Busseys On New Single ‘Swear It Was True’

Amidst Adelaide’s booming music scene, Busseys prove themselves as one to keep an eye on with the premiere of their latest single Swear It Was True. Since local favourite Crystal Gazer was released in late 2018, Busseys have thrived in their hometown supporting the likes of Lime Cordiale, Spacey Jane, and British India, and even venturing interstate on line ups with Old Mervs (Perth), Bad Juju (Melb), Of Lion (Bris), and Neighbourhood Void (Syd). Spending the subsequent years honing their songwriting, stage presence, and building their fanbase, Busseys are ready to kick off a new era.

Swear It Was True feels like two friends sitting in the front seat of a dark car, trying to navigate life’s difficult moments; the complex; the mundane; but finding relief through conversation with each other. The track’s verses feature muddy instrumentals with ethereal soundscapes inspired by Phoebe Bridgers, building tension to then be satisfyingly released in the sweeping duet choruses inspired by the likes of Pinegrove, Gang of Youths, and Spacey Jane. The band answer a few questions about the single.

How exciting was the build up to the release of the single Swear It Was True?
The lead up to this release was super exciting! To us this song kind of marks a new beginning; it is the first song featuring Stella on lead vocals, is the first of a large run of songs we are working toward releasing over the course of the next year, and is also the first release we’ve put out since our dear friend Brock left the band to move across the globe.

Can you believe how much work goes into a new single?
It definitely is a lot of work! I think that this time especially we have been trying to DIY approach a lot of the promotion and content creation around this release, which has been exhausting but also very rewarding! We are looking forward to building on these new skills we’re developing for our future releases.

What’s the story behind the single Swear It Was True?
Swear It Was True began with the chorus, which I suppose isn’t very typical for how we usually write. The lyrics centre around self-reflection, and feeling guilty over things out of your control. With a common melody and lyrical through line, Stella and I wrote our verses separately, and the song came together very organically from there.

Sonically, how would you describe Busseys?
We had a similar question put to us recently! So I reckon we can use the same answer and say ‘sunshine indie houseplant anthems’ ha ha. I think that our music generally feels pretty bright and has a lot of big anthemic moments. But they are also about introspection, love, and growth.

How did the band meet? What was the energy like in those initial jam sessions?
Brock and I began working on Busseys together in 2018, piecing together ideas until they began forming into songs. By the end of the year, we had met Xav through mutual friends, and upon the first jam together it was apparent that we clicked as people and that the songs were sounding great! We began gigging and releasing music. We all knew Stella, but didn’t actually begin playing together as a four piece until mid-late 2020. This elevated the songs we were already playing, and made our new songs so much more exciting!

Who are some of the biggest musical heroes for Busseys?
Ball Park Music is a band that we have so much admiration for! We feel like they are a great group for us to aspire to be like both in personality and in sound. Some other bands we look up to include Spacey Jane, Middle Kids, Pinegrove, Gang of Youths, and Stella Donnelly.

How did you come up with the name Busseys?
Brock and I spent a long, crazy night in London together, some of which was spent at a club called ‘Bussey Building’. It just felt like an important time in our friendship and therefore a fitting time to name our band after.

Is the band working towards an EP/album?
Currently our aim is to put every song we record out as a single for the foreseeable future! This allows us to keep trying new sounds and give each song the love we think they deserve. It’s takes a lot of time, money, and resources to put out a larger project like an album, and we don’t want to put an EP or LP out that we aren’t completely happy with!

Interview By Rob Lyon

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