Gorilla Orchestra release new single ‘I Think It’s the Way She Moves’ [Interview]
Released earlier today, Melbourne indie-rockers Gorilla Orchestra have just put their impressive third single “I Think It’s The Way She Moves” into the world. The single perfectly blends guitar and synth to create a truly anthemic indie rock sound, perhaps with some pop punk influences under the hood.
The band were generous enough to give us some of their time and answer a few questions for you! Have a read while listening to the cracker of a song, and then give them a follow on Facebook and Instagram!
How did you all meet? What area of Melbourne are you from? I’d love to hear a bit about the Gorilla Orchestra origin story.
It was such luck that we all came together to form Gorilla Orchestra. Our lead singer James and our bassist Brent originally met over a music group on Facebook in 2018. We got to know each other and realised they shared the same passion for indie rock. Over the next year, Brent scouted and found the rest of the crew through various groups and pages and somehow once we were all in the same room, it all just clicked. 3 singles later and here we are!
We are all from different areas of Victoria & Melbourne. Our guitarist Darcy is originally from a small town Numerka, just outside of Shepperton. The rest of us are from the Northern, East & South Eastern areas of Melbourne.
Where did the name Gorilla Orchestra come from?
Honestly, we get this question so much! We would love to say it has a deep & meaningful representation of us, but it was purely random. After 4 weeks of sleepless nights trying to come up with a name, this was the only one out of 250 names that wasn't either already taken and didn't sound that terrible. It even got to the point where we had the Bible and Jamie Olivers cook cookbook for inspiration. I guess we are just 5 animals playing our instruments together!
Your new single has a really interesting progression and sound, we’re there any particular influences you kept in mind in the studio/when you were writing the song?
One session James brought this song idea to us and we were all vibing the rhythm guitar part. We all seemed to have the same vision for the song, throwing as much colour into the Instrumentals as we could and pulling it right back onto a clean canvas for the chorus’s. This song was all about layering different colours and constantly evolving. For us, the Keys were the final coat on this song, giving it such a warm and dreamy feel to it. The outro is so different from the rest of the song as the drum and bass groove becomes such a strong foundation, allowing for us to throw heaps of that nice, warm, fluffy stuff on top.
What’s the story behind I Think It’s The Way She Moves? Tell us about both the composition and the lyrics, which came first? What’s the song about?
The instrumentation and lyrics started through James, which was the simple guitar melody and a few verses to begin with. We had actually sat on the concept for around 6 months, until we agreed it had the potential to be a single.
The song basically is about a feeling. It is when you are meeting someone new, and all you want to do is spend every minute of the day with them. The feeling of energy and not knowing why it’s there. We just wanted to bring a song that was relatable, catchy and can get stuck in your head within a few listens.
Previously you’ve mentioned that this song stemmed from the current social distancing restrictions, what are some ways that Covid influenced the creation of this song? How has our current situation has impacted you as a band/individually as artists?
It has certainly been a really unique process, in the way that Covid-19 had forced us to do a lot of the work individually from home and bringing all the elements together. Nick would do his drums from home, then Brent would add his Bass guitar on top. The process went from member to member until a song brewed together.
We were really lucky to get an incredibly talented Melbourne audio engineer, Phil Threlfall, who jumped on the project late and really helped it grow and blossom into the best song possible. Everything we did was over Zoom and it really gave us the support we needed.
We certainly miss the shows and being able to even practice together on a weekly basis.
If you could join any band (past or present) on an Aussie tour, who would you pick, and why?
An international band we would love to play alongside would have to be Arctic Monkeys, as they are the mecca of great British indie rock. As far as more realistic local bands we would love to join on a tour, we would kill to play shows with Holy Holy & The Vanns. These guys inspire us to keep pushing the dream and keep making music.
What would be one artist/band/song people would be surprised to know you listened to?
A lot of people don't know that two of the boys in the band are big metal heads. They love the Australian metal scene, and are always blasting bands like Thornhill & Northlane in the car.
Do you have any plans for getting back on stage post lockdown?
Bloody oath. As soon as Dan the man gives Victoria the all clear, we will be taking any show that is presented to us. We are hungrier than ever before to play live music and we really miss it.
Where’s the best place for people to keep up to date on you guys?
You can follow us on the following platforms below:
Facebook: facebook.com/gorillaorchestra Instagram: instagram.com/gorillaorchestra
And you can listen to our music here:
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