as, if not even more beautifully right in front of me was really special. Hana was very charming and funny, and I managed to snag a setlist! I walked back to my car grinning like an idiot.
Amazing amazing AMAZING gig at Max Watts watching Wednesday – who honestly might be my favourite band of all time. It was really fun jumping and moshing and screaming the whole time, watching the band and the crowd have a really good time. Karly played Cody’s Only and Ghost of a Dog which is a big deal for me as a fierce Twin Plagues fan. She’s another amazing story teller and very charming. There was one very cute moment during “Townies” where I was jumping in the mosh and looked to either side of me and Ezra Josh and Daan appeared out of nowhere and we all yelled and jumped together. Spouse loves Wednesday I wish Emmett was there too.
Seeing two of my all-time favourite artists in one month is really amazing, I love music!!
A movie I watched this month:
Hokum – 8/10
I went to see this with my friend Darcy at Cinema Nova! I remember loving the directors other movies and enjoying them with Felix and Emmett, he does a great and particularly Irish take on the fake-out jump scare, which is to say he makes you think the movie wont be that scary because the first few scares are a bit silly, but then he shows you something truly haunting right towards the end. They also handed out these cute pieces of chalk in reference to part of the movie at the end.
An album I listened to this month:
Soon – Hana Stretton (10/10).
This album scored every drive I made between Canberra and Melbourne last year (I think there were upwards of 20 of these), and a lot of restless nights. Soft, warm, lonely and full of love at the same time, this album kept me company many times in a year that felt quite lonely. It was a big transitional and in-between-things year, I really felt detached/the physical distance from my family as I was finishing up uni and trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do with myself next. Anyways, this album always made me feel calm and helped me relax into loneliness.
For Love of Grace & the Hereafter – Iceage (7/10)
This one only gets a brief mention as it only came out at the end of march, but it has some really fun moments! There are other times where it loses me, and feels a bit like what I think Danish people imagine American music is? I need to sit on it for longer but special highlight is Star and Match Head Girl ( both songs make me want to run and jump).
A book I read this month:
I finally finished Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut! I’d give it a 7/10, really fun stylistic choices and a refreshing approach to sci-fi/armageddon which I’d never seen before. It was more about people and character than the events, and he wrote a really beautiful part about the mating dance of the blue footed booby, which inspired a new song for me.
I’ve started reading two books in tandem, though they should not at all be considered related. First is Black Skin, White Mask by Franz Fanon, which I have studied many times across uni but haven’t sat down to actually read the whole thing. Second is The Constant Gardner by John le Carre, which is mainly a brain resetter/light hearted read. Constant Gardner is surreal so far as it’s set in Nairobi, and mentions Muthaiga several times, a suburb I lived in for three years when I was a little kid. Both of these books are surfacing a nagging itch to go and do my honours at uni, but its still too soon and the prospect of doing post-grad in an AI infested time isn’t appealing enough to make me enroll at this time. Sorry mum and dad 😦
A photo I took this month:
The lovely ladies of the Polish Ball (very drunk and sitting outside the Polish Club)
EMMETT
Ok ballers
May was fun, a lot of music and a lot of travel, it was great. Def caught up to me by the end of it all tho.
Started the month with a going away party for our friend Eve which was awesome, I wore a superman shirt. Played 3 Limo gigs, 3, Tommy gigs, and 2 atlast gigs which was very fun. Daan was away all of may tho so we brought along some friends for the atlast sets, (Thank u Nina, Katie, and JP)
All the limo sets were in Newcastle and Ive decided I just wanna get all of our Newcastle friends and move them to cbr. It’s a bummer that we don’t get to see each other on a regular basis but this past month of travel was really lovely to reconnect with them all.
Hoping we get to travel a bit more frequently up there and down to Melb soon, would love to have semi regular coffee with them all.
A movie I watched this month:
me and Nell watched all of off campus lol, it was kinda great but I’m a sucker for that genre
An album I listened to this month:
Katie gave me some cds for a bit after one of the Newcastle trips,
Forever is a feeling – Lucy dacus
Stranger in the alps – pheobe bridgers
I’ve heard them both in th past but having them on repeat in the bus has been great
Listened to original pirate material by the streets again recently, still one of if not the best album of all time
A game I played this month:
Felix and I played a lot of backrooms, some guy named Christopher jumped on to our game and we spend a few hours trying to get him killed lol
A photo I took this month:
I can’t pick a photo so here’s a few
top left – gang on the way to Newcastle
top right – Daan and Eve on big screen live from Bristol
main pic – me and Felix put my old stereo in the bus so we got Bluetooth now!
bottom right – em blocking me from taking a pic of their sausage at Tilly’s
EZRA
Sorry in advance ya’ll this month’s special interest is Dune, I have consumed almost entirely Dune. I have thought about Dune way too much. This will be a Dune heavy post.
Other than that the Wednesday show slammed, if you can fucking believe it they had a song named ‘Dune two’.
I actually got to meet Karly from Wednesday while walking around the city before the gig, she was very nice and asked where I was from because she thought I was american. Then she asked if there were any specific songs I wanted to hear and I got caught in the hipster trap of whether you ask for a deep cut (you know, so she knows I know what’s up), or if I ask for something newer (because they’ll probably be more excited to play their newer stuff).
Anyway I asked for Wasp which they were gonna play anyway, and then while dancing to it later on that evening, noticed that the pants I was wearing have an elastic used to tighten the ankles, which when everyone around you is jumping means you get the sensation of being lightly grasped every few seconds as someone steps on the elastic and tightens your pants against you best wishes, and kind of lightly anchors you to the ground. I felt a little like a balloon with a little concrete weight under it. Let your boy jump. Wasp rips though.
A movie I watched this month:
Now would you believe I done watched Dune part one. You’ll hear more about it in my book I read section. Suffice to say, it was a big old Duney time.
An album I listened to this month:
I’m big on the new Slayyyter album. Have been going back through Wednesday again. But the albums I keep playing are Sound of Silver and This is Happening. I’ve got drum machines on the brain and LCD Soundsystem is scratching a very particular itch. They have no songs about Dune (As far as i’m aware but am open to being proven wrong).
A book I read this month:
Well I’ve read Dune haven’t I, and believe it or not also Dune: Messiah. I did(n’t) enjoy Dune, it’s some of the most conflicted I’ve been like, in the actual process of reading.
Cause like, don’t get me wrong, the world building, the setting, all that, chef’s kiss, and considering the time it came out it’s pretty unbelievable. That being said, it’s kind of a mean spirited book. I saw someone say it lacks grace, I think I agree with that.
Like, IMO he kinda rubs your nose in it.
However I was immediately compelled to read the next one and watch the movies soooo. In retrospect I like it a lot more than I did while reading it. I think it’s one of those things that’s more fun to think about than to actually read.
A photo I took this month:
No joke I didn’t take any photos this month, I’m getting worse at taking photos, I never think to. It’s really annoying. Below is an artists representation of a nightmare I had because I started a new medication which affects you sleep and gives you vivid dreams. It was kind of like a baby mobile with nothing hanging off the strings and it was looking at me. At the moment it made me jump out of my skin but in retrospect I think it’s kinda cute.
DAAN
This month I was in Europe! I spent a week in Greece with family (shoutouts), couch surfed in Groningen, became good friends with my host, spent time with my cousin, went to the UK to visit Eve, went back to the Netherlands and did lots of stuff in between! It was a crazy three weeks so it’s nice to be back now with friends and settling back into my routine. Ezra & I are moving house this month so life’s a little crazy rn trying to get ahead and sort out myself for that at the end of the month.
A gig I went to:
I was very lucky to get to see Wednesday with Em, Josh & Ezra this month. Wednesday is a huge Spouspiration and has been a big through line in our friendship. It was really special to be able to share that together. They even played Ghost Of A Dog which is one of my fav Wednesday songs. Was a fantastic show and I’m off to see them again in Sydney with Max soon.
While in Amsterdam I went to a show at this punk squat called Vrankrijk and saw NN17, an Utrecht powerviolence band
A movie I watched this month:
I watched La La Land on the plane for the first time. I know I’m 10 years too late but it rules! I also watched this awesome french movie called “Shepards” which made me want to drop everything and heard sheep through the mountains.
An album I listened to this month:
While abroad I listened to a lot of Twerps, Julia Jacklin, Carla Geneve, Scott & Charlene’s Wedding & Florry. In particular I really rinsed ‘Learn To Like It’ by Carla Geneve. I used to listen to CG a lot after Lily Morris (shoutouts) put me onto her first single back in 2018. I’d forgotten about her until recently but have really fallen back in love with her songwriting again. Also new School Fair album rules.
A book I read this month:
I finally finished ‘The Power Of One’! And loved it. Read 2 more books while in Europe. Firstly I started revisiting a book series I loved as a kid. It’s a Young Adult series, called ‘Special Operations’ by Craig Simpson, about 3 friends who get involved in the Norwegian resistance in WW2. I wanted to revisit them as an adult and I’m pleased to announce that they are just as fun as they were when I was a kid. Really easy reads with plenty of excitement to keep the pages turning. I also read ‘Tell Me Who I Am’ by Una Mannion. As with many good books, I saw it out of the corner of my eye at the book store and bought it based on what little info was on the back cover. I won’t go into it massively because it’ll take a long time, maybe I’ll write a separate post about it because it was fantastic! It comes with a heavy load of content and trigger warnings as it’s a really honest and realistic look into family violence, intimate partner violence and the shortcomings of a legal system that benefits men and buries women. It’s really fantastic fiction that follows a fractured family unit that navigates the horrors of violence over a 20 year time period. Maybe I will write more about it here or maybe I’ll leave it for my Goodreads review. I’m on the second book of the ‘Special Operations’ series now, they’re off to England on their first mission!
A photo I took this month:
All the homies at the Wednesday show
JOSH
The blog is cornering me at the water cooler asking what I’ve been up to this month and I’m fighting the demon in my head that wants to say “not much, just working” as hard as I can but unfortunately that’s not far from the truth – May felt more like a Pre-June for the most part, lots of exciting projects coming up but also lots to lock in on for the time being.
I did find the time to head to some gigs – It was so delightful going to the Wednesday show with everyone, easily the highlight of the month.
There is plenty to look forward to next month which has been a nice driving force for this month, hopefully the blog doesn’t feel too dismissed by my small-talk-cop-out-answer and will corner me at the water cooler again soon when I’m better equipped.
A movie I watched this month:
We watched Strictly Ballroom (9/10 ⭐️) at movie night and was kinda jumpscared by how Australian it was? I understand now that it’s a national treasure that catapulted Baz to the moon but I was somehow completely behind on the lore when we watched it.
I find that directors with super distinct styles like Baz Luhrmann start to overdose on their aesthetic when they have unlimited resources (elvis 😖) so I love it when the limitations of their early work result in a film more down to earth and quietly stylised. I love Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket for the same reason, gonna watch that again soon.
An album I listened to this month:
My favourite thing I listened to this month was Genuine Uppers Life by Sacred Holes – another project doing the internet electro thing (sitting somewhere between Frost Children and ear). I haven’t done any background check on them so IDK where they’re from but I love how many people are using that jersey club sample pack from reddit to make earnest experimental music, it makes me want to write a disjointed substack article about Post-Post-Irony™ and then quietly delete it from my instagram bio a day later.
I also listened back to all the Wednesday albums to prep for the show – my ranking is
1. Twin Plagues 2. Bleeds 3. Rat Saw God 4. IWTTDYTS
A game I played this month:
The reason Ash often gives for avoiding nerd shit (eg. larp, anime, kpop) is because she knows she would enjoy it too much and could never be normal about it. Anyways I played 400+ hours of Zelda last year, so this year I’ve been trying to branch out and make my way through everything I couldn’t play growing up but wanted to (DmC, Yakuza, Resident Evil etc.). This month I locked tf in on the Final Fantasy 7 remakes – my family played our PS1 well into the PS4 era so it’s crazy that I never got around to the original, especially since i am a silly little boy with a propeller hat and the “impractically large sword/guy with a gun for an arm” thing is such an easy grab for me. I’m 40 hours into Remake and loving it so far, very keen to start Rebirth soon.
I’m off to Europe! I’m writing this on the Murrays to Sydney. I’m going to celebrate my Mum’s 60th with her, my dad and my brothers in Greece for a week. I’ll be celebrating with my family then heading over to the Netherlands to see my extended family over there. I’ve honestly had the best month ever. I’m so full of love! I played a couple of wholesome solo shows with Silo Country, recorded a music video with Atlast (shoutout!), spent lots of time with friends, made some shirts, did a Gutwrench market stall, spent a lot of time in the sun, had a couple of picnics, connected with a lot of beautiful people and got to experience a heap of fantastic music! I love music!
A movie I watched this month:
I don’t think I’ve watched a movie this month which is a bit sad but I’ve been watching a lot of Drag Race, mainly the current season, with Meg & Evy (shoutouts!). We’re making our way through the current season and have placed bets on who we think will win & who are in the top five, just based on the first 2 eps. We’ve got a couple of eps left to finish when I get back from Europe so I’m hoping I don’t have the result spoilt to me before then.
An album I listened to this month:
I’ve been rinsing two albums lately. C,XOXO by Camilla Cabello & Getting Killed by Geese. I feel quite silly that it took me so long to get around to the new Geese album. I loved 3D country and when Getting Killed was coming out I didn’t really resonate with the singles so I let it slide. I was going for a lovely drive through the country with my friend Jenna (shoutout!) and Husbands came on. It was just what I needed to hear at the time and I replayed it five times in a row, much to Jenna’s support. I just wanted to live in that moment forever. After that I went in and listened to the whole album and it all clicked for me.
A game I played this month:
I did a wordle & a crossword this month with my friend Eve (shoutout!), that was fun lmao. I don’t do the wordle but I gotta get into it. It’s awesome.
A photo I took this month:
Felix standing alone at a party in a horse mask
Em
This month I played my first solo set in Melbourne with Any Young Mechanic in St. Kilda! It was also my first time in St. Kilda! It was kind of a surreal/uncanny experience there but this seems to be everyone’s experience in St. Kilda? Apparently my grandmother used to take my dad out there when he was a little kid to walk along the pier and eat icecream, he was very excited to tell me this on the phone when he heard that I went. It was lovely to hangout, went to eat some dumplings and Mapo Tofu before the show, had some serious nerves (this plus spicy mapo tofu was a crazy time for my stomach) because I’d never actually done a legitimately “acoustic” show before. This was the first time it would be seriously just me and a guitar with no effects to hide behind (this also meant no pedal tuner), and on top of that my first time playing some new material. I put myself on a bit of a spiral with this one bit where I would reach for my capo after every song even though I didn’t need it, fumble to put it back on the headstock, and then squint at my phone using my hands as fake binoculars, all while some drunk men were arguing outside the bar, in front of the bar, and then heckling at me to chug my beer. It felt very slapstick but I think it was still fun. It’s been a bit of a depression month, but I’m doing my best to set myself up for success for winter. I feel like a bear preparing to hibernate, but I’m just trying to make lists and future plans to keep myself busy and distract myself from the sinking winter feeling. Things are good though! I feel so grateful for friendship, time and time again I’m shown that my friends are so special, that I love them so much and that they will keep showing up, isn’t that awesome?? I’ve eaten lots of good icecream this month, shoutouts to Luthers and my housemates who keep humouring me on late night trips there. Their Banoffee Pie is always excellent.
A movie I watched this month:
I watched so many movies this month, one highlight was Anatomy of a Fall – I’m quite late to watching this, but I very much understand the hype. Excellent acting all round, I really felt connected to everyone in the family. I also watched Dog Day Afternoon and loved it, I think I had assumed that it would be a really challenging watch because of Al Pacino and it is a bit of a film-bro movie, but it was really fun and moving. I also rewatched Before Sunrise again, being 23 (they are 23 in the movie) and of a certain disposition made it feel very real.
An album I listened to this month:
I’m enjoying listening to music for mixes/specific frequencies and effects to try and put my engineering hat on, but funnily the albums that I’ve been hit by the most have been Justified – Justin Timberlake (10/10) and Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest (10/10). These are truly production masterpieces to me, something about the drums, bass, sub-bass, sampling and insane textural choices (lots of mouth noises in Justified??) just hit you right in the guts and travel right through you. I think Timbaland and Pharrell were making some truly insane and incredible choices back then, and tribe have equally been good forever. Sidenote, if you have time to kill the entire making-of footage of Justified is just out on youtube, there is hours of footage and all of its crazy (thank you Vince for informing me of this).
I’ve been listening to Leaves To The Sun – Gawshock (9/10) – this is an incredibly cute album, I’m a sucker for a lo-fi indie-folk thing, and this is very much that. The singer is clearly a hopeless romantic nerd, listening to this I feel like Roberta Flack/Lauryn Hill (I felt he found my letters then read each one out loud, strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words, killing me softly with his song etc.). This is a great album to listen to on a big walk. I did this across several days in an unusually warm and sunny Melbourne week this month.
A book I read/game I played this month:
I am still reading Galapagos but have also started Tortilla Flat (John Steinbeck). I’ve started writing some lyrics inspired from, this who knows if I’ll finish the book or the song.
I also got to make my own mii on Aneesha and Charlie’s Tomodachi Life Island which was awesome.
NYT Sudoku every day.
A photo I took this month:
Felix and I hanging out in Edinburgh Gardens
Josh
Weird but good month! Ash is away in Europe/Canada right now, so it’s just been me and Kenny at the house for the past couple of weeks. It’s been nice to have time to myself and rediscover my own space, but I’ve also had to make a more active effort to prevent myself from rotting (now that no one else is around to witness it, my self-consciousness is no longer a barrier to that bedrot spiral, especially with that freaky melbourne winter looming). Thankfully we’ve got a great group of friends I’ve been able to spend time with and have been helping me with the dogsitting (thank you Aneesha and Ella and Em). It’s made me feel a lot more like I’ve got a good network down here since moving from Canberra, which is something I’m extremely grateful for.
It sounds like Ash’s trip is going well too – she met Bill Nighy from Love Actually at a supermarket in London. Miss her, glad she’s having a great time.
A movie I watched this month:
We’ve been having a weekly movie night with our friends which has been pretty awesome – this month we watched Bram Stoker’s Dracula (lots of moaning – 8/10), Speed Racer (underrated and insane – 9/10) Now You See Me (airplane movie but not bad – 6/10) and Scott Pilgrim vs The World (good movie but I’m incredibly thankful I didn’t see it at a more formative time in my life, as I could sense the potential danger it could have done to my character growth as a White Guy In A Band™ – 7/10)
An album I listened to this month:
This month I listened to BB Void by Mori Mori – i’m hearing a lot of that electronic-forumcore thing lately and it is very much like crack to me so thanks to Zeke for the rec. Other things I listened to this month include Gloorp ‘Em Up by Gloorp (drum machines – 9/10), Sd-3 by Loukeman (beat tape with feeling – 8/10) and Blue Angel Sparkling Light 2 by Quiet Light (bedroom pop from the internet – 7/10).
I also revisited Violent Soho after many years 😝 Conflicted feelings on that one – they were lowkey my one direction so I still love them even though I’d probably hate them if I discovered them today lmao. “Hell fuck yea” for personal growth I guess 🤪
A game I played this month:
I got the new Tomodachi Life the day after Ash left, which was one the worst mistakes I’ve ever made. This game is an absolute time parasite if you like drawing – you can customise basically everything, so it’s just creatively rewarding enough to trick you into a feeling of artistic fulfilment that immediately disappears once you realise the two hours you spent drawing a 7Eleven for your mii to live in may have been a waste of time. I had grand plans of spending my free time working on all the art/music projects I haven’t had the time for, but a mii that looks like Aphex Twin will have to do for now. I am beginning to worry that I have an addictive personality. Final Fantasy VII remakes next probably.
A photo I took this month:
me and photoshop
Ezra
We’re in a bit of struggle mode. This is the last month before Me and Daan have to move out from our house. We’ve lived together for like two years now and I’m going to be very sad to not be in a house with my friends, I had gotten very used to it.
But no pregrief here. Change is change.
A movie I watched this month:
I watched the movie Exit 8 which was based on the video game. I knew nothing about it, but it ended up being really slickly done and great. Guy gets trapped in a backrooms-like loop, but there’s this running theme through it of whether or not he has the ability to notice when something is wrong and do something about it.
Good stuff, pretty scary at a few points, really great for a video game adaptation.
An album I listened to this month:
I’ll be real I’m still stuck on the same three albums, Nina Jirachi I love my computer, Magdalena Bay imaginal disk and Underscores U.
I have also been listening to Sophie ‘Oil of every pearl’s un-insides’ which is so good its unreal. Jane remover ‘Revengseekers’ which is fantastic. I dipped my toes into Caroline Polachek ‘Desire, I want to turn into you’ but I think I have to at least got a whole foot in before I could talk about it. I like it a lot though.
I bought myself a Roland Sp404MkII to make some dancy stuff, so I’ve been dipping my toe back into some old LCD Soundsystem and Daftpunk too just cause I’ve got drum machines on the brain. It has a very silly rose decal wrap on it and I feel like I’m making music on a department store giftwrapped box of perfume.
A book I read/game I played this month:
Em’s reading a lot of books I really love right now, if they end up liking Tortilla Flat enough I’m gonna bully them into reading East of Eden next.
Myself I finished Vineland which was great and sad and easier to grip than a lot of other Pynchon for me. I put this down mostly to it’s period and setting, and me having a better grasp on it’s references to television and the rise of fascism under Reagan and what not. Great stuff. Big ups the Thanatoids. I for one believe Brock Vond is a vampire.
Have just started Dune by Frank Herbert cause everyone loved the movies and I told myself I wouldn’t watch them until I’d watched the Lynch one and I told myself I wouldn’t watch it until I read the book.
I played about 8 hours of Starfield and got bored so I’m back on Pillars of Eternity which is babygirl and one of my favourite games of all time. It’s so good I did the nerdiest thing I’ve ever done a little while back and messaged the lead designer in charge of writing the in game languages for a dictionary of the in game language Engwithian because I want a tattoo of one of the spells and couldn’t find it written down anywhere. I can feel the swirlie the big strong boys are gonna give me when they find this out but jokes on them cause I’m just gonna drink all the water so I don’t actually get hurt in the toilet. So there.
A photo I took this month:
We went on a delightful camping trip and found what appeared to be a cow who exploded.
Emmett
April was very lovely, I’m working on knowing what month it is and trying to recap each week has been helpful trying to keep my head straight. Last Friday I was in Newcastle filling in on bass for my housemate Jenna’s band LIMO (was very fun) and our dear friend Meg came with us on the trip which was so fun. We sat on the beach in the morning and there must be music gods (Freddie mercury) looking out for me. Just as I have been struggling knowing where and what is going on around me, Meg showed us her diary / calendar. I know it’s nothing crazy, but it’s made a massive impact on me. Trying to keep my diary updated, thanks Meg!
Plus got to see so many friends new and old this month:)
On that trip we got to spend a lot of time with our dear friends in horse! Love them so much. Also made new friends this month! Johnny and Will yall are great house guests, come stay whenever!
Did a music Vid with Atlast! So many cool and awesome people worked on that which was lovely.
Also spent a weekend working on the set of new Total Tommy material which was awesome. Loved having everyone in cbr for a bit:)))
One bummer from the month, our brilliant friend Eve is leaving Aus this week and this past month of outings have been great, their farewell show at gang gang was amazing and the party at ours on the weekend was magic aswell. Always sad when friends move but excited to see what the get up to and happy to have had such time together.
A movie I watched this month:
I watched project Hail Mary and I swear. Both brilliant films Robert Aramayo is magic
An album I listened to this month:
Fell in love with Caroline 2 by Caroline and Hugo by Loyle Carner again. Plus a new EP by Elly called Then it leaves. The song River boat lights has me in a chokehold.
Spend a lot of time in the car with Felix this month so of course lots of Justin Bieber aswell
A game I played this month:
played where the hell did my car keys go a lot this month
A photo I took this month:
This is ez and his new sp404, our collection of electronic equipment is getting fierce
This is a bit of a word vomit, but I’ve been reflecting a bit more critically on my songwriting and lyric writing in particular over the past few months. In a recent Spouse meeting, I had to type out and send the band all of my lyrics, which was actually the first time most of the band would have seen what I’m really saying in our songs. I kept thinking and saying “thank god I’m not a white man!”, it truly is music for losers, and I ask that no one goes searching for these words or listening for them too closely. Sorry Genius, to you I say “NO NO NO NO GO AWAY.” I guess it was so mortifying because I had to show all my cards to my best friends, something I of course have done at various stages before, but doing it all at once on a whatsapp call was a bit ridiculous. Here’s a photo of what the call looked like:
I also played my first Victoria acoustic solo set, in front of people I take very seriously, and my words and nervous guitar playing were fully on display, caught naked at the Espy in St. Kilda, what a night! These events have sparked some introspection and critical reflection on what the hell it is that I’m talking about. It feels insane and beautiful at the same time that I am friends and colleagues with some of the best songwriters in Australia, but this makes the spectre of Imposter Syndrome a much heavier kidney stone to carry in the piss sack. What is it that I have to say/sing that I think other people need to hear? I don’t think I’m writing music for other people to hear it, but my friend Ziek and I have been discussing the dynamics/conflicts between art, the artist, and who owns it, and what happens to it when its perceived by an audience, or made with an audience in mind. Am I really writing for me? Or was this riff/line subconsciously laced with what I think cool people will hear and say “oh that’s cool”? Some secret third thing where its all of these things and none of them at once.
Historically for me, lyrics have come last in the songwriting process, especially in Spouse, where the riff will usually be what comes first, maybe one or two lines and then the rest is sort of mashed together out of the babbling that happens when I’m coming up with my vocal melodies. Out of sheer dumb luck, they’ve done the job, but I don’t tend to connect with the songs where I’ve done that anymore. Who would’ve thought it’s hard to connect with lyrics that you hadn’t fully thought out, or don’t even really mean? I do the thing that everyone else seems to do, where when a fleeting phrase comes by, I’ll whack it into an empty notes app entry, and never look at it again, or, if I do, I’ll scoff and scratch my head at whatever feeling that was, and fob it off. The times where I do like my own lyrics are when they’re imagery based, and I know what the moment/image made me feel, but can keep that for myself, while others can hear/see that moment and assign their own feelings to it. But maybe this is some kind of lyrical emotional avoidance, I’m being less vulnerable because I don’t have to tell you what I’m really thinking or feeling, but you can tell me what you felt if you feel called to.
I know what good song writing is when I hear it, just as much as I know bad song writing when I hear it, but I guess when it comes to the self/introspection, it feels impossible to be objective about it. I try not to be overly harsh about what I do, this is largely based on being told nice things by nice people about it, but that nagging voice in the back of my head is still saying that these things are only said out of niceness. Who would have the guts to tell me that I wrote a bad song? Is everyone just watching us play out of duty and friendship? What if, secretly, I’ve been completely tone-deaf this entire time but no one felt up to breaking the bad news to me? I’ve been doing alright at tucking these nasties behind a big frontal-lobe-wall, but at the same time I think perhaps its good practice to listen to them sometimes just to keep myself in check, to pursue “better art”.
All of this is amalgamating to a more conscious lyric writing effort. Certainly over the past few years of writing and playing in my own voice (both in Spouse and solo), I know which parts of myself and my thinking I like to share, and they seem to be something people can connect with. They’re definitely informed by what I’m listening to and reading at the time, but I suppose they are coming from my consciousness so they are technically my own thoughts and my own “creativity”. The question of what true “creativity” or “creation” are will be more of a lifelong quest I think, but this feels like a part of the songwriting journey, and the natural bending and meandering that happens on this kind of path. Maybe in 5 years I will be writing a Steeley Dan Aja worship album? More likely another Horse Jumper of Love or Wednesday rip. I feel a bit lost on what it is I’m trying to say here, but this seems on theme and maybe that is exactly what I’m trying to say. “I do not know what I’m trying to say”. It’s a good humbling practice to say this.
Welcome to the first Spouse Report on our new blog! We created this site as a way for us to take a more long-form approach to band updates and general internet connection in a way our other platforms don’t quite provide – we’re still not fully sure what that looks like yet (we will likely be sharing band news, upcoming shows, and Em is doing a monthly vlog) but we thought we’d also start by sharing what each of us got up to in March.
DAAN
Hi everyone! This month I completed a big grant application (wish me luck), played two awesome shows with Spouse in Syd & Melb, got new glasses, printed a bunch of shirts for Vanishing Sound & GUSH, hosted the final show of DIY Summer III, nearly got crushed under a car, had a few picnics, recorded Buffy’s EP with Felix (shoutouts) & played ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SHOWS EVER with Atlast at Shadows. I’ve been dealing with some severe burnout atm so I’m trying to take a step back and make time to see my friends more, which has been really wonderful and helpful. I’m feeling full of love and excitement for the rest of 2026. Lots to look forward to 🙂
A movie I watched this month:
I watched ‘Project Hail Mary’ this month. I had no context or expectations for the movie and went in blind (the best way). I was having the SHITTEST day when I went in and honestly this movie gave me such a profound sense of hope. The cinema was full and everyone was laughing out loud the whole time. It was so wonderful. It was truly one of those moments where I realised that laughter truly is THE BEST MEDICINE. I walked home from the city in the rain listening to the same Twine song over and over afterwards and was absolutely euphoric.
An album I listened to this month:
This month I rediscovered my love for Good Charlotte and listened to ‘Good Morning Revival’ a bunch lol. It was one of the 2 albums I had on my IPod shuffle when I was a kid (that and Green Day’s American Idiot). I was listening to this album when I was like 5-7 years old which is honestly hilarious to imagine. I stuck a picture of the band on one of my school books under some clear contact and I thought it was cool as hell. Thanks Aidan for reminding me of this album 🙂
A book I read this month:
I’ve been reading ‘The Power Of One’ for the last couple months and am nearly done! I’ve been loving it and I plan to visit Bryce Courtney’s grave in Hall with my friend Ella once I’m done.
A photo I took this month:
This is an awesome cat on a leash that I saw when I was at Better Music
EM
I talked about my month so much already haha, went to Adelaide, played a nice show at the Bergy, and saw BJM with my awesome uncle Bill. I hope to do more recording engineering stuff next month, and to get back to Canberra to see everyone.
A movie I watched this month:
I just watched “The Drama” with some lovely friends at Cinema Nova, it’s my first time being back there since I was 15 (was there to see Parasite on a horrible date). Glad to reclaim that cinema with a nice new memory, in general I thought that the rom-com is coming back in a big way, and to that I say hooray. 4/5⭐️
An album I listened to this month:
Album pick is Ultraista – Self titled – my coworker Kristjan showed me this at the beginning of March and I’ve been rinsing it, really awesome use of synth and drums on this. 10/10⭐️
I also can’t stop listening to the EP Self Noise – Short Snarl. I got to see them in Adelaide and was very moved, such beautiful music played by lovely people! 10/10⭐️
A book I read this month:
Galapagos – Vonnegut – pretty chewy read to start, I’ve been picking at it for longer than I care to admit but I think it’s starting to get good.
A photo I took this month:
this is Josh and Ash after eating a soup that I made
JOSH
This month I played an epic show with Spouse and then immediately went on a White Boy Japan Trip™ – I hopped off the plane in Tokyo with a dream and my cardigan and everyone pointed and laughed at me and said “white boy! white boy!” even though I wasn’t even there to snowboard or take hinge pictures. I had a great time otherwise – I did a lot of walking, saw some cool local bands, bought some cool CDs and drove a swan boat out on a lake. Since arriving home I’ve spent lots of time with my partner, my dog and my lovely friends and have had plenty of exciting design and music projects to keep me busy, which I’m super grateful for. Keen to keep that up for the rest of the year 🙂
A movie I watched this month:
I watched Looper with some friends a couple of nights ago – I swore I hadn’t seen it before when we were choosing what to watch, even though it was pointed out to me that I had logged it already on Letterboxd. I watched with a fragile familiarity, eerily similar to the experiences of Bruce Willis’ character trying to remember his dead future wife while his Joseph Gordon Levitt younger self kept doing all that different shit. I don’t know if I just didn’t pay attention last time or if there’s some weird loop thing going on but it definitely made the whole experience more immersive.
An album I listened to this month:
I’m slowly climbing out of the dark and humid soundcloud-dariacore-brainrot hole I’ve been in for the past six months and have instead been seeking some fresh cold puddles to lie in. One of these puddles has been The Most Dear and The Future by ear – a super short indie project that came out last September. It’s got this kind of intermediate glitchy space around it that’s reminiscent of the aforementioned soundcloud hole, but sweeter and more comforting. The new Headache album is another one – ‘text-to-speech poetry over downtempo triphop’ comes across exactly as wanker as it sounds but boy those beats are just so good.
I also watched the Pavement documentary on the plane and it reminded me how much I love Slanted & Enchanted, so I’ve been revisiting that album too.
A game I played this month:
I didn’t read any books because I was homeschooled and cannot read. I did play the original Devil May Cry though, that shit rocked crazy style 😼 I was planning on playing them in a row but have been told to skip the second one and go straight to three, so it’ll either be that or the new Elden Ring next.
A photo I took this month:
the aforementioned swan boat
EZRA
I’ve been sick for what feels like the entire month, that and the rain has made me want to hermit. We’ve been writing stuff in At Last and that’s been rewarding.
A movie I watched this month:
When Harry Met Sally – We watched this all together in Adelaide and I rewatched it recently. It’s a 5/5 for me, very stagelike and just trusts the people in it so much to carry it across, and they do. It’s the only example of an enemies to lover’s type thing where the enemy is my enemy (I hate him throughout a lot of the movie) and then I love him by the end. Normally it just ends up feeling predictable but their chemistry is just fantastic. Also the trivia piece that originally the ending was that they (spoilers) wouldn’t end up together, but that in the middle of writing Rob Reiner began dating his eventual wife and rewrote the ending because it had made him believe in love again, shut up it’s so beautiful.
Word of the day here would be ‘uxorious’ which basically translates to wife guy.
An album I listened to this month:
Imaginal Disk – Magdalena Bay
It’s a hard toss up for me between talking about this or Underscores U or Wallsocket. I’m in a big Hyperpop hole at the moment. I don’t know if Magdalena technically counts but you get it, computer music. I’ve been thinking a lot about Skrillex because of Ninajirachi, and these producers from when I was younger who were really going out there with computer music. I think a lot of this wave of stuff plays off nostalgia in an interesting way.
I’m interested in dance music and party music that’s clearly made alone? There’s this aesthetic to a lot of it that’s very ‘ipod touch under the blankets’ that I just think makes for a much more interesting setting ultimately than like, the image that comes to mind of a lot of similar acts in the early 2000’s which is invariably like, glowsticks and stuff. Not to knock that, but I enjoy the contrast between the style of the music and where and how it’s being listened to.
The Magdalena Bay album has just grown on me and grown on me, its use of motifs throughout make it so satisfying to listen through, great dance stuff, solid pop writing but just out there enough to make it really interesting, great videos too.
Also that new Tiffany Day album slams.
A book I read this month:
This month I’ve been reading through the Thomas Harris – Hannibal books, which was a mixed bag? Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs are fantastic thrillers with some really beautiful empathetic moments and characterisation. They’re quiet and measured and very lovingly made, and just read super easy.
Hannibal however is fucking bizarre, in a way I think I enjoy? It almost seems intentionally trolly to the reader given that it came out after the movies had been released and Harris had seen the way that Hannibal Lecter came across to a wider audience. There were Cannibal memes being thrown around and I think that irked him? The book seems like a little spiteful. Not to mention it seems like he went on an Italian holiday and really wanted you to know about it.
I stopped before Hannibal Rising because I’ve heard it’s total shit and he only wrote it because Dino De Lorentis made him. I’ve just started Vineland by Thomas Pynchon and am enjoying it a lot, it’s one of his cuddlier ones which I always enjoy, some of the others can be quite cold and his characters don’t get much in the way of warmth, but early on and this one is a lot of fun.
A photo I took this month:
Spouse in an important meeting
EMMETT
I couldn’t say what month I’m referring too, since Feb started it has been one big month. Which was difficult but I think I’m going to just enjoy it. Week by week is fun. If all goes well each week has everything I could possibly want. See friends, make music, hang with housemates, talk to my dad, maybe make some furniture. Maybe I’ll make my blog post into a furniture blog soon. Anyone need furniture?
A movie I watched this month:
Rental family. Shit is gas, loved it. Stole the theme and made a song out of it
An album I listened to this month:
PRINT – kilu. It’s and ep but I don’t care about the rules. It’s also magic and makes me wish Coldplay was still making parachutes
A book I read/game I played this month:
Uhhhh… I don’t really get the time to read or play games. Me and Felix were playing minecraft a little bit ago. Our village is dope so are our pets dream boat and mega yacht
A photo I took this month:
This is my hand holding a flip phone and a cigarette
I’m gonna start sharing little mini vlogs every month with what I’ve been seeing and up to – yes this is very much ripping off prisondivorcebombshell but I have never hidden my deep love and inspiration from Karly ❤
This March I went to Adelaide to intern with Matt at Interim studios, it was one of the most beautiful weeks of my life and solidified my love for Adelaide. It was so nice to meet so many wonderful, kind and interesting people, and to be so warmly welcomed to a really special and exciting scene. Coming from my recent Canberra-Melbourne move, it was very comforting to be amongst a tight-knit community and scene again. I think Melbourne obviously has so much going on, and there are plenty of lovely people here, but I have been missing that feeling of inner-confidence/comfort that you get when you’re in a community like this. Something about having to hold on to each other and support each other because its a small city, it takes a much more conscious and lengthy effort to do something creative, and then to take it outside your city. I would love to live there someday, maybe now isn’t the time, but rest assured, my radelaide days are far from done. Special thanks and love to Thea and Sam who let me sleep in their beautiful living room for 10 days xx
Back to rainy Melbourne, I’m slowly settling into a routine again, it’s been nice slowly putting down some more solid roots here, and I feel more myself and at home here these days. I’m playing guitar alot, and doing repairs again, as well as seeing friends and working. I also have my first solo sets coming up this week – both with Any Young Mechanic! They’re free, the poster is below if I did it right.
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