Q&A: Indie R&B Funk Collective Winston Surfshirt Talks New Album ‘Panna Cotta’
FUNKY, DREAMY AND BOUNCY — Australia-based six-piece collective Winston Surfshirt is the feel-good sound you need in your life. A sonic mesh of trippy ’70s funk and bouncy ’90s hip-hop, Surfshirt makes the ultimate sleepy sunshine tracks to vibe to.
Once declared by Sir Elton John to be his “favorite band of the moment,” the group has gained a cult following over their past six years together. Best known for their smooth hit “Be About You” off their 2017 album, Sponge Cake, the group is well-known for their experimental style. They recently released a new album, Panna Cotta, arguably their grooviest yet, studded with features from Kimbra, Genesis Owusu, and Young Franco.
Read on below to learn more about the group’s process of creating the album, their origins, and their musical inspirations.
LUNA: Tell me a bit about your musical background and the origin story of Winston Surfshirt.
SURFSHIRT: I have no musical genes in my family that I know of. I dabbled with guitar when I lived in West Sussex as a kid but it wasn't until I moved to Australia that it was too hot to play football and I picked the guitar back up, re-found The Beatles, and became obsessed with music. I played in a bunch of bands till I started Surfshirt at about 20 and just ran with it.
LUNA: How would you describe your sound? Would you categorize Winston Surfshirt within a certain genre, or do you draw from many different genres?
SURFSHIRT: I find it really hard to categorize. There's so many genres that I draw from but not one I'm aiming for, and I think even if I aim for something I never really sound that way — it just sounds like me. The other day I heard someone describe it to their friends as “Jamiroquai for stoners”… one of the best I've heard.
LUNA: Congrats on the new record! What was the process of making it? Are there any prominent themes that arise? How would you describe it sonically?
SURFSHIRT: It was long and painful but beautiful at the same time. My favorite thing to do is make new music and work on a project but this one was just made so much more difficult due to COVID. By the time the album came out the collection of tracks were about two years old, which doesn't usually happen. The main theme of the album was collaboration from the get-go. Usually I sit in a room and make beats but this one I wanted to get out and work with other people, outside of Surfshirt and inside. Me and the boys in the band made a game where we have three rooms set up, two in each room, and 30 minutes to make a beat with a partner, which is repeated till you can't do it any more. A lot of songs came out of those sessions.
LUNA: Do you have a favorite song off the new record? Why?
SURFSHIRT: It changes. As I said, it was two years old to me by the time it came out. My favorite song usually changes from the last one I write. If I have a song done or [one] that I'm working on that I know is going to be a song, I'll over play to the point of obsession. I feel like the album … [has] songs that hit you later … [as most albums do]. For me, by the time the album came out, that was “Photos Of You” featuring SWSH. It wasn’t the last one I'd written for the album but one that hit me again. Also really fun to play.
LUNA: Who or what are some of your biggest musical inspirations?
SURFSHIRT: They change all the time. I've had many obsessions where I'm stuck on an artist for six months. Winehouse, Badu, Beatles, Slum Village. Outside of music, having kids now has brought new inspiration that I didn’t have before, which is beautiful.
LUNA: Are there any prominent themes or touchstones that come up often in your creative process?
SURFSHIRT: Lyrically, [I] love, as I said, The Beatles. My guy is obviously John so I find myself — without trying — writing love songs. I met my now-wife when I was 16 in school, so I spent most of my time writing love songs as a kid and it hasn’t stopped. It's also fun writing about nonsense, though, and letting people decide what they think it's about.
LUNA: Congrats as well on the international tour (which includes M3F Fest in Phoenix!) How are you feeling about it?
SURFSHIRT: Super excited — haven’t toured the States yet so it's a first for us that we’ve been waiting years for. Can't wait to get there and play our music for the first time! Then we’re back in the UK and Europe, which is always fun; last proper overseas tour was in the UK just before COVID did COVID things, so it's gonna be amazing to finally get back there.
LUNA: What has been your favorite experience or project with the group?
SURFSHIRT: All of it — I'm seven years in from our first proper release. I look back and can't believe the fun we’ve had even before it started actually going somewhere.
LUNA: Anything else exciting coming up?
SURFSHIRT: Always! We’ll get back from overseas and work on coming back ASAP, and of course, new music.
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weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo
