by Keith Valcourt
Australia has long been a source for quirky pop music with a twist of intelligent wit and clever lyric. Following in the footsteps of bands like The Eurogliders, The Divinyls, Crowded House, and Jet, Eliza and The Delusionals deliver sonically beautiful pop rock played with fervor and joy that is distinctively Aussie. This is clearly on display on the latest singles: “Pull Apart Heart” and “Swimming Pools” from the band’s forthcoming E.P. A State of Living in an Objective Reality.
Live, the band is a burst of exuberant fun. American audiences will finally get to see that for themselves when Eliza and The Delusionals tour the U.S. for the first time ever. That trek will see them playing across the U.S. for the next two months, including a stop in DC at Union Stage on March 25th. I caught up with the band’s singer, Eliza Klatt, via a bad cell phone connection from the back of a bus somewhere in America. We discussed her expectations while here, the recent devastation down under, the band’s new EP, and why you might bump into them eating near an iconic landmark.
Q: Coming from Australia, how was the band affected by the fires?
A: It hasn’t affected our homes. Luckily. But mentally, it has been really messed up. We just feel awful for everyone who has been affected. We went down to Sydney before we left to tour. Seeing everything so burnt and blackened was really traumatizing. To think about what people have gone through. To see everything charred in the landscape and see a house in the middle of it is weird. We just feel awful for all the people who lost their homes. And the wildlife too. The country truly needs as much help as they can get.
Q: Is this your first tour of America?
A: It is. Crazy.
Q: What are you most looking forward to doing while here?
A: We are looking forward to getting to experience the country. Being here is such a dream. The venues we are playing. It’s so cool to compare touring here to what we do in Australia. I think we want to see the iconic landmarks. I feel like that’s the cool thing about America. Every state or city we visit has something iconic to see. Even just driving past the iconic landmarks in every state is going to be cool. Trying all the food as well. We’re big food people and are super keen to try all the different food. We’re just excited to be here, really.
Q: Will you have downtime, and if so, how will you spend that time in DC?
A: At the moment we haven’t had much downtime yet. We’ve pushed through the jet lag, which is good. When we do get some down time, we will do a lot of riding in the bus. To be honest, I don’t know too much about America. Except for New York, which I visited for a month last year. I don’t really know anything about a lot of the places we’re going. That’s what’s exciting about it. The chance to discover things. If you have any recommendations, please let us know. (Laughs)
Q: How did the band come together in 2017?
A: I started the band a little earlier than that. But we didn’t get the full line-up together until 2017. I grew up with Kurt, our guitarist. And I met “Tex” through another guitarist. Ruby only recently just joined. he was playing in one of the bands that opened for us at a gig home, and we just thought she was awesome. It kind of all fell into place.
Q: How have you guys evolved?
A: We are getting more mature. The music we are writing now. The more experience we have on the road touring puts us in lots of different situations that we wouldn’t be in at home. That helps us grow as songwriters.
Q: Are you now officially a four piece?
A: Yes. It’s so good. We are a three-guitar band now. Which adds a whole other realm of things we can do. I can take the guitar off for a couple of songs. Which is fun as well. It has expanded us musically.
Q: Why did you decide to release an EP and not a full album?
A: I think because the songs that we had just felt right together. Though we have just started releasing these songs, they had been written for like a year. Maybe more. It felt right to put them out on an EP and say goodbye to those.
Q: Is there a full album in the works?
A: We are not sure what we are doing now recording wise. We are just going to start writing and then see what we do the end of this year into next year.
Q: The first leg of this tour was with Silverspun Pickups. Was there any competition between the bands?
A: I don’t think so. We’ve never felt competitive towards other bands. Especially a band like Silverspun Pickups who we really look up to. Just to even be sharing their stage is amazing to us. We adore them and their music. We just go out and play our best and put on a really fun show that hopefully everyone will enjoy.
Q: What is the most delusional thing you’ve done?
A: (Laughs) Look, to be fair I probably do delusional things on a daily basis. I probably couldn’t narrow it down to one. I’m also extremely clumsy and don’t realize things. If you spent a day with me, you would understand.
Eliza and The Delusionals play Union Stage in DC on March 25th.
***Publisher’s Note: Since the original publication, these shows have all be cancelled, rescheduled, or otherwise postponed. We recommend you reach out to these artists directly to learn how you can support them during this time of Social Distancing.***
Keith Valcourt is a Los Angeles based music and entertainment writer. He has interviewed thousands of celebrities in the worlds of music, film, TV and comedy for dozens of outlets including: L.A. Times, Washington Times, LFP Publishing, ChelseaCommunityNews.com, RetroRoadMap.com LaArtsOnline and more. Much More
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