In Conversation with Screensaver: Discussing 'Division' and Their Upcoming UK/EU Tour

Ahead of their second European/UK tour in support of their recent album Three Lens Approach, screensaver from Melbourne, Australia release a new single, Division via Poison City Records (AUS). Division is a seamless blend of synth punk and post punk that oscillates from minimalist groove to maximalist onslaught with a dash of harmonic minor allure making for a transportive journey, without sacrificing its immediacy. Fierce synths, thumping bass and a spiky guitar line punctuating throughout makes Division 3-minutes of tightly wound energy. Recorded and mixed by long-time collaborator Julian Cue and mastered by Casey Rice.

The song is accompanied by a video conceptualised  by singer Krystal Maynard and directed and shot by drummer James Beck. The video taps into this social commentary/calamity; examining our shared anxieties, our allegiances, tribalism and the dichotomy of the individual and the collective and the existential dread that haunts us. The themes of societal collapse/derision/division are brought to life by the tension between lead singer Krystal Maynard interacting with a group of individuals who are both disconnected/disengaged but yearning for connection set against the background of a cold blue-hued carpark. You might recognize a few familiar faces from the local Melbourne music scene amongst the pack. Krystal acts as a mirror to the group, entering with a cool and direct exterior. But it doesn’t take long for the mirror to crack.

Inspired by the neo-noir dystopia of gritty 80’s sci-fi films. There’s also  an inescapable visual comparison to Romero and Fulci zombie films as they group clumps together, but they’re not flesh eaters. They are humans hungry for connection.

Hey, Where are you writing to us from today and who have we got?

I’m writing from Coburg in Melbourne and you’ve got Krystal Maynard, vocalist and synth player.

I came across ‘Three Lens Approach’ a few weeks back and thought it was a really great modern post-punk record. What's the easiest way to explain Screensaver’s sound to a new listener?

Thanks for the kind words. I always find this a tough question to answer but I’ll give it a go. Perhaps if you threw Malaria, Gang of Four, Section 25 into a blender you might come up with a sound like ours. We’re big fans of all the waves of post-punk from Siouxsie and The Banshees,The Cure, The Fall and Magazine to the lesser known bands like Iron Curtain, Pink Industry, Pylon. We also really love kraut-rock, minimal wave, new wave and lots of electronic stuff.

How does the opening track "Executive Function" set the tone for the rest of Three Lens Approach’s exploration of power and compliance?

The album is about all types of power and power structures, executive functionality refers to the high-order cognitive abilities of the brain like memory, decision making, planning and self-control. The song talks about how memories can become your enemies and play a role in influencing your choices, as well as how emotional experiences can do you a disservice and cause you to form unhelpful patterns of behaviour that leave you feeling powerless and trapped between the past and the present. That feeling of emotional claustrophobia that can be brought on by power dynamics flows throughout the record in different ways. 

You’ve got a UK/Euro Tour coming up! How do you think audiences in the UK and Europe will interpret your perspective on Australian "power structures"?

The power structures that are touched upon in the lyrical content of Three Lens Approach aren’t uniquely Australian, they are very much universal, whether it’s referring to the structures of government, of gender, of social hierarchy and class. So, I would like think that audiences around the world will be able to take away the themes and apply them to their personal experiences in their lives and the countries in which they live. Such is the beauty of song-writing, people take away very different things from your lyrics based on their own lived experience and world view. 

Your music sits at the intersection of existential dread and a driving groove; who is the "North Star" artist for the band when it comes to finding that balance?

We don’t have a North Star artist per se but I do personally like the way that Gang of Four balance very danceable music with very weighty themes like war, class, and consumerism. I think there’s a lot of bands balancing danceable music with weighty themes of modern existence- Automatic are another band who spring to mind, pairing their dance forward minimalist post-punk with themes like climate change and over consumption.

Is this new single ‘Division’ a stand-alone release or a part of a new body of work?

We’re not sure yet! It may be a stand-alone single or we may end up putting it on a future album. We have about half of our next record written so we’ll just see how it fits into that body of work which is being recorded and written now. It’s really nice to keep releasing music fairly consistently and get new tracks out there, this song was only a written a few months ago and it’s refreshing to release something you’ve just written, as often you’re sitting on songs for a long long time before getting them out.

How was it supporting Sleaford Mods (UK) in Sydney & Melbourne, and how did those shows come to be?

It was amazing! We got very lucky with super attentive sound engineers and techies and felt very looked after which always makes for a good show, especially when you’re playing really large venues. Andrew and Jason are really genuine people, they were a super lovely to chat to and hang with and their shows have an electric energy to them which is undeniable. How did we get the show? Well, a true hustler never reveals.

Considering the massive logistical undertaking of touring from Australia, how has the current global economic climate changed the way you approach a "DIY" international tour?

Well it’s not totally DIY, although we’ve done purely DIY tours before. We have a European booking agency booking this tour called Annibale who are booking all the shows. But everything else is handled by us, all other logistics, we’re tour managing, we’re selling merch, we’re lugging all our equipment. It’s not a good time to be touring, flights are crazy expensive, fuel is expensive, it’s a financial risk, that is just the reality of being a small band going on an overseas tour at the moment. We’ve had to play a lot of shows in Melbourne to generate income to help build the kitty. People are getting better at talking about the financial investment that bands put into music, and the realities of touring. It’s not cheap, and it's a lot of work. But you get to have incredible experiences and connect with like-minded people all over the world and it is a lot of fun.

If you could change one thing about the current state of the DIY music community to make it more accessible for new artists, what would it be?

I can only speak for Melbourne but I think the DIY scene is very healthy, it’s the mainstream music industry that needs an overhaul. We have lots of different scenes here, lots of cross over scenes and venues of all different sizes. I think emerging bands have a good chance of getting into scenes through small venues running special nights for new bands, offering guarantees to shows etc. With support from our local radio stations RRR + PBS, plus a slew of amazing local labels like Poison City Records, Antifade, Lulus Sonic Disc Club, Spoilsport, Blossom Rot, IT Records, Blow Blood, we have a really healthy eco-system that supports bands of all different genres and levels. We’re very lucky. Of course, there’s always room for improvement, the state government could definitely be doing more, creating a minimum pay for original live music acts, creating more funding assistance to small venues to help keep them open, just investing in the live music scene in Melbourne that is so vital to the cultural fabric of this city.

If screensaver were tasked with curating a one-day festival in your hometown right now, which local acts would be at the top of your bill?

Tongue Dissolver, Kosmetika, Armour, Lothario, Simona Castricum, Solar Cells, Brown Spirits, Flyying Colours, I could go on.

What are you all listening to atm?

La Sécurite, Harmonia, Group Listening, Martin Dupont, Bitchin’ Bajas, Section 25, Susumo Yokota, lots of Japanese ambient artist that I need to get better at remembering the names of.

Will you be back on the East-Coast anytime in the near future for upcoming shows and or a tour?

We were just in Sydney a few weeks ago but no future shows interstate are on the cards right now. Domestic tours tend to happen around releases so perhaps next year depending on when our next record comes out, but you never know when an opportunity will come up to play interstate. Hit those DMs if you want us to come play your city. 

Head to the bands Instagram for links to tickets: https://www.instagram.com/screensavermusic