Post-Release Interview, “Serpent Season One” - Hydra Fashion Week - A Deep Dive
Hydra Fashion Week collectively make a sound known as, “jazzy-hyper-punk” — Last week the Melbourne/Naarm group released their debut album ‘Serpent Season One’, a 12-track full length with previously released singles ‘Total Freefall’ and ‘Don’t Stop’
The collective have built a strong reputation for themselves with their “indescribable and unbelieable” (themusic.com.au) live shows, and unique sound, with Abby Butler (Triple J Unearthed) writing, “HFW is up there as one of the most exciting live acts in the Melb live scene.”
The project, fronted by Charlie Teitelbaum/Hydras Heads (founding member of electronic-pop act Huntly), finds connection between no-wave, jazz, punk and progressive pop music you didn’t want to exist. Their electric live chemistry combines the thrilling and chaotic natures of improvised music and thoughtful songwriting. It is this combination that has earned them support slots on national tours for the likes of Full Flower Moon Bands, Party Dozen and Cry Club.
On Feb 20th 2024, Hydra unveiled the playful new single and video for ‘Total Freefall’. The single came with the announcement of the band’s debut album ‘Serpent Season One’, released on April 4th.
The album features previously released singles, ‘Non-fungible Love Song’, ‘a 21st-century grunge ballad’, and the jangly post-punk single, ‘Don’t Stop!’, which received airplay across FBi, triple j, Unearthed, Triple R, PBS, features in The Guardian, NME AU, The Music and the AU Review, as well as Spotify Editorial Playlists.
We caught up with Charlie from Hydra Fashion Week following the release of their highly anticipated album, titled ‘Serpent Season One’!
Hey Charlie, how are you today?
Vibing & Survivin.
I've been a personal fan of Hydra Fashion Week since the release of 'Don't Stop' that we worked on together, and I’ve had a deep dive into your past releases like SICK (Day #132) and First Person Shooter. Who is Hydra Fashion Week for all our readers?
Thank you for the deep dive! Hydra Fashion Week is me (Hydras Heads), Matt Roche, Jasper Evans and Emily Chen. We’ve been playing together for a couple years now, but still feel like a baby band in our infancy.
I'm stoked to see your album release today! Can you give us a rundown about 'Serpent Season One'?
Serpent Season One is a welcome into our world, and the heralding of a new serpent season. In this serpent season you can be whoever and whatever you wish. Like the Hydra, grow many heads, grow in any direction you like.
What is your favourite batch of songs off the new album to listen to versus perform live?
Oh, that is a tough one. I’m really proud of the opener and closers of the album: ‘Stunt Double’ and ‘LMTC’. I think we really nailed the production on these and they are perfect bookends for the album.
For playing live it changes show-to-show, but we’re going to be adding some new elements to the live show, which will be particularly fun in ‘Snake’s Tail’.
And ‘Don’t Stop!’ always gets the crowd hyped with its 188bpm tempo.
Who did you work with for production, mixing, etc. for this new album?
I do most of the production myself, but I have a close collaborator in Andrew Huhtanen McEwan (Ahm) who recorded and mixed the whole thing, and was very important in shaping the sound of the record. Andy is an excellent and talented producer in their own right, and having someone to work with on the post-production side of things was crucial!
The start of the record with Stunt Double gives me a real insight into you as an artist, before 'Don't Stop' kicks through the door on track two, then by the time it hits 'Delete' it enters the fo-indie-jazz world. I guess my question is do you enjoy playing around with the structure of HFW songs, and like to give listeners different sounds, and different sounding songs?
If you cut off a Hydra’s head, two new ones will grow back in its place. To me that’s what this album sounds like. When I first started the band, I was writing a lot of songs that veered off into different directions suddenly, because to me that’s what life is like. Unpredictable and uneven. That’s why the album sounds the way it sounds.
In terms of the expanse of styles, I’m just in love with so many different types of music. It’s hard for me to keep all that influence at bay.
When you write for HFW, what are you listening to and/or what artists influence you to make art?
So so many. When this album started, I was really into experimental post-punk groups like “The Pop Group” and ‘James Chance & The Off-Whites’, and I was also very inspired by Miles Davis’ early 70s records. Particularly “On The Corner”. There’s freewheeling nature to that music that feels so open and untethered, yet also so groovy. Great rhythms!
More recently I have been listening to a lot of progressive rap like ‘Playboi Carti’ and hyper-pop like ‘100 Gecs’ and ‘SOPHIE’.
Tell us more about your lyrics.
Most of my lyrics are inspired by the way technology shapes our identity. They might be tales of love, death or reaching for the ecstatic divine, but I try to shape them all through that lens.
Bird's Arm is giving me Connan Mockasin sounds. Is he an influence of yours or am I completely left field?
Ok I can see how you got that! Tbh I haven’t listened to Connan in years, but I did at a time in my life. He definitely has a unique vocal approach. To me this one sounds very ‘Dirty Projectors’, but it’s hard to say exactly where it came from.
The record to me definitely has its singles like Don't Stop, Total Freefall, LMTC but want to talk more about 'hfw type beat one' and 'River Bed Image Result' ? Are these a collection of songs from a time in your current life? Would love to know more about the timeframe of this record coming to life?
As I also work in a producer mode and have a background in electronic dance music, I get a lot of fun ideas while working with the recordings we did. So hfw type beat one and hfw type beat two are these instrumentals where we are sampling ourselves, and using them as interludes to sonically tie the world of SS01 together.
The timeframe to me is a bit of a crazy one. They say you have your whole life to make your first album, and it certainly feels this way. We originally planned to record it all in 2020, but living in Melbourne it was really hard for us all to be able to be in a room together for a consistent period for a long time. So we ended up having to wait, which I think really changed the writing approach for me to go for something a bit more considered.
Will we see a vinyl release of this record?
….maybe….
Are you playing any album release shows? If so, when?
Yes!
Our Album Launch is May 11 at The Curtin Hotel in Melbourne. The supports we have on board are amazing, and it will be a very special show collaborating with performance art collective on stage ~ embrace the chaos!
Any last words?
Let It Rip!