FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Listen to a New Track From Collarbones and Find Out If They Are Boy Band Material

The dude from 5 Seconds of Summer is a fan of the Adelaide/Sydney duo which means a bunch of pre-pubescent girls are also now fans.

Beneath the narcissistic sensationalism and tea-sippin, hat-flippin’ memes of Twitter is a frenzied feeding pit of thirst-ravaged music fans clamouring for some interaction with their favourite bands. It’s a phenomenon reserved largely for major label flagship acts – Gagas, Biebz, 1D – not one you’d expect generated by an independent R&B/electronica duo.

But after Michael Clifford of 5 Seconds Of Summer started ‘following’ the Collarbones Twitter account, the Sydney/Adelaide outfit saw their Twitter following swell by 1K almost instantaneously.

Advertisement

But Collarbones new found pop fandom makes sense as singer Marcus Whale has a set of pipes to rival Bieber himself, and producer Travis Cook is savvy with his Warhol 2.0 web presence.

We tracked down Travis to philosophise on the ramifications of self-actualisation and premiere the first single “Turning” taken from the forthcoming album Return.

NOISEY: Are Collarbones a boy band?

Travis Cook: Well fans will say whatever they want to say. Our true fans will know that we aren’t. We have a philosophy, or at least I do, about faking it until you make it. How things can turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. I did a lecture about this, the phenomenon of pretending you’re something until you actually are that something. So basically, I pretended we’re a boy band, and we’ve been treated like one, a little bit.

So what makes a boy band?

Other people will say a boy band isn’t a boy band unless it’s manufactured. But if we’re perceived the same way in every other way, then what’s really the difference?

I think 5 Seconds Of Summer have gone on record saying they’re not a boy band.

In a way, they’re a pop punk band. A pop punk band that’s marketed as a boy band. And they’re pretending that they’re not one. And we’re pretending that we are one. Coming from different sides of the same spectrum.

Why are 5 Seconds Of Summer ‘stans’ clogging your mentions?

Michael Clifford from 5 Seconds Of Summer began following us on Twitter out of the blue. Because they have fans who constantly stalk who they’re following, hoping they’ll get followed on a follow spree, they saw that we were followed and we began getting all these 5 Seconds Of Summer, 1D update, types of accounts. Because we are verified, it makes us look important. Obviously a lot of them only care about us due to that connection to Michael, but a few of them actually listened to our music, which is strange.

Advertisement

The idea of you supporting 5 Seconds Of Summer isn’t that ridiculous.

I’ve told our managers to push it as an actual option. I can’t confirm or deny that we would do it. Marcus is a bit dumbfounded by all this. I’ve egged 5 Seconds Of Summer fans on by faving tweets, starting this feedback loop of a rumour. Dozens and dozens of people have said we’re supporting them. If it got to the point where their booking agent or the band heard us and liked us they’d think about getting us to open. I heard Michael likes Drake, Ashton likes Trey Songz, so maybe Collarbones isn’t too far from those acts in some ways.

Enough boy band bullshit. How would you describe the dynamic between you and Marcus?

Marcus sets the tone with the music mostly, as he’s the vocalist and has more control over the emotional tone. I’m kind of the PR guy. We’re both in control of different things. It can be strange when our powers combine, people don’t know how to perceive us – whether we’re serious and emotional, or this silly Internet comedy troupe.

Has the way you make music together changed?

It’s still pretty similar, we’re still living in different cities. We’re progressing in a sort of a married couple. When I’m in Sydney, we’ll sleep in the same bed, sitting up with our laptops, which is pretty funny. A lot of our conversations on Facebook are me sending YouTube links and him telling me to stop favouriting 5 Seconds Of Summer fan tweets. Often I send five things that are totally unrelated, and he responds to one of them, because five conversations are hard to have at once.

Advertisement

Is Atlantis 2014 the EP you dropped earlier this year an indication of what’s to come on Return?

Marcus said he wanted to baffle people. I do think the EP is a lot different than the album in some ways. The album is a bit more pop, we saved our stronger songs for the album. Quality control is more of a thing this time around.

You’ve already got an enviable standing in Australia. Where do you want the next album to take you?

I have no expectation but there are some songs on here that are much more accessible tha previous albums. I think it’s our most sincere album. It’s kind of a break-up album, hopefully people can relate to the songs and the lyrics because they’re more direct, more emotional, than the last album. Marcus is pouring his heart out, so it would be a shame for that to go to waste.

“Return” will be released in November through Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control.

Collarbones launch "Turning" in August:

August 22 in Adelaide at Cats

August 23 in Melbourne at Liberty Social

August 29 in Brisbane at Alhambra Lounge

August 30 in Sydney at Goodgod Small Club

Follow Lachlan on Twitter @LACHLANKANONIUK for all 5SOS updates.

Related reading:

Holy Shit, The New Wu-Tang Clan Song, “Ron O’Neal,” is Out

Black Vanilla Are About to Challenge Some Complacency With New Track “Smacks”

Retiree’s “Together” Is Good Vibes and Nice Guys