“You play music for a reason, man.”
For Declan Melia of Australian indie/garage rock group British India, the reason he plays is to fill the niche hole in Australian music he feels they have created.
“There’s no other band in Australia doing quite what we do,” he said.
Never ungrateful for the opportunities presented to the group Melia said he realised how lucky they were to still be able to pursue music as a lifestyle and career path.
“It’s not uncommon for this all to disappear at any moment,” Melia said.
“You can’t be relevant forever… our success is that we’re still here.”
To avoid the disappearing act for the time being, Melia said now was about making something that reflected the human condition.
“Our music is about human collision,” he said.
“It’s about not living life in that middle space, feeling the highs and the lows; it’s got to be like a good movie.
“The songs seem to come really easily, which is worrying.”
In terms of writing this style, Melia said there was no steadfast rule as they had to be free to not hold back with their expression.
For the new album, Melia described the works as a mixture of guitars, relationships and more texture than ever before.
Primarily the new songs are there to inspire a bit of a drink and a dance in crowds.
“We know what we do best and we really like doing it,” Melia said.
He said despite their success, they didn’t end up where they thought they’d be.
“I thought I’d be in Los Angeles sleeping with lingerie models,” Melia said.
“I think we think every song is going to change the world and are disappointed when it doesn’t.”
The group’s overall impact on the Australian music industry was visible in the fact they still produce music that is widely received.
“I can’t see an end in sight right now… but you can’t be relevant forever.”
For now however, Melia said he was quite happy to continue to fill the British India sized hole that would be left once they call it a day.
British India will play Dunsborough Tavern on May 15.
Tickets are available through Oztix.
