Q & A: Alexandra Reade From ‘Drown This City’
Melbourne Hardcore outfit Drown This City are set to release their EP ‘False Idols’ in just under a month’s time. We had a chat to lead vocalist Alexandra Reade to find out who she is IRL and what the the quintet have been working on!
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
I make a coffee! I literally crawl out of bed to the kettle.
What is your favourite breakfast food?
A really strong coffee, followed by avo mash on toast.
What’s your daily outfit of choice?
Black jeans always and some cool kicks!
Do you brush your teeth morning and night?
Haha yes. Always, but sometimes it’s a struggle.
How many pets do you have?
Two cats, awesome cats.
Are you a clean or messy person?
Both depending on what mood I’m in, but I need a super clean creative space to function in. I normally do a whirlwind clean and organise everything before I get in the zone to write music.
Are you excited to finally have your EP ‘False Idols’ ready for release?
We can’t wait to get this release out. We’ve got more tracks to share, some of our heaviest! There’s nothing like hearing a song you love finally find it’s place on a record and you get the big picture on how all the songs fit together. I can’t wait for listeners to be able to have that experience with False Idols.
What kind of themes lyrically are you tackling on this EP?
I write a lot of lyrics about ‘waking up’ front whatever complacent state of mind or oppression people find themselves in. A lot of the songs discuss the moment when you realise everything you’ve ever believed in is bullshit and you need to start building your own belief system.
Our feature track named after the EP ‘False Idols’ talks about recognising that the people who dictate who you are and how you should feel about yourself are often more messed up than you and you don’t have to take on their beliefs. Mostly it’s about taking control of your mind, developing a true self and learning to recognise there are a lot of forces in the world who wish you harm and you’ve got to overcome that.
Why did you choose I’m Not Divided as your single release?
We’d been saving I’m Not Divided up for our first official single premiere – it holds a lot more aggression and energy than some of our other songs, it’s really angry. Vocally and thematically it’s a strong response to constantly being told we are sick, we are diseased, we aren’t normal, but in the end that just makes us stronger. We teamed it with a film clip to match the aggressive message and the response has been really great it shows a different side to the band.
Being a hardcore band with a female singer, have you had to cross any obstacles in a highly male driven genre?
Being referred to as a ‘chick band’ really gets me going. We certainly aren’t a ‘chick-band’, I am definitely outnumbered and we go just as hard as anyone else. The most frustrating thing for me is having my gender pointed out to me every day, I don’t really get why it matters I use my vocal chords the same as anyone else. There’s no female way to scream, no female way to write music – it’s bullshit. All the frustrations about it just fuel me even more.
