SPOTLIGHT: WAIST

Meet waist and tune into their brand new single “mtv”

“mtv” is such an explosive debut, congratulations! Can you take us back to that afternoon when it came together?

AL: Writing it was just one of those flash in the pan moments. It was frenzied. I remember a lot of yelling. Running around my sharehouse recording voice memos and rolling very slapdash cigarettes. That’s how we knew it was good. 

SAM: I couldn’t even find where I wrote the lyrics. I had to piece them together from my phone, computer and notepad. We tried to go out for a drink afterwards and ended up wandering down an empty street - we just went home. 

The lyric “I want to act like you, I want to be you” captures both admiration and self-erasure. How did you approach exploring identity and obsession through this song?

SAM: When I write lyrics, they usually just come out and I kind of work out why they came out later. I think I tapped into a mix of adolescent angst since I’ve got enough of that to last me a lifetime. 

Alistair described the process as “pure mania.” Do you think that intensity shaped the song’s sound as much as its lyrics?

SAM: The process reminded me that I can open the floodgates and let that mania out. I hope that translates to the listener.

AL: It’s pure chaos. Sam brings such an insane tension to the track vocally, but he also sounds like a manic preacher channeling all that energy and guiding us through the storm.

You started developing demos between Brisbane and Melbourne before finally being in the same room together. How did that long-distance collaboration influence your creative chemistry?

SAM: Working apart gave us time to reflect on what we were making - and also forced us to make use of the time of being together. 

The post-punk and darkwave influences are clear in “mtv,” but there’s also something distinctly modern about it. How do you both balance nostalgia with newness in your sound?

SAM: It’s an amalgamation of everything we’ve listened to historically and everything we hear now. I’m always seeking out new music. 

AL: We both come from making music in wildly different genres - Sam with slacker rock and me with hip-hop. I think that brings so much outside perspective to the genre which gives it a really fresh bite.

Sam, you said the song is about loneliness turning into self-loathing and fear of being alone. How personal was that sentiment for you to write about?

SAM: I’m a very emotional forward person. Sometimes negative thoughts feel burnt into my body and they can just come out when I need to draw on them.  It all came from an authentic place. I think some feelings you never forget. 

What drew you to the title “mtv”? Is it a commentary on culture, identity, or more of a personal metaphor?

SAM: For me it’s a personal metaphor mixed with MTV’s strong presence growing up. Everytime I listen to the track I feel like a rockstar. Music videos inspired me to pick up the guitar. 

The song’s pace is relentless, almost like it’s running from something. Was that intentional to mirror the emotional urgency of the lyrics?

SAM: That’s just what it’s like inside my head haha

You cite artists like Molchat Doma and The Cure as influences, what about their work resonates most with you, and how does that show up in “mtv”?

SAM: Fast paced, mix of slow and erratic vocal lines. Listening to Molchat Doma opened my mind to this style of music which was so dynamic and different to the music I had made before. 

AL: I love the textures and the emotional immediacy of it all. The grandiose-ness of it. Everything’s all so life or death.

The recording process sounds intensely epic. Do you believe creative chaos brings out your best ideas?

AL: I feel like it’s got to be chaotic haha. That’s when you know you’re truly feeling it and you can’t sit still. If you’re not bouncing off the walls when you’re making it then it’s just not hitting.

You’ve said that no AI was used in the creation of your music or visuals. Why was it important for you to make that statement?

AL: Fuck clankers, fuck big tech, fuck billionaires. Art is expression from the soul not a line on a graph.

There’s a strong visual and atmospheric world around “mtv.” How do you imagine the song being experienced live or visually on stage?

AL: Larger than life and gothic as fuck. Like going to see Phantom of the Opera or something but with depraved guitar tones and yelling. And we’re wearing way more black.

“mtv” feels like the start of something much larger. How do you see this debut setting the tone for the rest of waist’s future work?

AL: It feels like a big grand statement. Like “HERE WE ARE WORLD. WE ARE WAIST AND THIS IS WHAT WE DO”. I want mtv to click with people so they know exactly what we’re all about, so then we can build on that with everything we do after.

Finally, after creating something this kinetic and emotionally charged, what do you hope listeners feel when they hear “mtv” for the first time?

SAM: Woah, I’ve got to see this band. 

AL: What the F*CK was that?

Listen to “mtv” here.