HIGH TENSION
High Tension are a four piece band from Melbourne.
HIGH TENSION: “Riffs first, other shit later.”
[interview.aldy kusumah / pics.high tension / March 2013]
I liked Alexandre Aja's slasher film, Haute Tension (translated into High Tension). Do you guys liked that movie too? Where's the name came from?
MATT: We are all horror nerds to some extent. The film Haute Tension seemed to convey the same brutality as the music we were making. That and it also turned out to be a sick name.
The song "High Risk High Rewards" obviously came from a personal experience. What's the song's about?
MATT: Aiming high, and punching low.
KARINA: My new motto for 2013 is to take more risks. That is the real message of the song and it is nothing personal.
Tell us a bit on the video-making process of High Risk High Rewards..
Matt (Bass) directs video as a day job, so the process seemed to be him ignoring everyone elses ideas and doing his own thing, lucky it seemed to work out this time.
In your older interviews, Karina & Ash told us that you both liked Hot Snakes & Fugazi. Speaking of intensity, do High Tension want to capture Fugazi's or Hot Snakes chaotic live energy when playing live? What do you guys wanted to achieve when playing live?
ASH: Nothing is worse than paying to see a band and they stand still, do nothing and don't interact with the crowd. We want the opposite of that.
KARINA: I think it is always important to remember that you want everyone that left his or her house that evening (to see you play) to have a bloody good time.
For Karina and Ash, you both played in the same band, Y & R, before High Tension. I guess you both clicked so well in making songs and riffs? Is it the vocal melodies first or the riffs?
ASH: Riffs always come first - in life and in this band.
KARINA: Yes; riffs first, other shit later… although all of us do a bit of “backseat driving” when we are finalising riffs.
How's the EP songwriting/recording process? Do you guys hang around a lot and jam?
MATT: We all sit in a room, and start banging out ideas, maybe Ash has turned up with a riff, Matt and Damian will get fruity with the structure and fucking it all up, then Karina will complain that its not brutal enough. Then we have some beers.
So the doomsday didn't happen. If there's a big asteroid that's gonna collide with earth and you guys can watch a movie and hear a song before the end of the world, what would that song and movie be?
DAMIAN: Joe Esposito - YOU'RE THE BEST AROUND + Waterworld
KARINA:
Song: Real McCoy – Another Night
Movie: Wild At Heart
While we're at it, tell us each of your favorite 5 records :)
ASH:
Sonic Youth - Goo
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
Boris - Pink
The Runaways - The Runaways
DAMIAN:
Part Chimp - Thriller
Neurosis - A Sun That Never Sets
Trans Am - The Surveillance
HTRK - EVERYTHING!
Zeigenbock Kopf - Fuck You To Dust
MATT:
NIGHT MARCHERS - ALLEZ ALLEZ
PISSED JEANS - KING OF JEANS
HANK WILLIAMS III - STRAIGHT TO HELL
KVELERTAK - KVELERTAK
MELVINS - STONER WITCH
KARINA:
TLC – Crazy Sexy Cool
Hot Snakes – Suicide Invoice (tie with Automatic Midnight)
Suicide – first album
Daughters – Hell Songs
The Bronx – first album
Is there anyone really famous that you guys can think of in the current music industry that resembles punk rock, even just a little bit?
MATT: It seems hard to apply that to anyone these days.
Because of the internet, geography is no longer our master. Some Indonesian bands can have a gig in Vietnam because some kids in Vietnam look at your Youtube videos. Do you glad that we're on the internet age? Do you guys have a dream tour locations?
MATT: Anyone can try and tour Europe/America, we are far more interested in making an adventure out of everything – If we could play in remote and random towns across south east asia, south america, and get to play in places where people love heavy music but don’t get touring bands that often, that would be the best!
Can you guys tell us a bit on the Melbourne music scene? Or some of the cool bands that you've shared the stages with?
MATT: The Melbourne music scene is by far the most exciting music scene in all of Australia. You should check out these bands, right after you download our stuff of course.
HARMONY - http://harmony.bandcamp.com/
A GENDER - http://agender.bandcamp.com/album/self-en-titled
BLACKLEVEL EMBASSY - http://oscl.bandcamp.com/album/blacklevel-embassy-new-veteran-lp
Lo! - http://www.lookandbehold.net/
I've heard that in Melbourne, lots of cafes & stores closes early on weekdays...
DAMIAN: We usually hang outside the closed cafes and stores until they open again.
Last question: Any favorite Indonesian bands?
KARINA: SERINGAI is actually the BEST band to come out of Indonesia EVER.
