Increment is a band from Perth, Western Australia, currently breaking through the emo indie rock scene. increment is currently touring WA to promote their debut EP titled Everything Stays The Same. We caught up with Increment’s co-frontmen – Sasha Flack and James Mulreany – ahead of their show at The Bird on Friday, 19 July 2024.

On the morning of the interview, James joined from his home in Lynwood, in Perth’s southeastern suburbs, and Sasha dialled in from his car in Wagga Wagga NSW, where he was visiting his dad.

Isolated Nation (IN):  Tell us about how increment formed.  Was it the brain child of you two?  How did the others get involved?

Sasha:  We went through an organisation in Osborne Park called Rock Scholars.  They put you in a band with people of similar interests.  It’s a music school program.  We all met at Rock Scholars, other than Ben the bassist – I met him at high school (Shenton College).  It was kinda weird meeting strangers, but we all clicked well.  We’ve been releasing music for 2 years now, but have been together since our high school days – we met in year 8.

James:  Sash and I have been the two original members since the very start.

IN:  How does it work with both of you fronting the band together? 

James:  Yeah, Sasha and I write the songs.  We often write them as acoustic tracks, and then bring them into the band.  The band’s input defines how it ends up sounding.  So for example, Backseat was originally a super slow ballad.  But then our bassist said that it was too slow, and we had to make it quicker otherwise he didn’t want to play it!  So I played it fast as a joke, and that’s the tempo it is now.

Sasha:  I also think James and I especially have grown together as songwriters.  We have a really strong level of trust between us now.  If James or I bring something in, we can talk about it privately, and have moments of agreement where songs are written by both of us or have moments of collaboration between us.  There were a lot of moments when we were working on the EP that were like that.

And, going back to the whole concept of meeting through a music organisation – we were discussing with the broader band that it was somewhat weird and unusual in that a lot of bands are formed between friends, whereas we became mates through the music. And that encapsulates the relationships we have with each other:  i’s based around the music we make, and we’re comfortable pulling people around when something isn’t working.

IN:  I’m interested in knowing more about your musical influences.  A lot of the elements of Increment’s style align with my tastes; for example, you have the introspective angst and reflection that you see in a lot of Sly Withers’ songs.  But you also have, in songs like Backseat, the fast-paced drive and tempo that reminds me of songs from bands like Skegss and Dear Seattle that I used to listen a lot to growing up.

Sasha: Interestingly, you mention Sly.  We are drawn to them artistically.  When you think back to what they’re influenced by – bands like Modern Baseball and Mom Jeans– we draw a lot of inspiration from those sources as well.  A big inspiration for this EP.

James:  My taste definitely gravitates towards emo rock, and I think my writing reflects that. 

IN:  And how have you found the reaction to your EP so far?

Sasha:  The reception has been really good.  Our show at the Vinyl Café in Leederville in late June was really interesting.  It’s a small café, and it was offered to us as a free venue.  We ended up playing at 9 pm on a Thursday school night, but the amount of people who came down to see us was nice.  And the venue, being open to all ages, worked really well with our demographic – a lot of our friends are yet to turn 18.  We’re currently trying to reach out to the over-18 demographic.

IN:  Well, I’m firmly in the over-25 demographic, so you’re speaking to the right person!  And on that note, what are some other venues you’ve enjoyed playing at?

James:  We really like playing at The Bird.  It’s such a good venue.  It’s intimate, but it feels like an actual venue.

Sasha (triumphantly, defiantly and in a nod to The Bird’s campaign):  Keep The Bird flying high!

James:  It’s a great place to network and meet people who are involved or interested in the local music scene.

Sasha:  Hard agree. The Bird and  The YMCA HQ has also been good for us; last time we played there, 200 people came and we sold out our show.  In the more 18+ scene, we’d love to play at the Rosemount again.  And we’d also like to play at 459 (the second, more intimate gig room at the Rosemount).

James:  We went to see Sly Withers’ New Year’s eve show at 459.  It was so cramped for a four-piece band – we could never play there as a five-piece!

IN:  Nice one, The Bird and Rosemount are up there in my favourite live music venues in Perth, and I’m really looking forward to seeing your show at The Bird.  What are your plans for when the EP tour finishes?

James:  I think the immediate next step is simply recording more music.  It’s the most logical next step.  We’re leaning towards releasing another EP, or a series of singles for a while – we haven’t sussed it out.  We’re focused on this current EP and the tour.

Sasha:  Yeah, it’s been really interesting since we had a “manager” come on board.  He’s doing it as part of his TAFE course, and it’s helpful to have someone who is so well-connected and passionate about the music industry.  We’ve discussed plans for the band as part of the objectives of his course.  But, we’ve written a lot of material between the EP and what’s coming next.  We’re kinda just going through that and figuring it out as we go.  Our EP was our most defined sound so far.  You can feel the emo rock influence.  So we’re toying whether we want to keep with that, or to go off on a different tangent.  So yeah, deciding what style to go with next.

All info on Increment’s upcoming tour and debut EP, “Everything Stays the Same” can be found here.