Aussie artist Alex Carpi released her Electronic EP, ‘Superfamous’, back at the start of April. It’s colourful, breezy and a reflection on her lift when writing it. ‘Superfamous’ is an amazing debut EP that shows off how her observational lyrics and catchy hooks, luckily I asked Alex a few questions about her music career so far!
Firstly hope you are keeping safe and well?
I am keeping safe and well, quarantining with my parents in our Melbourne apartment.
What were your earliest memories of music and does the music you were listening to growing up still inspire you today?
My earliest memory of music is singing in the car with mum. We would listen to Cher, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette. That music still influences me for sure, I love those women and their songwriting in the 90’s definitely shaped me and is probably what made me want to do this. Jagged Little Pill would have been the first album I listened to start to finish, and I still listen to those songs and can still feel those emotions in the music.
Does Melbourne as a city make an impact on your music?
Definitely. I moved into the city around 4 years ago and I have changed so much during that time. Working in hospitality definitely changed the way I saw the world and the city, and now I’m out of that lifestyle and in a different place again. I think I’m always inspired by what I see and what’s around me, and for the last four years, that’s been Melbourne.
How was your first single ‘I Don’t Want to Love You Anymore’ written? Can hear a mix of recent and old influences in it!
IDWTLYA was written after a long, drawn out breakup with an ex. We’d broken up but were still hanging out and going to stuff we had planned together before the breakup (never a good idea). One night we went out, and to put it nicely he was a bit of a dick the whole time, and I just thought, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I can’t. I need to flick the switch off and not have feelings for you anymore”. So I wrote the song that night and that’s what happened.
We got into the studio and Nick worked his magic and it came out as a dance banger, so that was an added bonus. I envisioned it to be more a punk/rock sound.
Your first EP came out this month! ‘Superfamous’ has 5 tracks on it, when did you start writing it and can you tell us a bit about the lyrics of Big City and Superfamous?
I’ve been wanting to do an EP since 2018. I originally thought IDWTLYA would be a part of it, but by time we really decided to put our heads down and do this, I had a lot of new material. I wrote Superfamous at the start of 2019, and it was everyone’s favourite when I played it in my acoustic live sets.
Hurricane Heart was next, I played it in my live sets for a bit before realising I wanted it to be a part of the EP as well. Then it was Big City and the rest just came tumbling out.
The lyrics of Big City are about the endless possibilities when you live in a bustling metropolis. It was also this idea that some people are the coast, they’re beachy and take things slow, no rush to get anywhere, you know the type. But I’m the city. Quick, excitable, street smart, always looking for the next adventure down a hidden laneway.
The lyrics of Superfamous are about people who try to take advantage of young artists in the music industry. This isn’t so much from personal experience as it is from all the stories I’ve heard about it happening when people don’t know better. No one can click their fingers and make you a star, you gotta work super hard if you want to make it into that lifestyle.
Hurricane Heart is a shift from at the end of the EP, was that a conscious decision to have a track like this at the end?
Nick and I sat for ages discussing track order and this is how it ended up. I don’t love ending the EP on a sad note, but it made sense with the running of the other tracks and how they all fit together. I considered we do a sixth song to put at the end but Nick looked at me like he could kill me, so we didn’t do that
How are you copping with the current climate with COVID-19? Are you using the time to write?
I’m doing okay with it. Obviously not ideal but what can you do. I’m chatting to friends on House Party and doing Zoom trivia on weekends. I’m still working at my day job (from home) so the weeks go by quite fast.
I should definitely be writing more than I am, I’ve put down a few ideas but should definitely pump out a few songs while I can.
Thanks Alex for your time! You can stream ‘Superfamous- EP’ on all streaming services. Can’t wait to hear what’s next!