Q&A: A Track of Vulnerable Lyricism and Stunning Visuals, Cat & Calmell Talk New Single “Overstimulated”
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN CATHARSIS AND EXHAUSTION — Cat & Calmell’s new single, “Overstimulated,” provides solace and release. The guitar, soft vocals, and raw lyrics display a vulnerable side to the Australian duo. The chorus leans into angst, taking the listener on a pop-punk journey reminiscent of Paramore. In addition to putting words and instrumentation to the feeling of sensory overload, the single explores the anxiety and loneliness that comes with it.
The “Overstimulated” music video brings new depth to this constellation of emotions. Saturated with cool tones and dream-like scenes inspired by ’90s and 2000s Asian cinema, it cuts between karaoke with friends and screaming in the streets, capturing the extreme emotion of overstimulation and isolation in the city.
The introductory lines at the start of the video get the viewer in the “headspace” of the song and offer a small piece of a larger project that’s soon to come. With on-point visuals and a versatile musical catalog that touches the core of Gen-Z, Cat & Calmell are ones to watch.
Keep reading below to find out more about the single and what we can see next from Cat & Calmell.
LUNA: As musicians you’re obviously very creative, but I think that also really shines in your fashion sense. From the actual pieces to accessories, to make-up to hair, you both have a great style that is unique to each of you and complementary to each other. Where do you find style inspiration?
CALMELL: My style is heavily influenced by early 2000s fashion mixed with Japanese street style!
CAT: I get a lot of my clothes from small independent Chinese brands [and] fun vintage finds online. There isn’t really one source that I get style inspo from — it’s kind of an amalgamation of everything/everyone around me.
LUNA: Almost two years ago, you guys had your first ever show. A couple of months ago, you were opening for Dua Lipa. This May, you’ll be performing again! Can you tell us a little bit about what you learned during that first performance that you’ve applied and want to bring to your other performances?
CAT & CALMELL: Our first show was after lockdown and it was the first time we got to perform our own original music. Actually having that in-person connection with our listeners was life-changing, and from then on we’ve just prioritized having fun at our shows.
LUNA: Congratulations on the release of your single, “Overstimulated”! I love the song. This is your first single release of 2023. What was the most exciting part of releasing the song?
CAT & CALMELL: Thank you so much! Just actually having everyone be able to listen to the song and watch the music video is so exciting because we put so much into it, and it’s been a long time in the making. Having our friends be a part of the project and flying to Seoul to film the video was all such a fever dream, and the fact that it’s finally out is so surreal!
LUNA: Since the song is called “Overstimulated,” I’m curious: What's something you do for release or comfort when you’re feeling overstimulated?
CALMELL: Running away or hiding myself in a tight, confined space, as if I’ve returned to the womb.
CAT: Scream into my pillow, bite the skin off my nails, or sleep for 12 hours.
LUNA: You are both co-writers — can you tell me a little more about the process of writing “Overstimulated”?
CAT & CALMELL: We typically go into a session and just divulge way too much information about ourselves for the first three hours with the producer, and then we go away to our separate little corners and write in our own little bubble. Then we reconvene and somehow what we’ve written always fits into a song, and we rework the parts together until we have something we like.
LUNA: The song starts slow, then there’s a crescendo that I interpret as a peak at the end with the scream. As a listener, there’s a kind of a duality to the end scream because you’ve reached your limit but also you are letting it all out. It feels like exhaustion, but also catharsis. I’m interested in the thematics of the song and how they’re interwoven with the tempo and instrumentation. Can you speak to that a little bit more? How does this interpretation sit with you?
CAT & CALMELL: We wanted the instrumentation to strip away in the bridge with the drowned out screams in the background and Calmell’s soft, vulnerable vocals at the forefront because at the peak of a sensory overload it’s almost as if everything goes quiet and your whole body feels like it's filled with static, and your brain is just white noise. The screams are definitely both cathartic and exhausting — it feels like a weight lifting off your shoulders and your body crashing to the ground all at once.
LUNA: In another interview Cat said she wanted the music video to feel like it was made by a community. What is something you both hope listeners will find in the song itself?
CAT & CALMELL: Whether it be an outlet or solace or just good vibes, all we ever want is for our songs to have their own connection with every listener.
LUNA: You guys have a lot of great music videos! I love the visual stories you create — it's not surprising you have great aesthetics. From what I could tell, they are mostly based in Australia. What inspired the decision to shoot the “Overstimulated” video in South Korea?
CAT & CALMELL: When we were conceptualizing the video, we referenced a lot of ’90s and early 2000s Asian cinema. [Cat] grew up on Wong Kar-wai films and the nostalgia of that visual world was something we really wanted to recreate.
LUNA: The music video has these first lines “I dumped those memories into the air / and let the wind take them wherever it wanted to go,” which the track does not have. Could you speak more on that decision to pair that writing with the video instead of the song?
CAT & CALMELL: This music video is going to exist within the context of a larger piece of work that’s coming out with the full project — can’t reveal too much just yet, but know it will all make sense soon.
LUNA: What new dimensions do those introductory lines bring to the themes of the song?
CAT & CALMELL: It sets the tone of the video and gets the viewer in the headspace for how we want the [music video] to make them feel.
LUNA: The music video has this juxtaposition of sweet imagery — Cat both hugging at the start, Calmell laughing on the floor, doing karaoke with friends — paired with darker moments: smoking alone in the street, screaming on the rooftops. How did these visuals help bring to life the message of the song?
CAT & CALMELL: That juxtaposition just highlights the fact that when those darker moments hit, it doesn't matter if you have friends around you or people you love. In that very moment, you still feel completely isolated and unreachable.
LUNA: What can fans look forward to next from Cat & Calmell?
CAT & CALMELL: We do have another cheeky single coming (next month!) that we’re really excited about! And later on in the year we have the full project coming out that we poured our hearts into. It consists of a lot more oversharing and some stunning visuals (some also filmed in South Korea). We cannot wait!
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