discover new australian music

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

Ange: Someone threw three strangers in a room together and Telenova is the sound that came out. Sounds crazy, but that’s really how it happened.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

Ed: New music. Sounds silly, but when you discover a new song that really hits you in that sweet spot, it’s almost like ‘right, that’s now the standard I want to be at, I’m going to work harder to try and get to that place’. At first it can be kind of demoralising hearing something that’s red hot, but then an almost competitive nature comes out, which leads to hard work.

Ange: It’s people, actually. Connection with people. Whether that’s your band, or whether that’s in a live show, where you’re essentially re-creating the magic of when you first wrote that song, but with other people in the room; or whether it’s feeling so much pain for someone you love and needing to put that into music and lyrics to capture something of how you feel and communicate that somehow to reach through to them. To me it’s much more abstract and profound than just sounds and melodies. Inspiration comes from the people I’m alive with.

What can punters expect from a Telenova live show?

Ange: a magical mystery tour with the addition of the occasional mini-stand up routine from Ed & Josh (that gets forced upon them every time I need to tune my guitar). You can expect a boogie. And very recently we started working on a bit of a mystical visual experience, it’s very exciting to be building that side of the show as well. Big dreams of where that can go in the coming months.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

Josh: Not sure who it was from or if it's just an old cliche but basically all I think you need to do is keep turning up. I don't really believe in inspiration, to me it's just work, as long as you keep working regardless of whether you feel inspired or not things will happen. Magic moments are few and far between so in the interim you just gotta be chipping away, putting the hours in.

Ange: Do the best with the time you’ve been given. Think that was Gandalf maybe?

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

‘Because I’m Me’ by The Avalanches. It’s a bonafide party starter, with a heartwarming film clip to boot.

Ange: To be honest I just agree wholeheartedly with Ed. Oh and maybe ‘The Less I Know The Better’ by Tame Impala, not because the lyrical content is at all full of cheer - but surely that riff will make anyone see the light. When you hear things that excellent, doesn’t it just make you happy and know that there’s
some good in the world??

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Ed: Has to be ‘My Happiness’ by Powerderfinger doesn’t it? Assuming they’re already emotionally fragile of course :)

Ange: Body by Julia Jacklin. Damn that song gets me. Also the arrangement of that song is perfect. You gotta wait 4 minutes for the hook! Bold.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Josh: 100% without fail it's always 'Love Is In The Air' by John Paul Young! I've seen it work so many times now it's silly. That song never gets old to me, the clavinet in verse two is fire, big time smash wedding slayer.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

Josh: I'm sure I've been to plenty but the last one that kicked my arse was Tropical Fuck Storm. That band is white hot, they give me the rock n roll guilts, it's so confronting and honest, almost scary at times! Gareth Liddiard is an icon but the rest of that band hold their own. I love the female energy in the mix, it makes for such a unique flavour.

Ange: Haha, our last Bones tour show at Northcote Social Club was only last week, so does that count? Our supports were bloody good if I do say so myself. Thoroughly enjoyed sets from VALENTIN and Velvet Bloom. Both lead vocalists knew how to hold the tension in the room. I love that feeling at a live show. When the front person is just commanding the space so well. Chills.

Tell us about the bands or people in the local music community that inspire you.

Josh: I love what Surprise Chef and the College Of Knowledge label are doing, excellent musicianship and sick sounding records.

Ange: Oh, so many! Matt Corby’s ‘Rainbow Valley’ in 2018 was a huge stand out for me. Love the work he’s doing with Budjerah at the moment. BENEE (I was born in NZ too, do the Kiwis count as local? Surely some trans-tasman love is acceptable). Sycco with the sultry voice of a smokey jazz bar goddess. Tame Impala, obviously. Just a genius. Loved Dope Lemon’s ‘Smooth Big Cat’ album. Big Slum Sociable fan. Lucky I get to be in a band with Ed and absorb his talents into the Telenova project. The Avalanches. Julia Jacklin. We’re a talented little island over here in Australia it seems.

What are your plans for the rest of 2021?

Josh: I just wanna keep on working! We want to have our debut Telenova record done by the end of the year, keep the releases coming, the ball is rolling now so we gotta keep going while the going is good.

Ange: Record the album. Write the next one. Play lots of live shows for the people we love. Make them special. Direct some more music videos for Telenova (*spoiler alert*). Make magic. Outside of the world of Telenova my 2021 plans are have more romantic dinners and light more scented candles and have longer baths."