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Sydney based indie-pop artist NOT A BOYS NAME has dropped his contagious new track, Fuck It Up. The release sees the musician team up with Bec Sandridge, with Dan Williams of Art Vs Science on drums, and Rosie Fitzgerald of I Know Leopard on backing vocals. The insanely catchy track follows up NABN debut EP, The Internet Sucks, which was released earlier this year and saw him collaborate with Simon Berckelman, Kirin J Callinan, Rosie Fitzgerald and Ben Corbett.
Fuck It Up conceptually tackles a fractured friendship, one that has become irreparable after working together. Juxtaposing sincere lyricism with a bright and shimmering synth-pop soundscape will have you grooving along and living your best life, whilst also riling up feelings of contempt. Infusing 70’s and 80’s sounds within an avant-garde soundscape, NOT A BOYS NAME is about to become your new favourite Aussie artist.
“This song is about the consequences of working with your friends.When you become too involved..too close.” NOT A BOYS NAME mastermind Dave Jenkins Jr shares. “I tried to write music with a good friend of mine and it all went wrong. The experience was really toxic and resulted in a few nasty phone calls (and the end of our friendship). The lyric “why’d you go and fuck it up?” is directed at both of us. I still don’t really know who fucked it up..it was probably me.”
NABN and Sandridge work together harmoniously on the track, complementing each other vocally and providing different light and shade on the track. The paid connected after Sandridge attended one of NBAM’s shows in her hometown. “He was handing out a couple of signed photo-frames throughout his set and somehow I scored one.. I’d been an “Internet fan” for a while so I sent him a message saying that I’d love to write with him sometime”. “Bec and I hit it off immediately” NABN adds. “We spent our first session together messing around with guitar pedals and watching Talking Heads and Britney Spears videos. We eventually got to writing songs and haven’t stopped since”. Having worked on a number of songs together, that pair have developed a mutual respect for each others artistry whilst their friendship blossomed. “His aesthetic (visually and sonically) kind of captures everything that I love about late 70s/80s tracks. Sandridge continued. “There’s just the right amount of drama, tongue-in-cheekness and I can never look past a band with tasty fuzz harmonies on guitar”.
There has to be some irony that NABN and Sandrigde formed a strong friendship while writing a track about a friendship turning sour after trying to collaborate, right? NOT A BOYS NAME agrees: “It seems fitting that I should sing about a failed partnership with the voice of a successful one. Fuck it Up was one of the first songs Bec and I worked on but it won’t be the last one we release. We’ve got a tonne of interesting music up our sleeves”.
Currently working on his sophomore EP, the musician will take to the stage for an exclusive intimate show at Sydney’s Golden Age Cinema as part of the Great Southern Nights program. Taking place on November 28, tickets are extremely limited with fans able to join the waitlist here. https://ourgoldenage.typeform.com/to/wSYKJjcO
Fuck It Up is out now!