Foley (Ash Wallace & Gabriel Everett) have been riding the wave of excitement for the last two years as they added to their impressive backlog of gigs, which included the Rhythm and Vines festival, and gigs for their two single releases Settle and Talk About It. Chris Chick from Muzic.net.nz had the privilege of talking to Foley about the release of their new 5-track EP On My Conscience. Here's what was said:
Can you give our readers a quick glimpse into the history of Foley, why you started? and why the name Foley?
Gabe: We’ve been friends for such a long time and met through our separate high-school bands back in the day although we didn’t start writing together for several years after we became friends. One day we just decided to and it worked out so we stuck with it!
Ash: We tried so many damn names out that in the end we just had to decide on something! It’s so hard to encapsulate your sound in a name so we really liked that Foley as a term kind of captures all the soundscapes available to you - basically we are making a running Foley of our lives like the Foley in a movie!
When you was dreaming up Foley, what influences stick out for you in your journey?
Gabe: We’re always on the hunt for new music and we’re both such music fans that we kind of soak up everything we listen to. Obviously we both have our main musical influences - mine is Prince!
Ash: It all started with Fleetwood Mac for me… Stevie Nicks the goddess of all goddesses
Can you give a brief description to what your new release On My Conscience your debut EP is about, and what was the driving force behind it?
Gabe: On My Conscience is a collection of songs that sum up our overthinking, over analysing minds. We write to literally get things off our minds and chose the EP name as a reflection of that - it’s also taken from the first lyrics you hear on the EP which was deliberate and starts you off on a journey
Ash: I think we are both pretty honest and upfront people so we aren’t afraid to be fully and sometimes brutally open about our lives and what we go through in our early 20's. I think the EP is a running commentary of growing up, relationships, ‘adulting’ and all the madness that comes with that.
For the casual listener, why should they pick up a copy of your work?
Gabe: Have a listen if you’re into really fun quirky music that doesn’t take itself too seriously - we don’t!
Ash: There’s nothing manufactured about us- were just two mates who talk about everything, and now sing about everything.
Do you have any expectations or goals you are hoping to achieve by this new release?
Ash: The first body of work is always a real milestone because you get to package everything together as one narrative. I think our main goal was to give our fans something cohesive to enjoy and whatever comes after that is a happy side effect :)
Gabe: Always, but we’re just thankful when people enjoy it!
What was one positive and one challenging aspect of this project?
Gabe: I think the most challenging bit was getting everything done in time. We decided we weren’t releasing music fast enough so set a pretty ambitious schedule and kicked ourselves into gear last year. The positive from that is now we’ve really set ourselves up with a good platform to keep releasing music regularly this year and beyond!
Are you mindful of the potential influence you may have on people? And does this make you change the way you do things in anyway?
Gabe: Sort of but only recently! We’re seeing some people do covers of our stuff now and it’s amazing to see. I think Ash said this but we write songs for our emotions and if that helps just one other person then that’s incredible and we’ve done our job. I don’t think it changes anything we do but it’s something we’re aware of.
Ash: I'm definitely aware of young women watching us perform- there was a definite lack of women on stage playing instruments or fronting bands so I am always conscious of trying to be visible and accessible for young women to chat to or relate to. I want to be a healthy role model but in saying that I don’t change myself to seem like a ‘better’ person- I think the point is that we are real and honest, and that’s sometimes self-deprecating or bring up things that are hard to admit. It’s the most important thing to connect with our fans on an authentic level.
As an artist, are you more aligned with the sound or the lyrical content of your songs?
Ash: I definitely focus mostly on the groove of the melodies and instrumental parts, because as a listener I want the song to tell me how it feels without saying anything. But as I have written more with Gabe I have focussed a lot more on the lyrics because he is a heck of a nit-picker!
Gabe: I think we’re quite lyric-oriented. We focus a lot on getting our lyrics perfect and succinct enough for our ideas to be clear. In saying that we’re also very hands on with the music and how everything sounds - we’re both instrumentalists in our own right so we’re always looking to match the sounds with the emotions of the lyrics.
Going forwards, what can we expect from Foley? Any exciting projects in the future?
Gabe: We’re always writing so we definitely have more music to release this year, hopefully sooner rather than later. We’re also really keen to tour NZ and Australia which we’re gonna do as soon as we can!
Ash: A bit tricky at the moment to tour so we are hoping to try get out some other content to our fans that has some live elements, maybe acoustic versions? But definitely more music, always!
Bonus fun question, if you could play your music with any artist living or dead, who would that be?
Gabe: Prince, of course
Ash: Stevie Nicks… predictable, but the truth!
Are there any important dates for us to remember in terms of releases and gigs coming up for you?
Gabe: Haha, not at the moment. Check in once the lockdown ends!
Do you have a message for your fans during this uncertain period of time we are experiencing because of COVID-19?
Gabe: We aren’t medical professionals, so listen to the experts and trust what they’re saying - it’s important!!! We’re not going anywhere and will be back in full force when things return to normal
Ash: Check on your grandparents! xxxxx
Auckland-based pop duo Foley are beaming after the success of two previous singles Talk About It and Stranger. They received boundless support from New Zealand media and have graced international Spotify playlists. In 2018 Foley supported Openside on their No Going Back Tour, playing Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North and Hamilton. Foley are preparing for their debut EP release due the end of this year.