MEET ‘POLAR EYES’ - WE SAT DOWN WITH THEM TO TALK ABOUT THEIR NEW SELF-TITLED EP
With three singles out and their debut EP on the way, Polar Eyes have steadily been growing a loyal following in and around Sydney since 2019, and with each show bring their energetic and passion-infused sound to the stage. Their love of playing together and making music for people is obvious and after a short break, and with an exciting 2024 ahead, now is as good a time as ever to jump on board and follow the band on their sonic journey.
‘Tonight’ is the final song on the EP and has always been a favourite at our shows. ‘POLAR EYES’ recorded the track, along with the rest of the EP, at ASHARP recording studios with the grandmaster Nick Hatzagos himself. It’s a punchy, driving, rock-infused track about sometimes, despite everything, just needing a moment to yourself, and not feeling like that’s a bad thing.
We at [SUBCULTURE] caught up with 'Polar Eyes’ to learn more about the new EP out everywhere now!
Hey How are you today lads?
Very good!
Can you tell our readers more about Polar Eyes, Where the name came from? Where are you based? And who does what in the band?
Yes! The band came together in 2019; I was working with Biraj (the bassist) at Kmart, Zach (the drummer) was my next-door neighbour, and I was playing football with Daniel (the guitarist), so we all got together and started working on songs. We played our first ever show in February 2020 to a packed little pub in Redfern, and then covid happened! Once we came back, we played on the Factory main stage for our second ever show (very nerve-racking) and we’ve been at it ever since!
We’re based in the Inner West and have been playing shows and releasing music together ever since then. The name came from knocking around Glebe markets with a friend of mine. We were looking at sunglasses, and a pair had that “polarized” sticker on it, and the aesthetic of the sticker was cool, so the name, via some wordplay, comes from there.
Can you describe your sound to somebody that's never listened to you in 25 words or less?
Jangly guitars, driving rhythms, great vocals, music that makes you want to sing and dance.
Who are your influences for writing and producing music?
Sam Fender and The War on Drugs are huge influences for us musically. Their sounds and songwriting especially have rubbed off on us, I think. Bands like DMAs as well have been a huge influence on us, particularly in the way they can write huge choruses built to be sung by big crowds, that’s something we’d love to be able to do.
Do you want to tell us a little bit about the inspiration for the Lyrics?
Most of the lyrics on the EP come from vicarious experiences, hearing stories from friends and people around the band. At the time I found it easier to write about other experiences than my own/our own, so the songs on the EP are stories loosely based on the experiences of others.
What is your music community like? And are there any other creatives / artists/ bands we should be across?
The best part about what we get to do is share our experience with other artists. We’re very good friends with Euan Hart, The Slims, and Betty, all very talented friends of ours. We’ve got to play with so many amazing people along the way so far which is a testament to how talented the community is in general.
How did this EP come to be?
The EP is a collection of some of the first songs we worked on together, and that we’ve been playing at live shows pretty much since we first started. The artwork is a photo of us after we played with some friends at Potts Point Hotel which we’ve always wanted to use in some way (credit to great Jack Moran). We recorded it at ASharp Recording Studios with Nick Hatzagos, who mastered it with Daniel Natoli, both two of the best in the business.
What are your plans for performing and playing shows coming up?
We’re doing a show for Breaking Sounds Aus in May on the 23rd at the Oxford Art Factory, but beyond that we’d love to start supporting some bigger artists and expanding out to the beaches and up and down the coast this year, getting in front of new people and playing in some new places!
Will we catch you out on the road in 2024?
Not at the moment, but we’ll go anywhere to play a gig! (Last year, we drove all the way to Tamworth to support Rum Jungle on their tour stop there, then came all the way back at 4am the next day just so Dylan could play football!)
Favourite go-to records to put on when you want to kick back?
Dylan – Sunsetter by LEISURE
Zach – Circles by Mac Miller
Daniel – Anything by the Grateful Dead
Biraj – “Peaceful Piano Playlist” on Spotify
Any Last Words?
We’d love to give a special thanks to Nick Hatzagos for everything he did to help bring the EP together. We’d also love to thank anyone who’s ever been to a show, bought a t-shirt, said something nice to us or helped us along the way, we are very grateful!! COME AND SEE US PLAY! — Thanks