"Beware of Pinch Points! A Pinch Point is an area on a machine where a finger can get lodged between two moving parts. Typically a gear, rollers, or a moving belt are the most common areas of concern".
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia the Pinch Points are an emerging band rising to the top of the gamut of bands that country has been producing in recent years. Since their debut in 2018 many accolades have been thrown into the Pinch Points ring.
In March they released Process to critical claim. The band is currently touring and promoting the release through Australia and New Zealand with plans to hit Europe in August and North America next summer. Spin the new record and support them on tour. If predictions are correct Pinch Points could be the "next big thing."
Scene Point Blank: How do you avoid a Pinch Point?
Pinch Points: Keep your hands clear!
Scene Point Blank: How did COVID affect you as individuals, as a band, and lyrically?
Lyrically there seems to be a lot of references to anxiety living in today's society/lockdown.
Pinch Points: It was mainly a drag to have all band activities halted for so long when we had been busy gigging lots and starting to write new music up until the pandemic hit. We kept up that eagerness to keep working on new stuff throughout many months of lockdowns and emerged ready to get back to it. Funnily, most of the lyrical topics were already roughly outlined before the pandemic set in. It brought out new meaning in a lot of the lyrics, but most of the topics are issues that existed pre-COVID and will endure after it too.
Scene Point Blank: Spoiler Alert: Boring lead-off question that I have not led off with: What is the history of the band and prior musical history?
Pinch Points: Our origin story is that Adam had written a batch of the Mechanical Injury tracks on his own and then assembled Acacia, Zev and Jordan to rock out as Pinch Points. After we launched the EP Zev had to return to the U.S., so we asked Issy to join on drums ahead of Moving Parts. Across the bunch of us, we’ve previously played in, or continue to play in, Jungle Breed, Edamame, Slush, Sunfruits, Wasterr, Gee Seas, Checkpoint, and Jordan Oakley Band.
Scene Point Blank: How was it working with Anna Laverty as a producer? Any endearing, lurid tales from the whole experience of recording “process”? How did it differ from recording Moving Parts?
Pinch Points: Working with Anna was awesome. We’d always recorded/mixed ourselves, so having a fifth person bringing their expertise to the table was invaluable. We ended up having a really fun time tracking the record at Audrey Studios. The studio is a 10 minute walk from Adam and Jordan’s house in Coburg and a few doors down from the local pub. In the end, the whole process ended up being a pretty relaxed foray into the world of professional studios.
Scene Point Blank: Australian bands seem to be hot property with the success of Amyl and the Sniffers, The Chats, etc. Do you think some of the paths that they have carved might lead to further success for your band and others? Or do you attribute success to your own merits?
Pinch Points: It is super encouraging to see Aussie bands take off internationally and build a solid audience beyond Australia. We do think the success of these bands generates more buzz and interest in other Aus music, but it’s also not a recipe for success. You’ve still got to do the groundwork to put yourself out there, establish your connections and build on these.
Scene Point Blank: What current Australian bands do you feel deserve a mention? Are there any current bands that you would like to share a stage with?
Pinch Points: There are so many that deserve a mention! Here are a few… Brick Head, Gut Health, Our Carlson, Delivery, TOR, Screensaver, Quality Used Cars, Folk Bitch Trio, Bad Bangs. We’ve been lucky enough to play with some of these bands already but we’d love to share a stage with all of ‘em.
Scene Point Blank: Australia has a rich history of great rock ‘n’ roll bands such as The Scientists, Radio Birdman, Saints, X, Bored!, GOD, Powder Monkeys, Cosmic Psychos, etc. I could go on but will refrain. How influential are past Australian bands on Pinch Points?
Pinch Points: We’re more inspired by newer Australian rock bands and all of our peers in the local scene here, to be honest. A lot of the bands you’ve mentioned were part of some pretty male-heavy pub scenes back then and we like to think that Aus rock music has evolved quite a lot since then. But at the same time, if you’re playing rock in Australia it’s hard to completely escape the influence and legacy of those older bands.
Scene Point Blank: Do toilets flush backward in Australia?
Pinch Points: Not at all! Ours flush clockwise. Don’t yours flush backward? :)
Scene Point Blank: The subject matter of the lyrics appears to address a lot of issues in Australia. Do you think that the lyrics transcend that notion and could be seen as global as well?
Pinch Points: There are parallels in a lot of other parts of the world. Climate change, gendered violence, colonization, and capitalism are factors in many places and billions of people’s lives. We’re in no way trying to speak for everyone when we mention these issues, just from our perspective, but some threads can connect to many broader issues.
Climate change, gendered violence, colonization, and capitalism are factors in many places and billions of people’s lives. We’re in no way trying to speak for everyone when we mention these issues, just from our perspective, but some threads can connect to many broader issues.
Scene Point Blank: How do you talk wank. Is it a secret coded language or can anyone learn it like Pig Latin?
Pinch Points: Wankers talk a lot. Listen to us and you'll absorb it!
Scene Point Blank: What are tour plans? Do you hope to hit North American soil at some (pinch) point?
Pinch Points: Absolutely. We’ve wanted to play shows in North America since we first started as a band. We think we’re getting a lot closer to that being a reality now…
Scene Point Blank: Pinch Points aside, where else do your interests lie?
Pinch Points: In no particular order and for no particular member: climate justice, politics, community radio, graphic design, dogs, bushwalking, kicking the footy, road cycling, cooking, gaming, admiring architecture, reading books…
Scene Point Blank: Although some may perceive the LP as a bunch of angry individuals railing against the world, others like myself see it as a positive message giving insight into issues. The song “Am I Okay” offers hope, for example. I think if you dig deeper you may hear more than what is at the surface. Thanks, I just answered my question. Haha. How do feel about both sides of that statement?
Pinch Points: We are angry about all these things, so that statement is accurate in a sense. We just hope it comes across that we’re angry from a place of wanting things to improve, not just for the sake of being angry. And yes, we are hoping to shed light on and give insight into these issues in a useful or meaningful way, or to just make sense of our feelings about them.
Scene Point Blan: Bands being successful brings the haters out. Are you fearful of success and change or would you embrace it?
Pinch Points: We’re all fairly lowkey, even shy people at different times, so becoming a bigger band brings some fear around more eyes on you and people listening to what you’re saying. But we’re also an ambitious bunch which we’re not ashamed of, so we’re here for the ride and where it takes us.
Scene Point Blank: Any parting thoughts or shots?
Pinch Points: See y’all in the Northern Hemisphere some time!
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