Watch our interview with Up Late below!
Resident genre-defying act, Up Late has unveiled his sophomore EP, TOTAL FUCKING DARKNESS!. The musical project of Max Pasalic, the collection of songs brings the musicians signature sonic fusion of rap, hip hop, and hardcore.
Opening with DIVA, the confessional moment acknowledges toxic traits that provide moments of solace, before you come crashing back down, trying to navigate the persona you present to the world, and the side you try to hide. Teaming up with DXRMANT on YOU PEAKED IN HIGH SCHOOL!, the tongue in cheek song pokes fun at those clinging to their high school glory days, continuing to act like a teenager and cling to trends just to further their own appearance and social status. The EP includes the musicians composition for the Fortress House Cup, TIDAL WAVE. the anthemic track is heavier moment from the musician, inspired by the idea of strength in numbers and the gaming world.
"This EP isn’t written for a front to back listen. It’s not about a cohesive selection of songs, it’s not about crafting the perfect product, it’s not about some bigger-than-thou thematic concept or social critique. I wrote this EP just as I scribbled "Bring Me The Horizon" and "Three 6 Mafia" logos on the same high-school notebook. It’s about capturing that crashing of genre, that manic 13 year old kid who’s just searching for new music, searching for culture and wanting to be a part of it," Pasalic details. "It’s about listening to Silverstein for the first time, listening to Kanye for the first time. I’m not saying this EP is even remotely as good as Discovering The Waterfront or 808s and Heartbreaks, but what I am saying is that I wrote it believing that it could become a gateway. A gateway to different sounds, cultures and genres for you. It could become the EP that returned you to that same 13 year old kid who was excited for anything that reverberated in their eardrums, no matter how different or weird that sound was.
He continues, "TOTAL FUCKING DARKNESS! is about bottling those moments in time for Nat (Sherwood, collaborator) and I. I wrote this whole EP with Nat in the same 6x4 metre room between late 2020 - to mid 2021. You can hear our music tastes change, morph and shift with every song. One song I might be screaming at the top of my lungs, the other I’m singing, another I could be rapping. We made sure we stayed curious, hungry, and excited for every moment we had in that studio. I wanted to interpret Nat and I’s childhood, our interests, our influences - as if the 13 year old versions of us took over our bodies and made whatever they wanted. I love that there’s imperfections, contrasts and even contradictions all over these 6 songs. Now that I look back and think about it, maybe there is a theme to the record - be who you want to be in that moment, even if it contradicts who you were yesterday. Do what you want."
Up Late launched early last year by competing in Triple J’s DIY Supergroup competition. Not long after, Up Late shot up the Unearthed charts with their debut single Friends. Taking influence from emo, rock, pop, rap and heavy sonic sounds, the artist navigates the terrain of fusing these differing sounds together. Through fusing Pasalic’s emo-punk and trap backgrounds together, Up Late is filling the gap within the Australian music industry where no other artist seems to be crossing these two genres.
TOTAL FUCKING DARKNESS is out now!