HEART-TO-HEART: Thirst Trap
“If it feels good, we have fun; and if we have fun, it shows on stage how much we love to play and share our music.”
Reggae-rock fusion band Thirst Trap is on the brink of something big. Their genre-bending sound and thriving musicianship are putting them on the map as one of Australia’s bands to watch.
Published: 27/12/2024
FHR (Flaming Heart Records): What’s up, Thirst Trap!? How would you describe your sound to listeners who haven’t heard your music? Are there any bands you often reference?
Django (Dillon, vocals/guitar): Always a hard question to answer, aye. I would say we’re a bit of a melting pot haha, lots going on. Definitely some reggae vibes, some funky vibes, indie rock, even alternative rock. Our latest single, Tiramisu, is basically ska. I usually just tell people it’s like an indie/alternative/reggae fusion. Honestly though, I just love to write music that feels good in the moment and if it sticks, it sticks. I personally grew up listening to a huge variety of music, but towards the end of high school, I got fully sucked into bands like Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, early Sticky Fingers, early Ocean Alley etc..
Biku (Wernick-Aqorau, synth/vocals): Hmmm… I usually go for something simple like “rock reggae”, but I’m not sure if that really encompasses the sound or not, haha. I usually refer to other bands like Ocean Alley or Sublime. I think we’re still in a stage of trying to define what our “sound” is – what feels good to play and what is received well, without letting it dictate the creative process too much. If it feels good, we have fun; and if we have fun, it shows on stage how much we love to play and share our music.
FHR: Tell us a bit more about your latest release, Tiramisu. What is something new about this track compared to your other releases?
Sam (Parker, guitar): It’s high energy and super fun. It always goes off live and definitely gets the crowd hyped. I also get a crazy guitar solo in this one, so I love it.
Will (Mitrakis, drums): We all love playing this song, it is just so much fun. If I had to describe the song in one word it would have to be ‘energy’. With all the layers of the rhythmic guitars, to the epic bass line and punchy drums, it’s loud and exciting. And we can’t forget about the killer guitar solo at the end to top it off, it just goes nuts!
FHR: How has the band evolved and grown since starting out in 2022? Are there any goals that you have already managed to tick off the list?
Django: Heaps has changed. We’ve had Connor just recently leave the band after 2 awesome years. One goal was to play on a main stage at a festival and we managed to tick that one off up at Airlie Beach. We managed to drop 10 songs over the past couple of years, which is sick! We played heaps of mad shows this past year. Super keen on 2025.
Sam: It’s hard to know when you’re the ones going through it, but friends who have been there watching us perform our first shows and are seeing us perform now have said we’ve gotten a lot tighter as musicians. I mean, we practice like crazy and everyone works super hard so that’s nice to know it’s paid off and people have noticed the hard work we put in. Personally, getting to be more comfortable on stage was something that took a conscious effort. I used to get so nervous, my hands and legs would be shaking so much that I’d mess up. That was rough, but I enjoy performing a lot now and I don’t get as nervous anymore.
FHR: What are you most excited about for Thirst Trap in the new year? Any cool things on the horizon you wanna tell us…?
Seth (Baker, bass): I think I’m most excited for the tour. Getting to travel around and play music with my best mates is really a dream. We’ll be playing at ‘Best Night Ever’ in Miami (Marketta) at the end of the year with some big acts, that will be pretty cool.
Will: For the upcoming year, we haven’t announced it yet, but there are talks on doing a cheeky little tour starting from January ’till March. I’m not gonna say too much, but stay tuned. We are also excited about working on some new songs that we look forward to recording and hopefully play live soon. It is going to be a big year for sure.
FHR: Are there any albums that have stood out to you over the past several years? Whether they’re inspiration for Thirst Trap or not, what records do you absolutely love?
Biku: Oooo, for me personally, I love Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange”, J Cole’s “2014 Forest Hills Drive”, and Fat Freddy’s Drop’s “Based on a True Story”. I’m a big fan of hip-hop and reggae from Aotearoa. I’m not sure how much they influence our music, but I know all of us in the band have such a diverse taste in music to one another. So it ends up being a collaboration of all of it.
Django: Hmm, honestly, I still listen to a lot of the same music I listened to as a teenager. I have recently gotten into the latest Royel Otis album, there’s some pretty sick stuff in there. But it’s pretty hard for me to really find something that I fuck with, it has to be good. Like, tickle my brain in a different way, you know? Honestly, I love some older stuff like Sublime’s “40oz. To Freedom”, Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon”, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. I still love Sticky Fingers’ “Land of Pleasure”, and Ocean Alley’s “In Purple” EP.
FHR: What do you enjoy most about playing music? Whether it’s songwriting, recording in the studio, or playing on stage – what brings out the most excitement?
Sam: I think I love it all, every aspect of being in a band is exciting. If I had to pick one though, it’d have to be performing live. That’s a no brainer – getting to see people going feral to the music you’ve spent months working on is the best feeling in the world. But really, it’s the whole night – from load-in, to soundcheck, to seeing the crowd start rolling in, the pre-show nerves, then the adrenaline of performing, and finally speaking to people after the show and seeing how happy they are and telling you how much fun they had and that they love you. It doesn’t get better than that… also the free beer.
Seth: I love writing music, it can be quite cathartic and satisfying, but being able to play live shows is probably the most exciting. Playing in front of hundreds of people with your mates ripping it up, nothing quite hits like a high energy live show.
FHR: Out of all the singles you have released, which one is your most favourite and why? Are there any interesting facts you can tell us about this particular track?
Will: My favourite single we have released would probably have to be Self Ashamed, it gets me dancing everytime and it’s just a banger. I love the cheeky sing-along part in the chorus, the groove and most importantly, how it makes me feel like a gangsta, haha. Not just only for this song, but for all the songs we have recorded so far, we would spend a whole day recording drums in Django’s grandparents’ basement. We got our mate Lachy and pretty much went from 6am-9pm on just recording drums and getting them to sound sick. Very fun but definitely a tiring day, haha.
Biku: I think Tiramisu is one of my favourite songs! I love playing it so much! I remember writing the bass line to it nearly 10 years ago when I was jamming with Django. It’s a bit sentimental and nostalgic for us to be playing it. I get this rush through my whole body after playing the song. Maybe it’s the tempo or Sam’s crazy solo at the end, but it just fills me with energy. Self Ashamed is another one of my favourites as it just has such a funky vibe to it. Every time I hear it, it makes me want to freestyle on the beat haha, which is what we do sometimes.
FHR: Say Thirst Trap gets to support two mega headliners – who are you choosing to share the stage with and why?
Django: Seeing as Sublime’s started touring with the son of their old singer, I’d love to support them – would be a dream come true haha. I would also froth supporting the Chili Peppers or some big iconic band.
Seth: Because of my passion for hip-hop and my unwavering love for the Australian hip-hop scene, I think I would choose Huskii or Chillinit. The passion and love the fans have for the scene is unparalleled. Since it’s not as mainstream, I feel like the fans are truly there for the artistic energy that’s being expressed. I also would love to see the hip-hop and Aussie band scene collaborate more.
FHR: I’d love to know more about your songwriting processes. What’s the usual rundown when there is a song idea ready to be explored?
Sam: We do collaborate quite a bit on structures of songs and adding parts to songs that are coming to the band as just a vocal idea or a riff. Or if we need a guitar solo to a song, that’s where I will bounce ideas off the guys ‘till we’re all stoked. But really, the genius behind a lot of the songs is our singer Django. He’ll send me a recording of a demo every now and then that just blows my mind and I get really excited and immediately want to put it into the setlist.
Will: Django is the head honcho when it comes to our music. He comes up with most of the melodies and riffs to basically create the songs. He makes demos and we just build from there, adding our own flare and style to them. We have also written songs together where we all start just jamming. Songs like Running Blind and You Know Me, were made purely from jamming and having fun. It’s the most enjoyable way of writing for me personally.
