This New Zealand quintet have been dousing our speakers with synth-fuelled pop since their debut record back in 2010, Passive Me, Aggressive You.
Since then, there has been a whole lot of touring and a (more than) worthy follow-up record. They’ve got that big synths meets bright vocals combination down to uplifting proportions, and we just had to find out what makes the band tick. Take a look at the visuals for ‘I Kill Giants’ below, and keep on scrolling for a list that includes Patti Smith, tour books and record suggestions to warrant a complete iTunes overhaul.
The Mint Chicks
“The Mint Chicks made a huge impression on us when we first started TNAF. Their Lo-Fi/D.I.Y/Punk attitude was a big inspiration to us while we were working on our first two E.P’s, This Machine & No Light. I remember seeing them play in an old school library hall somewhere in my home town, Auckland City: my first punk show. I was about 15.”
Suuns
“On our last leg of touring Passive Me, Aggressive You everyone in the band was listening to Suuns. Their song ‘Arena’… When I listen to it now, I feel nostalgic. I remember feeling excited about stopping touring in order to start working on In Rolling Waves. They’re a moment-in-time band for me.”
Miranda July
“I often cheekily nick off with Thom’s books and read them before he does. Haha. At some during the creation of In Rolling Waves we had both read ‘No one belongs here more than you’ by Miranda July. Sometimes being stuck inside my own head for a long time can feel nauseating and I need to be inside someone else’s.”
Patti Smith
“I had finished reading ‘Just Kids’ at the end of our recording sessions at Sunset Sounds, where we recorded In Rolling Waves. Patti Smith is a universal inspiration to so many people. After reading this I can see why. Her journey as an artist is an inspiration. She possesses such a pure spirit and a thirst for creativity.”
1Q84
“I picked this 900 page long novel from a bookstore in The Chelsea Markets in New York. I’m still reading it now as we’re touring through Europe. There are so many magic twists! I read it every night before going to sleep, in my bunk/hole/mini-home. I stay up too late… it’s hard to put down!”
Canton Street
“Thom wanted me to include this image. Here I am in my Lonely Hearts lingerie, in our pool at Canton Street in LA. I miss that house already… I miss the life we had. It was a bubble. We were well hidden. Precious memories.”
Karley Sciortino
“Karley Sciortino a.k.a Slutever.com – she makes me laugh. And think. A woman who speaks about things that are unconventional and boundary breaking. It’s refreshing. She’s Thom’s favourite gal at the moment. She favourited one of his tweets and it was headline news in our tour bus. haha.”
Black Hole
“I’m pretty good at buying Thom a book or graphic novel on his birthday. I bought Black Hole by Charles Burns for his 26th. It’s a story about a group of teenagers who develop disturbing, STD induced mutations. True story.”
Max Richter
“Max Richter. Our favorite contemporary composer. Listen to this album. It’s beautiful.”
Frightened Rabbit
“We played a show in Glasgow at some point in 2011. We’d heard Frightened Rabbit were playing just down the road from us at a bar called Nice N Sleezy’s. We finished our show, ran offstage, sprinted through our audience and managed to only miss their first couple of songs.”
– James Embiricos
