Mar 13, 2022

BLUSHER - Softly Spoken ; "We whispered, we screamed, and the instruments do the same"

Reminiscent of other iconic trios – Haim and Muna come to mind – Blusher’s debut single presents a pop act ready to grace the stage at a sweaty venue very soon. Born in the world’s longest lockdown, the Melbourne band have clocked plenty of hours crafting synth sounds via Zoom, and swapping playlists heavy-laden with the likes of Kesha, Charli XCX, Robyn, and 2000’s nostalgia.

Their new hit Softly Spoken plays like a supercut of sections, each of the girls' vocals shining in moments, and dovetailing into lush harmonies in others. Lauren’s thrilling production is both glittering and aggressive. It’s creative pop chaos - in a good way. “We whispered, we screamed, and the instruments do the same - these contrasts reflect a mixture of feelings.”

Luckily they've took the time to answer some questions about their new release, their band and the bands relationship.

How would you describe your band?

Sonically: angry, sparkly pop chaos.

Relationally: hilarious, ridiculous friends just trying their best.

How would you describe each member?

Jade is the delightful garden fairy; alluring, powerful, magical. Miranda is a young Meryl Streep; confident, magnetic, hilarious. Lauren is the tech-head, giving you calm and clear directions should you ever need to rob a bank.

What made you 3 want to start making music together?

It started with a mutual desire to make ‘hot girl pop’. We all shared the same music influences like Robyn, Kesha and Charli xcx. Lauren had worked with Miranda and Jade separately on multiple occasions, and there was always strong writing chemistry between us. We knew we’d have so much fun working on a project like this together - so confidently that we started up the band before Jade and Miranda had even met in person!

How has the response been for your latest single “Softly Spoken”?

Wonderful and overwhelming! Being the first song we’ve ever released, the response has been so much stronger than we could have anticipated.

Who’s story is “Softly Spoken” about, what’s the in-depth context?

We had recently come across a French artist called Sophie Calle. In one of her exhibits she asked 107 women to analyze a break up email she received. It’s such a fascinating and empowering piece of work. We loved the way that women came together to try to dissect what the ex-partner had said, and saw this reflected in our own lives too. “Softly Spoken” is an expression of frustration and anger, but also a celebration of the support that women give to women - especially when it comes to the topic of trying to understand men.

Where’d you come up with the name Blusher? What does it mean?

Jade initially had the word ‘Blusher’ written in her notebook as an idea for a song title. Something clicked into place when we decided to use it as a band name, it instantly felt like us. We loved the imagery of being a blusher, someone with flushed cheeks and heated emotions on full display. In the sense of makeup, think of us as a blush palette; apply our music for a rosy glow.

Band Goals?

We are working on an EP and plan to drip feed the songs throughout the year. We can’t wait to perform live together and have been dreaming up what our show will look like. There will be big boots involved. In the future we would love to spend some time making music and playing shows overseas!

Favorite trio experience?

Recently we went on a songwriting retreat with a group of amazing women. While we were there, we got to celebrate the release day for ‘Softly Spoken’ together and did so by crying into our cocktails while writing a new song. Then we finished off the night dancing on the beach and watching swans pass by, falling asleep in our bunk beds.

What was the production side of “Softly Spoken” like?

There were a lot of late nights producing “Softly Spoken.” We really wanted the production to reflect a feeling of frustration and anger, but also of release. It’s quite minimalistic so there was a lot of fiddling with tiny details.