High Highs started in Australia and picked it up in New York (along with an extra member). Their sound has a sparse and ethereal quality which can be heard all over their debut, self-titled EP. It seems that 2012 is there for the taking for the trio, so Bowlegs caught up with vocalist Jack Milas and got the low-down.
High Highs – Ivy by charmfactory
Bowlegs: You originally formed in 2009 in Australia – how did you both end up in New York with a third member?
Jack: Oli and I just both found ourselves over here early last year and we decided to pick up the project where we left off and take it seriously. We met Zach through a friend of a friend here in New York. We essentially had one jam with him and he became our drummer.
Bowlegs: Your debut EP is a fairly stripped-down affair – does it take restraint not to fill the gaps with electronics, drums and guitars?
Jack: Well … to us the EP is kind of full of those things, but the core songs are fairly sparse and we like to keep them fairly pure.
Bowlegs: Are there bands all three of you would agree were an influence on the High Highs sound?
Jack: We all love bands like Neil Young, Boards of Canada. We all listen to pretty different stuff though. Oli has been listening to a lot of Radio Dept. recently.
Bowlegs: Are the words in these songs written from personal experience?
Jack: For sure, but I usually don’t think about them for a while. Usually the lyrics are just random words and vowels to begin with and they slowly take shape. It’s usually not until halfway through recording them, or longer, that I realise how the lyrics fit and why they exist.
Bowlegs: What is your personal favourite track on the EP, and why?
Jack: It’s probably Flowers Bloom. That song was very spontaneous for us. We tried not to over think it. It was fun to make.
Bowlegs: Is there an album on its way, and how might that develop the High Highs sound?
Jack: Yes! We’ve almost finished it. It’s actually is shaping up to sound a bit more like Flowers Bloom on the whole. More synthy, crackly, and minimal.
Bowlegs: Your music suggests you are all very tranquil people – is that true?
Jack: Ummmmm … yes, to an extent we are. Rehearsal can get pretty weird. Sometimes we have these freak-out jams where we make as much noise as possible, and we end up creating this weird stressful kind of metal music. It’s all about balance
Bowlegs: How was playing support to The Radio Dept. and Jose Gonzalez?
Jack: Those shows were both awesome. We’re big fans of both. Playing at the Bowery was awesome.
Bowlegs: What has been your favourite release of 2011?
Jack: I’m super late on this one, but I’ve been really getting into James Blake’s record over the last month or so. It took me ages to get what he was doing. It’s really beautiful. Oli recently got a Prophet 8 synth, which James Blake also has, and I had a lot of fun exploring some of those sounds recently.
