Queenie On New Single ‘Everything Sucks’
Naarm/Melbourne based singer-songwriter Queenie shares her fiery new single Everything Sucks. Arriving off the back of her striking 2024 releases Not Divine and Mama, Everything Sucks is a
powerfully deep cut about the end of a relationship. Drawing you in with its spellbound hooks, Everything Sucks unfolds into a melancholy anthem of angst and heartache. Queenie tells Hi Fi Way more about the single.
How has the build up been leading up to the release of Everything Sucks?
Huge! I knew I was announcing the album with the single so I was literally bursting with excitement. It’s also my favourite song on the record so I’ve been really looking forward to setting this one free.
Was the process of making your single as challenging as you thought?
In all honesty this has probably been the least challenging, most comfortable and easy going recording I’ve ever done. My producer Josh Barber and I are long lost musical siblings and it was such a magical, wholesome, validating experience. I’ve never felt more comfortable in a studio and I’ve never been more satisfied and proud of the end result.
What is the story behind Everything Sucks?
I actually wrote “Everything Sucks” back in 2020. I’d just come out of a ten year relationship and we were heading straight into lock down. I didn’t have the usual avenues of socialising and partying to drown my sorrows so I really had to sit and work through my feelings. I hadn’t written a song in a while so I sat down on my bed with an acoustic guitar and the songs just poured out. I think I wrote about six songs in the space of three or four days. The track was really just an outpouring of grief and loss. I was struggling to get through the days, especially being stuck inside and wondering what the hell was happening in the world. Everything really did suck at that point.
What was your reaction when you played it for the first time through your headphones?
This one was a bit of a slow burner. When Josh and I were working on it we initially fleshed it out as a dark kind of folk song but it didn’t quite feel right. I’d been listening to a lot of War on Drugs and I felt like it needed an 80’s nostalgic edge. I loved it instantly after the second (now final) version.
Are there plans for more music this year?
I just announced the release of my debut album New Moult which comes out August 30 (you can pre-order it now). I’m always writing and always collaborating with other musos so I can guarantee there will be other stuff out before the year is up!
Sonically, how would you describe your music?
It’s taken a long time to figure out where my music sits on the genre spectrum but someone described it as sad and romantic alt rock which I think is pretty damn close. Think about if Kate Bush, War on Drugs, Bon Iver and Chrissy Amphlett all combined their DNA and created a little lab grown orange rat that ran around singing songs. That would be me.
Who would you consider to be the biggest influence on your music and why?
I don’t think I have one specific influence, I think all my influences over the years have combined into one giant influence. Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Betty Davis, Steely Dan, Eagles, Bjork…the list is very long but they’re the top artists I’ve been listening to on repeat since I exited the womb.
Do you still believe in the concept of an album?
Absolutely. I think creating bodies of work is so important. It’s easy to pump out single after single but sitting with a catalogue of songs, creating a story and an entire experience start to finish for the listener is something so beautiful and raw and honest. It’s like a book. Albums have starts, middles, ends, peaks troughs, lulls…the lot!
Are you looking to tour more broadly this year?
We’re planning a tour for September / October around the east coast of the country which will be awesome. We really want to try and do some solid regional shows and focus on packing out smaller venues. Keep your eyes peeled!
Interview By Rob Lyon
Connect with Queenie
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