screensaver, Photograph by Louis Roach
“Context is everything,” sings screensaver’s Krystal Maynard, on a song of the same name from the Naarm quintet’s new album Three Lens Approach.
This sentiment pretty much summarises screensaver’s attitude to making music – contemporary geopolitics had as much influence on Three Lens Approach as the band members’ love of post-punk, Krautrock and mutant disco music.
“Written against the backdrop of genocide in Gaza, the rise of the right […] it’s only natural that these topics are absorbed into the themes of the album,” Maynard says in the album liner notes.
But it wasn’t just the big issues of the day that made a mark on Three Lens Approach. An artist’s influences are as varied as the factors that sway our moods, from trivial observations to dietary and lifestyle choices and budding hobbies.
Here, Maynard, guitarist Christopher Stephenson and drummer James Beck tell us about some of the curious – but essential – things that influenced the songs on Three Lens Approach.
Birdwatching and doing nothing
Over the last few years, Chris and I have been really getting into birds. You could call us aspirational twitchers. I read this book a while back by writer/multimedia artist Jenny Odell called How To Do Nothing and she talks about the importance of being more present in your life and the moment. She also discusses the concept of bioregionalism, which is a philosophy that emphasises the importance of defining human activities and societies in relation to natural ecosystems and geographies, rather than adhering to political or administrative borders. It’s a big concept but part of it is being more in touch with your local area and the flora and fauna in it.
So, when time allows, I really like to walk in our local area or drive to a national park and just observe the birds, see what species we can spot. There’s an innocence and purity to nature that is grounding. It’s the perfect antidote to the hyper-connected, hustle-culture world we have to exist in. Birdwatching can be both exhilarating and meditative.
I think that when music is such a huge part of your life, it’s important to have something else that is completely different to stop you becoming completely absorbed in a single obsession. Even watching the basic-bitch birds in Coburg can help to calm me when I’m feeling overwhelmed or uncentered. –Krystal Maynard
Nature is the perfect antidote to the hyper-connected, hustle-culture world we have to exist in.
Community
Community is people, and knowing that we’re all part of a bigger entity all dedicated to creative expression through music is really heartening. It’s an ecosystem made up of the bands you play shows with, the indie labels who put their faith in your releases, the venues that provide spaces for you to play, the community radio stations that play your music. Support is reciprocal and it’s important to give back and support those who support you.
We’re lucky to have a diverse, tight knit and supportive community here in Naarm. We’ve been lucky enough to work with lots of community-minded people in the making of our latest record.
Andy from Poison City is such a pillar of the music community and championing local music; Geoffrey O’Connor, who made the video for “Context Is Everything,” is a brilliant videographer and very talented musician; and Annaliese, Shauna, Evie and Léna, who we got on board for our 80s karaoke video for “Soft Touch,” are all incredible musicians in their own various projects.
Julian Cue, who made our record, is both a studio and live engineer who has now put up with working with us three times! The people create the vibe, and the vibe is alive and well in Naarm. –KM
Knowing that we’re all part of a bigger entity all dedicated to creative expression through music is really heartening.
Films that inspired the “Soft Touch” video
I wanted the video to support the song as much as I could, tapping into the new wave vibe visually with its bubble-gum colouring and outfits. I’ve always loved club scenes from 80s and 90s movies, not only for how fun they are, but these scenes often serve as a heightened point for the characters in a narrative or turning point. One of my favourite examples would be in The Terminator where Sarah Connor first encounters Arnold in a new wave club fittingly called Tech-Noir. There’s great use of slow motion in this scene with the 80s club goers, which has always stuck with me.
So, I tried to channel some of that into “Soft Touch”, as well as trying out some rear projection for Krystal’s karaoke segments, a technique also used in the Terminator movies. I also looked at club scenes from Fright Night and the club from Basic Instinct. Because of the karaoke element, I went back to the famous scene from Lost In Translation and also the karaoke used in Only God Forgives, and bar scenes from Wong Kar-wai and John Woo’s Hong Kong movies, and Brat Pack movies The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. –James Beck
Rehearsal room snacks
I bring snacks to our weekly rehearsal night, usually a sweet treat and a salty or savoury treat. I developed an addiction to boodles, really good crunch and not too sweet. Salt and vinegar crisps have been popular this year, and even better if they’re “double crunch.” Every chip is like a meal. I tried some Jatz Tim Tams, which were basically just regular Tim Tams, and a pink version of Twisties that were forgettable apart from the colour.
Sour gummies like squirms are helpful at resetting the palette in-between seltzers/beer. Touring in the UK, my favourite snack was a Scotch egg, perfect for a hit of protein and fat. I got a bag of mini Scotch eggs in Nottingham, like Easter eggs but Scotchified. When I considered how they’re produced, I became very eggistential. –JB
I tried some Jatz Tim Tams, which were basically just regular Tim Tams, and a pink version of Twisties that were forgettable apart from the colour.
Running
I’ve been enjoying nice runs along the Merri Creek. It’s always great to pull away from screens, especially when you’re in the midst of recording and deep into hours’ long mixing holes. Sometimes the answer to what’s been eluding a mix or composition arrives when you let yourself out of the cave for a bit. I did, however, watch an adult tiger snake cross a well-populated path. That was a bit concerning. My head has been on a swivel since. –Christopher Stephenson
Foreign Language
Speaking of screens, we’ve all but one member been lured into a certain gamified language app. Pretty sure it’s better than scrolling? Are any of us learning anything? James is definitely winning with his French, he’s pretty much fluent. I’m hoping, myself, to order beers for four to eight people in Japan someday. Medium dreams. –CS
I watched an adult tiger snake cross a well-populated path. That was a bit concerning.
Get Three Lens Approach here via Poison City Records. screensaver will officially launch the album at The Tote in Melbourne/Naarm on Saturday 15 November, with support from Tongue Dissolver, Lothario and Armour. Tickets here.
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