Melbourne indie five-piece Great ~ Falls have officially returned with their vibrant new single, ‘Blue Bricks’. Straddling the line between quiet observation and expansive indie arrangements, the track further cements the band's growing reputation for delivering earnest, deeply relatable songwriting. Built upon the foundations of everyday lived experiences, the quintet has mastered the art of turning fleeting conversations, community ties and personal reflections into rich, immersive sonic landscapes.
At the very heart of ‘Blue Bricks’ is a poignant meditation on identity, transience and cultural distance, sparked by vocalist and guitarist Lillian’s visit to the reconstructed Ishtar Gate in Berlin. Written during a reflective flight back to Australia, the track beautifully captures the delicate tension between historical closeness and geographical displacement. We sat down with the band to discuss the collaborative process behind the track, working in the studio with Melbourne's finest, and how their lifelong friendships shape their music.
Thanks for joining me today! Congratulations on the release of ‘Blue Bricks’. To kick things off, how are you all feeling about sharing this new music with the world, and what has the journey been like leading up to this release?
"Hey Thomas, thank you so much! We love being able to release music together! 'Blue Bricks' is our second single in the past six months as we work towards our debut LP release. This single feels like a new step for us creatively, so finally getting to share it with everyone outside of our families is a nice thing. We took a bit of a step back for a while to focus on writing and producing music that we’re genuinely proud of, without rushing the process. It gave us the time and space to experiment in the studio with sound engineer Paul Maybury and really let our songs develop naturally."
"A lot of late nights, reflections and small details went into making this single feel right and sit right. More than anything, we wanted 'Blue Bricks' to feel true to our sound and immersive while still pushing ourselves into new territory sonically. We’ve sat on these recordings for a little while now, so finally releasing 'Blue Bricks' feels really great (falls)!"
Lillian, the inspiration for this song sparked after you visited the reconstructed Ishtar Gate in Berlin. Could you take us into that moment and explain how that physical experience transformed into the lyrical foundation for the track?
"I’ve always felt connected to that side of my heritage through the aural traditions, recipes passed down in my family, the stories I’ve been told and the universal little things we all inherit from those before us that tie everyone to where we come from. At the same time, there’s always been a kind of geographical disconnect attached to that connection because of the complexities that make travelling to certain places extremely difficult at the moment."
"Visiting the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin and standing in front of the reconstructed Ishtar Gate was a significant experience for me. It felt like I was connecting physically with something that represented years of stories, reading, research and curiosity surrounding that half of my identity. I think whenever you spend a long time deeply invested in understanding something, whether that be a place, a person, a theory, a practice or a space and then finally getting to stand in front of a real piece of it, it hits you in a way that’s hard to explain."
"Naturally, because I am who I am, I spent the entire flight back to Australia sitting with all of those thoughts and feelings instead of watching movies like a normal person. I was just jotting down notes, fragments and tiny observations while letting everything soak into every crevice of my very overstuffed brain for way too long. Eventually, after enough inner monologues that I absolutely did not ask for but apparently host anyway, those thoughts started turning into lyrics and became the foundation for 'Blue Bricks' and Jack, Liam, Sam and Dan transformed it into something musically that we all are proud of and resonate with in our own ways."
As a band, you place a real emphasis on the commonplace elements of everyday life within your songwriting. How do you capture those seemingly small moments and translate them into music?
"Life is about the little things, right? We love the little things. Tiny everyday moments, misplaced items, strange supermarket interactions, sitting in traffic for way too long, hearing someone say something that gets permanently lodged in your brain for three months, a terrible pun - that’s our bread and butter, our tea and honey, our emotional support niche observation."
"One of us will casually mention some tiny interaction or weird moment we experienced at rehearsal, have a laugh about it, and before long we’ve collectively turned it into a song. A lot of our songwriting is really just us trying to make sense of everyday life and finding the humour, the right power chord, meaning or unnecessary attachment in things most people would probably forget about by lunchtime."
Because you all share a deep history and friendship that goes far beyond just being bandmates, how does that mutual understanding manifest when you are collaborating on a new track?
"There’s a kind of built-in understanding between us that comes from years of knowing each other beyond music, so when we write or play together it already feels intuitive rather than forced or contrived. We’re not just a group of musicians thrown into a room together; we’re people who’ve genuinely grown up alongside each other, and that history naturally shapes the way we create."
"We know each other’s personalities, habits, strengths and probably far too many embarrassing stories at this point as well. That closeness means people feel comfortable bringing in half-finished ideas, strange references or completely unfiltered thoughts without worrying about sounding ridiculous."
"A lot of the time the best ideas come from those really loose, conversational moments rather than sitting down and trying too hard to “write a song”. There’s an ease to the process, and we think that helps the songs feel more lived-in and genuine."
You worked with Paul Maybury and Casey Rice at A Secret Location Sound Recorders in Melbourne. What did they bring to the table, and how did the studio environment shape the final sonic landscape?
"Working with Paul Maybury at A Secret Location Sound Recorders was such an important part of bringing 'Blue Bricks' to life. Paul is incredible to bounce ideas off and just one of Australia’s top tier sound engineers. We always keep coming back to record with Paul because he really understands how to help a song become more of itself without overcomplicating it. He has this ability to pull interesting ideas out of you naturally, whether that’s through arrangement choices or just asking the right questions at the right time. A lot of the sessions felt more like creative conversations than strict recording sessions, which made the whole process feel really open."
"When it came time to master 'Blue Bricks', reaching out to Casey Rice was a pretty easy decision for us. We’d always wanted Casey to work on our next run of releases because we’ve long admired the way Casey approaches sound and detail. Casey brought it all together in a way that feels cohesive without losing the character of the song."
The core message of ‘Blue Bricks’ centres on finding peace in being exactly as close to things as you are right now. What do you hope listeners take away from this meditation on acceptance?
"Honestly, whatever people want to take away from it is perfect to us. We just like making the music, releasing it into the world and seeing what people connect to."
"Everyone hears a song differently depending on where they’re at in life, which we love. Someone might connect with the themes of acceptance and time passing, someone else might attach it to a completely unrelated memory, and someone else might just think, “sick snare sound, Sammy!" and honestly, that’s all equally valid. Once the songs leave us, they kind of become little independent thought vessels that people project their own experiences onto. We think that’s way more interesting than pretending we have all the answers."
With 'Blue Bricks' now out in the world, Great ~ Falls have perfectly set the stage for their highly anticipated debut LP. By transforming a personal existential spiral into a soaring, collaborative indie anthem, the Melbourne five-piece proves that there is profound beauty to be found in both the monumental and the mundane. As they continue to push their sonic boundaries while staying rooted in their lifelong friendships, Great ~ Falls are undeniably a band to watch.
Be sure to follow Great ~ Falls on Instagram, Facebook, and Bandcamp to keep up with their latest updates, tour dates, and upcoming debut album announcements.
