If you’re stuck in the Greater Brisbane lockdown, or you’re just enjoying a quiet weekend in, hometown heroes Bugs has just the tune you need. “Old Youth Feeling” is an upbeat slice of indie rock, perfect for those impromptu at-home dance breaks. Just try to sit still, or keep it at a reasonable volume, once you hit play.
“I think at some point in time everyone wants to find a more energetic, charismatic, hopeful version of themselves from a time gone by – so we reminisce on our youth quite idealistically. We generally gloss over the cracks and exaggerate the highs,” explained the band’s vocalist and guitarist Connor Brooker. “As the pressure and reality of adulthood constrict our imagination, we socially regress by watching Disney films, crying to our parents, buying dumb ‘immature’ outfits, meeting up with an old friend from school – the list of behaviour goes on. We generally try to recapture that spark for life when things were more comfortable and simple. It can be a healthy coping mechanism, it can be a midlife crisis, it can be a mental breakdown, it can be a bad habit. Truth is we all experience it to varying degrees, nostalgia is a visceral & powerful emotion. Seeing an old family photo, driving past your childhood school, finding a box of toys and outdated pop culture artefacts. Our memories are so intrinsically tied to who we are, it’s not often you have those moments but when you do they are quite profound.”
Bugs were one of the first bands to get back out there when venues opened up, playing four sold out shows at The Zoo in July along with Airwaves Festival and In Bloom. Connor is scheduled to play Rock Salt at Phoenix Launceston on January 29, but with the current COVID flare and its border closures, who knows whether that show will go ahead. Don’t get too despondent though. At the very least the band will drop their third studio album this year, giving us all something to look forward to.
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co.; credit: Jaden Marc