POP VULTURE: A Chat with Mosquito Coast Ahead of their "Let's Be Friends" Tour
You know him as one half of Perth dream pop duo Mosquito Coast, but do you know where Conor Barton likes to grab his coffee? Or which musician he'd choose to resurrect? We sent our resident Pop Vulture to claim Conor as its next victim and, while we were at it, managed to chat to him about the mammoth year the band has had and what's coming up next for them. Read about it here before you catch them on their "Let's Be Friends" tour!
IN: Favourite albums of this year so far?
MC: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Anderson .Paak, James Blake, Kaytranada.
IN: If you could resurrect someone from the dead to play an exclusive show for you only with a set-list chosen by you, whom would you pick?
MC: David Bowie. :(
IN: Last TV show you finished all the episodes of?
MC: Scream.
IN: What shows are you currently binging?
MC: Stranger Things.
IN: Last movie you watched in cinemas?
MC: Finding Dory.
IN: Favourite café(s) in Perth?
MC: Yelo in Trigg.
IN: Do you play Pokemon Go and if so what team are you on?
MC: Don't play Pokemon Go. :(
IN: If you were to choose three celebrities to have a dinner party with, who would they be?
MC: Beyoncé, Solange, Ed Droste? I have no clue.
IN: Favourite musical artists (apart from yourselves) from Perth?
MC: Methyl Ethel, Dream Rimmy, Koi Child, Grrl Pal, Henry Kissinger.
IN: The song that started it all for you, “Call My Name”, has been everywhere recently. Notably, it was included in Elle UK’s Kylie Jenner promo. Were you aware that was going to happen or was it a total surprise for you?
MC: They did get in touch to get the okay but that was a total surprise! Never would we have thought that our song would be heard by someone that famous.
IN: Did you notice a surge of interest in your music afterwards?
MC: There was definitely a spike in Instagram followers, but nothing too big. Hopefully we have a couple of fans in the US now.
IN: Since you finished year 12 you guys have been pretty busy, playing heaps of shows with some pretty notable names (Abbe May, San Cisco, Gang of Youths) and a handful of festival performances at GTM, Ship-Wrecked! and SOTA. Is there one show that stands out for you in particular?
MC: Groovin the Moo was definitely a highlight. We had a twenty minute set so we powered through and it was so much fun. Supporting San Cisco at the J Shed was also really fun.
IN: Did you get a chance to talk to any of the other artists on the lineups?
MC: We've been pretty lucky to meet some really lovely people from the Perth scene, everyone is really welcoming and inclusive. Abbe May and San Cisco were both really nice and helpful. Others like Gunns, Grrl pal and Koi Child have also helped us out.
IN: You’ve recently come back from recording an EP in Sydney. How did that work out for you all?
MC: We were in Sydney for 9 days in the studio non stop. It was pretty exhausting but also so much fun. We are super excited about the finished product.
IN: Were all of the songs pre-written or did you get a bit of a chance to jam in the studio?
MC: Unlike previous recordings, these ones had all been pre-written. There was still definitely a lot of experimentation with different bits and sounds though.
IN: Let’s talk about your latest single, “Let’s Be Friends”. It’s a really killer track; I’ve been listening to it endlessly. How did the song come about?
“MC: Let's Be Friends” started with Naomi [Robinson] coming up with the bass line and the fuzzy guitar chorus line. I wanted that to a big part of the song so I syncopated the drums to it. The lyrics came together at the last minute, we wrote them together while recording.
IN: What else can we expect from this EP? Can you give any indication of when we might be able to hear it?
MC: The EP has 6 songs on it, with some power pop moments but then lots of dreamy psych stuff too. I think it's being released January-ish?
IN: I have to say, you guys are pretty phenomenal on stage. I’ve seen you three times so far and you’ve just gotten better each time. For people who haven’t been so lucky, what can we expect from your live show?
MC: Thanks heaps! Our live show consists of the two of us as well as Nathan on synths and Mitch on bass. They really fill out the sound and add lots of fun textures. Our set is (hopefully) a mix of lush sounds, lots of groove and dreamy vocals. There's been a little bit of onstage jamming lately too which has been fun!
IN: What’s next after this tour for you guys?
MC: We are taking a break after the tour because Conor is heading to Europe! After that it's straight onto Southbound which should be really fun.
Mosquito Coast are heading on a national headline tour! You can catch them in WA at Mojo's Bar on Friday August 26, with Stonefox, Dream Rimmy and Human Buoy in support. Grab your tickets here and check out our preview of the show for what you can expect!
