HEART-TO-HEART: Loose Goose
“We’re just constantly trying to be real and make people feel a part of the journey.”
Blending Aussie surf rock with feel-good indie, Loose Goose are just one wild mosh away from taking the music scene by storm.
Published: 04/05/2025
FHR (Flaming Heart Records): Today I am chatting with some of the loosest lads on the Gold Coast, Loose Goose! How did you all meet and form the band?
Max (Humphrey, drums): It all kind of centres around Ryan. Ryan and I were in high school together and got sat next to each other in Grade 8 Maths (shout-out Mr Clark). Ryan and Wil met in a graphic design course at uni, and Ryan met Greg through overlapping friend circles. The band started as kind of a joke, really. Wil and Ryan were at the Griffith Uni Bar and came up with a plan to go around and say they were in a band to get Wil a girl. Max and Ryan were in another band at the time and ended up at a festival together, where Ryan mentioned that he was starting a new band and if Max could play drums. So for a while it was just the 3 of us, we played our first gig in Ryan’s backyard, and then Ryan asked Greg if he’d be keen on joining, too (again at the Uni Bar), and we never looked back.
FHR: You have really been starting to gain a cult following on social media. How important is connecting with your audience and how do you do it so well online?
Ryan (Barwick, vocals/guitar): The Geesers, haha. I love our little cult, having streams and everything else is nice (not that we’ve had a lot, haha), but having people who genuinely love your music and what you stand for is next level. When we began, we weren’t great. Especially when it was a fake band – it was an exercise of “How much hype can we get around a band that doesn’t exist?” So the music has kind of always been second to the energy and atmosphere. If people are having a good time, and they feel like they’re a part of something, it doesn’t matter how bad your music is. But we also never try to be anything we’re not, and I think maybe that’s what makes it easy – we’re just constantly trying to be real and make people feel a part of the journey.
FHR: Your sound is not only quintessential indie surf-rock, but it is full of youthful wit and catchy hooks. Where did you derive your inspiration and influences from for your latest track, “What I’d Do (For You”)?
Max: We’re very inspired by bands like The Grogans, Beddy Rays and Sun Room who have a very summery and surfy feel. It’s just good fun music that we love to listen to, so we end up writing like that.
Ryan: Yeah, I don’t think we ever try to sound like anything. Usually we just hear things we like in songs and say, “Hey, let’s do that.” It’s all done with fun at heart, maybe one day we’ll get serious, haha.
FHR: Tell us more about “What I’d Do (For You)”. Did you all play a certain part in bringing the song to life?
Ryan: Well, this was probably the last song written in our batch of four that we recorded (Rango, San Diego, WIDFY and Stubborn) – Greg’s responsible for it. He came out with the guitar chords and just a bit of a general idea, and we just kinda smashed it together pretty quickly and thought we’d record it just to maximise our recording. I originally liked it, but didn’t think too much. But that changed by the end of recording. I remember getting the master back from our producer, Cameron Lockwood, and just going, “Holy shit, I think this is the best song we’ve written.” It just feels like it has everything – heart on the sleeve, big riffs and huge catchy choruses. It was recorded about two or three weeks after a breakup, so I think there’s a lot of raw emotions in there that cut through and swirl in to give it this happy sound/sad lyric vibe that I think is starting to become a bit of a trademark for us.
FHR: Are there any kinds of recording techniques or mixing processes that you like to experiment with in the studio?
Max: We absolutely love experimenting with new sounds and tones. We’ve recently added a microphone to our drum set up pointed directly into the centre of the kit with some distortion, for a bit of a crunchy sound and some more oomph and we love it. We got a taste for adding samples and sound bites to our songs during the process of recording “Cav Ave Kebab”, which we also use in “Rango”. Reciting lines from the movie in the background of the bridge being a particular favourite.
Ryan: I think with our next recordings we’ll look to up the ante and really push ourselves and stretch what that Loose Goose sound is. I think it’s really inspiring listening to the new stuff from bands like Rum Jungle and Ra Ra Viper and just seeing how their sound has developed to be more than just surfy guitar music.
FHR: I can see that your live performances can get pretty… well… loose. What’s the secret to getting a crowd pumping? Is there a wild crowd story you guys can share with us?
Ryan: We always try to treat it like the biggest show we’ve ever played. Bit of a cliché answer, but we love performing. I think I enjoy the showmanship more than the singing, so my priority is always cranking the energy and giving out everything, so that hopefully I get something back. There’s a lot of random stuff that happens at Loose Goose gigs, it’s hard to pick a favourite. The rowing pits are hard to go past, the national anthem was definitely a weird one. I’ll always love the failed crowd surf that ended with stitches, I think sometimes our shows can get so rowdy for a surf rock show, it’s hilarious. Sometimes a pit will open up, with all these people you’d never imagine in a pit, just small blonde indie girls dropping shoulders, it’s a crack up.
FHR: Tell us some fun facts about the band! What are some things fans mightn’t expect to know?
Ryan: We have a few inside jokes in the band that are ridiculously unfunny but we can’t let go of them. Like the American Psycho business card scene, I reckon we’ve quoted that close to a thousand times. I have a massive human sized goose pillow I sleep with every night, seems kinda egotistical saying that out loud. We did almost call What I’d Do (For You) “Greg’s Song” instead, and it’s been on the setlist for months as that, but we kinda agreed if I was singing about my ex and we called it “Greg’s Song”, it’d be a bit weird. But Greg came up with the name and little brackets, totally clutch move by the big South African.
FHR: Being based on the Gold Coast, you’re surrounded by so many incredible upcoming musicians. Who are some local bands that you have been playing a lot lately? Have you become friends with other artists in your area?
Max: We’re so lucky to be based on the Gold Coast, which has such an amazing scene. We’ve made so many friends by being in and around shows. It’s truly awesome, we could honestly give you a list of 100 bands we love. Some of our good mates you should definitely have a look into are Mermaid Waters, Dropics, Cosmic Vice, Salty Season, Vlads, Ferny Fairway, Eyesite, The Gubbins and Later Daze. I know that’s a few, but well worth checking them all out!
FHR: Your 2024 was pretty wild… what is 2025 looking like for Loose Goose? Any big plans in mind or on the horizon?
Ryan: We’re determined to just go hard this year and see where it takes us. Playing the tour was massive for us, a real bucket list, and with some of the openings and sellouts we’ve had, it’s just unbelievable. We’ve got a really supportive group around us that keep pushing us to do more and drive further. Sometimes I think doubt can creep in, so to have someone in your corner saying “Why not?” is essential. We just want to leave it all out on the court, and if people like it, they like it, and we can look at having a massive 2026, haha.
