Q: To me, the song’s title represents two souls that are in conflict with one another, but are still unable to break away or stop looking at each other. Does this ring true for you at all, and if not, was the title inspired by a specific moment or event in your life?
JOSHUA: Hi Sadie, I really like your image of the title. I think the phrase for me represents a stare that is combatting my own ideas and ideology in an intense stalemate of values. It is reproachful yet also endeared, full of a sexual and violent tension that I think can only be read through eye contact. I also think that these are eyes that are grappling with their own emotions and thoughts which I find to be an exciting moment to capture in life and music.
Q: What is your favourite musical layer of this track and why?
JOSHUA: My favourite layer in the track (apart from myself) is probably the drums. I wrote the song with just a pen and paper in New York without any music, so it was especially hard to actualise the rhythmic changes in real life. Our drummer, Maeve, has an amazing ear for rhythm and I think, without her, we couldn’t have made the track flow as well as it does.
Q: What is one album from your childhood that made you fall in love with music?
JOSHUA: Wow, tricky question. I don’t know if I can pin-point it to a specific album, I was a big fan of “American Idiot” by Green Day when I was 10, but I don’t think that answer does the question any justice. I think I can answer this better by saying, the first time I was ever conscious of the creation of music was when I was 6 years old. My dad used to play a lot of classical music in the car on the way to school and I remember him commenting on a piece by Mozart saying, “don’t you think that those violins sound like little birds”. I just remember that blowing my mind and I thought, ‘wow, music can truly represent anything you want it to in the world’. I think that was my first deeper connection to music.
Q: I love how halfway through “Your Eyes Are Fighting Me”, the drums become isolated and playfully interrupt the song’s structure. Is there a specific reason why you chose to do this?
JOSHUA: As I mentioned, this song wasn’t written with any instruments. It was just written as a poem with pen and paper. In my head, while writing the song, I could distinctly hear 3 pieces of music and I think that each section of the song is representative of one of those pieces. The first being the verses, the second being the chorus’s and the third being the middle 8. The interruption that you hear, is the start of the third piece of music that I could hear in my mind.
Q: What is your favourite moment in this track and why?
JOSHUA: My absolute favourite moment in the track is when I get to shout ‘I want more money!’. I think it is such a universal statement and it really hits true to the reality of my own life, as well as the lives of others. That’s why for me it is best part of the song.
Q: If you could choose any artist or band to perform with, who would it be and why?
JOSHUA: My answer is David Bowie. Bowie is God, and I think to perform with him would have been such an incredible experience. I do understand that he is dead, but maybe that would give me a good chance to steal the show.
Interviewed by Sadie Willis-Falkiner
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