Interview: Mossy
Sydney actor come singer-songwriter Mossy has burst onto Australia’s music scene with his unique psych-pop debut EP. The artist has already released impressive singles Electric Chair and Ginsenberg ahead of the four-track offering. We chatted to Mossy on the phone to find out more about who the creative miracle.
First of all, congratulations on your debut EP! You’re a singing actor turned singer-songwriter, what made you switch to music?
Well it’s just something that I’ve always really enjoyed doing. I’ve played music since I was six-years-old and wrote songs since I was 16-years-old, so it’s just something that I’ve always done in conjunction with acting. But it just became more of a focus, something that I could do everyday.
For those who don’t know your music yet, how would you define your sound?
I guess it’s quite layered and textual. It’s also quite melodic and colourful, I would say.
I think your music has a very original psych pop sound. Who are your major musical inspirations?
I love artists like Leonard Cohen. I listened to a lot of hip-hop growing up, so the rhythm sections from hip-hop I’m very inspired by, and I listen to a lot of classics. I would say my favourite band would probably be Deer Hunter.
The video for Electric Chair is pretty ominous. You can definitely tell that you’re an actor because you display this feeling really well. What inspired the dark theme for the song and video?
The idea came up when the director and I were discussing the video. The song is about self obsession and self destruction. So that reminded [the director] of the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus, where Echo falls in love with Narcissus, but he is too busy being in love with himself and ends up destroying it. So that’s what inspired the video.
You used two Ginsenberg poems as inspiration for the song Ginsberg and you said that the line ‘Candour end paranoia’ changed your life. Why is that?
It was just one of those things where…had I read it the next day it might not have made the same impact, but for some reason that day it really stood out. I wrote it on a piece of paper and stuck it in my wallet, it was just there. It was just something that really stuck with me at the time and it was just inspiring in a lot of ways.
The song has a have a very deep meaning, has writing the song helped you process something in your life?
Writing music is always quite cathartic. And that was no more a cathartic experience than writing in general every really is. But it was certainly based around that line from the poem.
Do you think your theatrical background helps you in the process of writing songs?
Potentially. I think my history in performance has lead me into becoming a music performer. There’s definitely similarities when it comes to preforming. They’re both creative. But writing music and performing music are obviously two very different things. I do certainly think that acting and the experience with theater and stuff would certainly fit into performing music.
You’re doing one show in Sydney next month after your EP release, do you have any other shows planned in Australia or overseas?
No there’s nothing planned as yet, but there certainly will be.
So can we expect a show in Brisbane as well?
Potentially, I think at some point. I haven’t made any thorough plans to play shows yet, but it’s certainly something that I’m going to do and would definitely love to do. There’ll be shows later in the year I think!
Mossy’s self-titled EP will be released on Friday 13th of May, check out the video for Electric Chair below!
