The dying art of Rock ‘n’ Roll according to some is a lost cause … something that is unsalvageable. However, this is not the stance that Brisbane’s resident coastal misfits Reckless Coast take, as they release their latest east coast highway tune ‘Bad Habits’. Tired of the clichés donned by modern rock revivalists, Reckless Coast’s salted pub rock vibe finally forms a bond between Indie and Retro-Rock listeners. A sonic lovechild of Foo Fighters adrenaline and The Rolling Stones swagger. Sitting down with India, Jaeden and Jono, we discuss why their ’70s spiced single ‘Bad Habits’ stands out in the crowd with its surf-esque energy and pub-mosh potential.
‘Bad Habits’ immediately makes people think of alcohol or drug abuse, gambling, or social dysfunctions. However, that is not the case with this song. Can you elaborate on the song’s story?
Jaeden: Whilst there are micro-narratives within the song, the main ‘Bad Habits’ storyline is based on toxic relationships. It’s telling the story of someone comfortable in a relationship diminishing their wellbeing; but being so numb to the situation they don’t do anything to change it … almost touching on a sense of Stockholm Syndrome but in the context of romantic relationships.
There’s a retro-70s persona in this track, but yet it’s refreshingly modern. Can you talk about influences on this track?
Jono: Listening back to it I’d probably say it has old school surf influences in the guitars and the drums are ’90s – 2000s alt rock sort of vibes. Production-wise when I was doing the mix I wanted it to sound modern but still have an old school vibe to it. Making the drums big and room heavy combined with making the guitars and vocals bright and saturated was the approach I thought would achieve that.
Jaeden: The song came together when I fused three separately created ideas … the main riff I wrote by imagining what a “psychedelic surf song” would sound like. The verse riff is a reworking of a classic blues rock shuffle, and the chorus was a riff inspired by retro pub rock. Combining all three, it becomes a refreshingly modern indie-rock tune with retro charm.
What’s the highlight of this song? It can be a lyric or riff. What part of this song makes people hook in?
India: The 70’s rock-inspired breakdown hooks people into the song after the initial hook, and it’s a cool contrast from the rest of the track. Lyrically, a highlight for me is “I don’t want to see you go, but I think it’s best for me to find my own way home”. You come to a realisation when you have to remove yourself from a toxic person or situation, that it’s either step away, or hurt yourself even more. Jaeden hit the nail on the head with that lyric.
What would you like people to take away from the moral/story of this song?
Jaeden: You’re in control of your happiness and don’t be afraid to make changes to improve your well-being.
You’re supporting Delta Riggs and Press Club at Crusher Fest for the release of this new single. How are you feeling about that? Is this your first festival?
India: We’re so keen! This is the band’s first festival, and it’s cool to share it alongside heaps of great local acts and two killer headliners.
No tour this time? I know there’s a story behind that one regarding broken bones.
Jaeden: Yeah honestly not my best work. I was being silly with some mates of mine … Long story short I tried to pick two of them up, and adding 150kg to my body weight pretty much broke my entire left foot. I had to have surgery, and with Crusher Fest coming up, the overall safety risks of doing a tour without any sort of team or entourage were too high, and I didn’t want to further injure myself. It’s the first time we had to cancel anything like this … We didn’t want to, but the surgeon’s words were “it was like jelly in there”, and we weren’t risking further injury before the festival.
Is this just a single? Or something more on the way?
Jaeden: So this is the first single off a 5 track EP. It’s our first major EP release as Reckless Coast, and we’re keen to put out a release that’s reflective of our current live catalogue. It’ll be released mid 2024.
What’s your thoughts on bands only releasing singles rather than EPs/LPs? Is there anything worthwhile in them, or are singles the only interest from fans now?
Jono: I mean, I personally love bigger bodies of work like albums and EPS. I can see why PR agencies and marketing teams push artists to stick to singles. It’s much easier to build a fanbase by marketing different songs to a fanbase every couple months as opposed to marketing the same album to fans for a year. The general trend I have noticed with artists is they stagger release a bunch of singles to try and build a fanbase and when they feel like they have a solid amount of listeners they release an album. But who knows, rules are meant to be broken. Maybe in like four years there will be a new formula.
First release versus this release … How do you feel when you look back at the older catalogue?
India: Each release we get more and more confident in ourselves. I love playing our (only four years) “old” tracks – same amount of enthusiasm and passion, now with a stronger sound and a big step in progress. I’m really proud of the natural growth we’ve had from our first release. Our genre has become more refined and we now really know who we are and what we sound like.
If you could choose one song to re-record, which would it be and why?
Jaeden: “Got That Feelin’” … would love to improve guitar layers and shorten some sections … but that said, I like seeing an artist’s progression from release to release … going back to see where they’ve come from compared to where they’ve ended up both in songwriting and production terms is really interesting. It’s an organic part of an artist’s career.
Reckless Coast are appearing at ‘Crusher Fest’ at The Brightside in Meeanjin/Brisbane on December 2 alongside The Delta Riggs and Press Club. Their latest single ‘Bad Habits’ is now available on all platforms.
You can stream ‘Bad Habits’ here.
Tickets for Crusher Fest can be found here.
Image used with permission from Reckless Coast
