Licklash: "The Initial Goal Was to Sound a Bit Tougher and Bigger Than Anything We'd Previously Done"

Today we have the pleasure of premiering Licklash's new single "Party Line," a blast of raw friction with visceral urgency and a healthy dose of melodicism that's reminiscent to fellow Melbourne contemporaries Pinch Points, Blonde Revolver, and Leatherman. Ahead of its single launch, we also had the chance to talk to the duo of Kahlia Parker and Carsten Bruhn to learn more about the making of the video, playing live as a duo, and their pet chihuahua, Ernie.

What have you been up to lately? What have you been listening to, reading, or spending a lot of time doing?

Kahlia Parker: I've just been super busy working and I do a lot of freelance graphic design via Show Pony so that takes up a lot of my time. Lots of band stuff at the moment which is great. Enjoying the mildly warmer days we've been getting and have been listening to the new Amyl tracks heaps. They have been on constant rotation at home! 

Carsten Bruhn: I've been hyper-fixating on my '90s mountain bike I just bought, repairing it and buying accessories for it, nerding out real hard...

How did Licklash get started? What were some of your goals/inspirations for this project?

KP: I started Licklash in early 2020 just after my old band, Girl Germs, broke up. I was pretty upset by the band breaking up and still had some leftover songs I had written for that project that I never got a chance to do anything with. I was desperate to start playing in a band again and Carsten was helping me kind of plan everything and start a new project. 

CB: I think initially I wasn't a part of it, and it was originally called Whipped, but I was working on similar-sounding punk stuff and we live together too, so me joining the project became a no-brainer. I remember the initial goal was to sound a bit tougher and bigger than anything we'd previously done. We were inspired by Amyl and the Sniffers, Pinch Points, Surfbort, and more to create a sound. 

How did your new single "Party Line" come to be? Is it the first song you've written for this band or is it a part of your larger writing process?

KP: We were writing a lot around the time we wrote "Party Line" and were working on a few songs at once which was really helpful, especially for the lyrics. We had some fairly shit filler lyrics while we worked out the structure and phrasing and stuff that stuck around for I think like, a year. But the chorus was always the same. That was something that clicked right from the start and kind of led the way a bit for the rest of the songs. 

CB: "Party Line" was written along with the rest of the EP during the year that was 2020. I think I might have come up with the main riff and chorus. It has been so long that I think I have figured out where it all subconsciously came from, the riff is a mixture of "This Town" by The Go-Go's and "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles, and the three-chord progression that structures the chorus is from "Dance This Mess Around" by The B-52s. 

Tell us a bit about this music video you're premiering! Kahlia does a great job of transfixing the audience's gaze throughout the single shot.

KP: It's kind of weird watching yourself sing into the camera like that. It was actually really quick to shoot, I think the take we used was just the third try? Carsten was filming me on his VHS camera while he was walking backward around a footy oval in the middle of the night and I just had to keep up. We made this makeshift lighting rig out of a $10 USB ring light attached to a laptop that was stuffed into a backpack he wore on his chest. It was giving like futuristic submarine angler fish. But it worked out pretty well. 

CB: I had recently purchased a VHS camcorder on eBay just to mess around with but we always thought it would be cool to shoot our first video on VHS so it worked out great. We were inspired by the band Pussy Gilette's VHS videos and thought one long shot could parallel the song's intensity. 

Your debut EP is due for release later this year, is there anything you're particularly excited to share with us?

KP: I'm just really excited to get these songs out. They've been a long time in the making and I'm really proud of how the recordings sound, especially because we did it all at home, which was super fun!  

CB: The live duo arrangements of the songs on the EP are a little different from the original demos we wrote, they're cool and unique but maybe missing a little bit of compositional depth due to having just two people on stage. I'm happy that people will finally hear the full, or more realized versions of our songs. I'm excited for people to hear my drumming too, I played all the drums on the EP! We also recorded, mixed, and mastered the EP ourselves so I'm really proud of that. 

You've been performing live a lot in preparation for the release, including a residency at Shotkickers! What's your approach to live shows as a duo? 

KP: Yeah it's been heaps fun. Our single launch I think will be our 35th show for the year. Initially, we were kind of approaching playing live with the mindset of a traditional band, but because it's just the two of us it didn't really suit us. We had to change our mindset and find a method and approach that was not only practical but also really fun and exciting. I feel like we've really found the right spot and have nailed backing tracks for our set and this year has been so fun, especially our reso. That was the best. 

CB: It was definitely a challenge at first but we soon nutted out a bit of a plan. We perform all our songs in quick succession, often in groups without breaks. This helps us keep the energy up and it's really fun for us. We also have little samples and stuff and sometimes an old CRT telly out front. The residency was the best, we love Shotties. 

I love little dogs a lot and your chihuahua Ernie is absolutely precious! Is he a punk rocker too?

KP: Same! I love chihuahuas, they have massive personalities. Ernie is definitely a punk rocker, and a total good boy angel baby puppy. He loves cucumbers, sleeping in the sun, and has like no hair because of his grey coloring, so I crochet him jumpers in winter. I could talk about him forever... I love him!

CB: He's my little son. When we were mixing the EP we actually set him up with us and put his bed in the kick drum as I took the reso head off so he was a part of the process too. Maybe we should credit him.

Carsten you're also the mind behind Roolette Records, is there anything brewing over there that we should be looking forward to?

CB: Yes... brewing indeed... all shall be revealed soon... 

And for Licklash particularly, what's next?

KP: We have some pretty solid plans for the rest of the year that we will be announcing soon, so I can't wait for that. And some cool shit is also lined up for next year too. We're just really excited about the future and love making music and playing shows! And it's going to be summer soon here and we're so excited to take Ernie to the beach. 

CB: More music/shows/friends/fun. I'm feeling really grateful that we've been able to play so many shows and I'm feeling the love. It wasn't that long ago that we were stuck not being able to play and do what we want you know. Thanks heaps for premiering our video and asking us questions, we love ya's!