Street Legal On New Single ‘Cardio’

Fresh from shows with heavyweights like Sparta (US) and Ash (UK), Adelaide’s most lovable post-punk outfit, Street Legal have unveil their energetic new single Cardio. Cardio’ fiercely challenges unrealistic body standards, with vocalist Matt Hayward exuding a powerful sense of self-worth despite societal pressures. The expertly timed drum and synth sequences amplify the song’s themes of self-confidence, making Cardio a surefire way to get the blood pumping.

Recorded with Matt Schultz (The Empty Threats/Twine) at Interim Studios and mixed with GRAMMY award-winning engineer Hugo Nicolson (Radiohead, Father John Misty), Cardio showcases Street Legal’s ability to blend sounds from the past and the future to create thought provoking art. Drawing inspiration from new wave, synth-pop, and post-punk genres, the band prove that music with a bold message can still be irresistibly fun. Front man Matt Hayward tells Hi Fi Way more.

New single Cardio is fantastic, what is the story behind this one?
Cheers! Sometimes when I’m a little aggrieved about something, I’ll write it down in my notes app. It’s a warped take on mindfulness I’ve developed over the years, in the sense that instead of letting it go like a normal sane person might I’m going to actually save it to stew on later.

Cardio is a song that is the product of a dozen or so entries, from the point of view of someone standing on the outside looking in. I’m interested in misfits, outcasts and sore thumbs. Targets from the song include scene politics and self proclaimed arbiters of taste, internalised discrimination and embracing self reliance as a positive.

Sonically, how would you describe the band to the uninitiated?
Street Legal are nu-romantic wave punk. At the moment we exist somewhere between the urban restlessness of LCD Soundsystem and the lyrical kitchen sink introspection of early Hunters & Collectors.

How does the creative process work for Street Legal?
Generally speaking these days I’m more likely to come along to practice with the song and we’ll work out how it all fits together as a group. We tend to workshop songs for quite a while until they’re ready to go. It’s really exciting to watch how the band interprets the track and then we go about refining it down.

Have you continued writing songs for what might be an EP or album?
We’ve completed our debut EP Bruxism with Hugo Nicolson (responsible for Primal Scream’s Screamadelica) and Matt Schultz (The Empty Threats’ Monster Truck Mondays) and we’re preparing to launch that early in the new year with our next single.

Do you still believe in the concept of an album?
I definitely do and I’m totally an albums guy. There’s something to be said for just embracing an album’s runtime and letting the artist take you where they want you to go. Albums can also be a document of where that band was at that stage of their career. I love all the early Cure records for this reason. Singles are good and all – but can you imagine A Forest being released as a stand alone track?

That being said, current financial limitations for artists and the way the industry is currently geared around this insatiable need for continual content means that many bands are forced to churn out songs in the hope of catching some sort of viral algorithmic success. I didn’t fall in love with making music just to end up in marketing.

How was it supporting Sparta and Ash this year?
It was exceptionally cool. I grew up listening to both of those bands in high school – I never thought in my wildest years we would share a stage with Jim Ward. Both Wiretap Scars and 1977 had a massive impact on me as a young kid. Unfortunately at the Ash gig I attempted to swallow a microphone which necessitated my dentist taking a healthy share of our guarantee for the evening. All for the church of rock and roll!

Do you learn a lot playing supporting international acts?
You definitely understand how to perform to a higher standard and the professionalism that comes with it. As a band we’re totally aware we’re just a small cog in this touring machine and we’re really open to wanting to play to new audiences who might not have seen us before. It was incredible and totally unexpected at the Sparta gig to be able to look out into the audience and see people singing our songs back at us.

Is Joel Byrne going to be a regular in the band moving forwards?
Having Joel play with us has been an exciting development, but without trying to sound like too much of a bighead I like to think of it like a Johnny Marr joining Modest Mouse situation, you’re only going to be in that person’s orbit for a certain amount of time. We’ve been good mates for a long time and he tolerates a lot of my bullshit.

Fun fact: there is a secret society of expat musicians in Adelaide called “Sons of the Triangle”, all based around our proximity to growing up in or around the Iron Triangle. Just talking about it will probably get me killed no doubt. The last W&C album Nil was incredible, I hope we can do some writing together in the future. Fingers crossed.

What’s the plan for Street Legal in 2025?
We have a gig early in the new year supporting Naarm psych rockers Majak Door and then we’ll be releasing our debut EP with a brand new single. Then a national tour not too long after that. Not trying to count our chickens too much before they hatch.

What Adelaide band should we be keeping an eye out on in 2025?
I think everyone already has their eye on them, but The Genevieves write some pretty compelling songs. Mondo Psycho wrote a great record which I love on vinyl, I hope to see them play more next year as well. Looking forward to more tunes from Alana Jagt and The Super Eight as well!

Interview By Rob Lyon

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