Introducing FEVER PITCH, with their new double single ‘cruel / tranquilise’
After leaving an indelible mark as After Touch, the band's members Jesse, Jordan Jack, and Marcus have decided to embark on a fresh musical journey as Fever Pitch. The quartet has unleashed their emotive blend of indie and alt-rock with their debut EP, Fever Pitch, a testament to their musical evolution.
After Touch, who were previously signed with UNIFY, played at prestigious events including UNIFY Gathering and Yours & Owls festival, and shared the stage with notable acts like The Story So Far. Under the moniker of Fever Pitch, the band's objective is to not only expand upon their prior achievements but also to explore more profoundly the intricacies of their new dark and emotional sound.
Their latest offering comes in the form of a double single, ‘cruel/tranquilise’; it serves as a form of musical catharsis for the band. ‘cruel’ is a profound exploration of wanting what you don't need and needing what you don't have in a relationship. A concept that resonates universally, capturing the complexities of both personal and romantic relationships. The song weaves together traditional rock instrumentation with electronic elements and synth textures, creating a multifaceted emotional experience.
"We believe this is one of the most complex songs we've written while being one of our easiest to listen to," says the band collectively. The track takes listeners on a journey, seamlessly oscillating between lament and hope, capturing the inherent challenges of change and uncertainty within relationships.
Fever Pitch's mission extends beyond crafting compelling music. Their greater plan involves cultivating a dedicated audience through an array of online content, including short-form reels, BTS posts, and more, while also steadily performing live shows.
Upcoming shows include sharing the stage with The Sweaty Betty's on October 25th at LaLaLas in Wollongong.
Fever Pitch's transformation from After Touch to their current incarnation is a testament to their artistic integrity and dedication. The band's members have wholeheartedly embraced growth and change, both in their sound and in their lives. The Cruel/Tranquilise double single is a striking testament to their musical evolution and willingness to confront the complexities of human relationships through their art.
We Caught up with Fever Pitch to discuss the new single, out everywhere today!
Can you tell us about the transition from After Touch to Fever Pitch and what inspired the name change?
Long story short, After Touch had just run its course. What we were wanting to do was at odds with what made sense for that sound and scene we were in. We struggled to make it work without alienating ourselves. It was just a lot less hassle for us to start from scratch and really lean into what we want to do without being worried about it having to be a ‘departure’ from any work we’ve got out already. Plus that way we can just leave After Touch intact. If there’s any sort of audience for that kind of band, they have a band that they can come back to without that aspect of ‘they used to be cool but their new stuff…’
Your two-track EP, titled “Cruel/Tranquilise” marks a new musical direction. What were the main influences behind this shift in sound?
Fontaines DC, The Cure, Radiohead, The Strokes, Led Zeppelin, Idles
Could you describe the emotions and themes you explore in your new music as Fever Pitch?
We definitely do lean into the common tropes of love, life experience, loss, grief, etc. that’s been done to death in music. But they’re just so resonant and at the same time malleable to how you want to present them that I feel like it’s still possible to add something new. An approach that we’ve been taking lyrically is a sort of impressionism, where I’ll write about a very specific experience and then pare it down to the mood of the instance. Ideally that leaves the listener free to get the full intent of the song without it becoming unrelatable. Hopefully the songs have panned out that way.
What sets Fever Pitch apart from other indie and alt-rock bands in the music scene today?
We have a pretty unorthodox background, for one. We all started out playing in hardcore bands, so we’re a bit more reckless when it comes to exploring extremes in a song. Playing in an alt-rock band has also made us realise how much easier it is to keep a set engaging when you’re free to alternate between dynamics whenever you need to. In hardcore you’ve only really got a maximum of two minutes to say everything you want to say and you’re screaming it at the top of your lungs and trying to blow your speakers up at the same time. I think that’s given us pretty good bullshit detectors when it comes to songs becoming superfluous - our only focus in this band is how do these songs serve the set and how are they keeping someone engaged
You’ve played at some major festivals and shared the stage with prominent acts. How have those experiences shaped your approach to live performances with Fever Pitch?
We accidentally answered this question a bit in my previous answer, but we’ve been super lucky to have played some insane shows in previous bands. We’ve gotten a bunch of experience under our belts and ultimately stage time is stage time regardless of the style of music you’re playing, it all translates. We just want to keep racking up that xp
The EP release is an exciting milestone. Can you walk us through the creative process behind its songs and how they came together?
Yeah we’re really excited to have it out! Honestly the creative process is really straightforward. We’re all at this great point now where everyone knows everyone else’s tastes and preferences. For the most part, I [Marcus] will just demo a song and present it to the band. We then go over it together as a group and amend anything that needs to be amended but if I’ve done it right then each person’s part is something that they would’ve written anyway. The last step is how it feels playing it as a full band - once it’s got our seal of approval, we start looking at timelines for recording, release, etc.
In your opinion, which track from the Cruel/Tranquilise EP best represents the essence of the band’s new musical identity, and why?
Honestly Cruel feels like our new gold standard, previously held by Escape from our last EP. It encapsulates everything we want to do with the band - dynamic extremes, pretty accessible melodies and instrumentation undercut by a brooding atmosphere, pacing - we managed to fit it all into the one song. It’s also been the one we’ve been least reluctant to show our friends and family so that’s also a good sign.
How has your fanbase responded to the transition, and what feedback have you received since launching Fever Pitch?
We actively tried not to convert our fanbase from After Touch so I’m not sure how the fanbase has responded to the transition, we seem to be getting positive feedback though so it seems that we’re doing something right. Coming from a hardcore background, it’s been really weird to take compliments about our band at face value because we’re so used to waiting for the “I can appreciate what you guys are doing but it’s just not my cup of tea” caveat that we got for every other band we’ve been a part of.
As a band, what goals or aspirations do you have for Fever Pitch that differ from your previous project, After Touch?
I think our goals are still very similar - play as many shows as possible, find and retain an audience, keep making something we’re happy with - it’s just our approach to these goals has changed. We’ve still got the residual DIY-ness of being in a heavy band that keeps us realistic and working hard but the ceiling for this project compared to everything else we’ve done previously feels so much higher.
Could you share any plans or hints about what’s next for Fever Pitch in terms of upcoming music releases or tours?
I wish I could share any news about upcoming releases - we have so many songs finished that it’d be nice to say we’re planning on releasing them so that it forces us to get started on more. Nut unfortunately nothing yet after these two songs come out on the 16th of this month
As far as shows go, we’ve got a show at The House of Music and Booze in St Peter’s on the 7th of October - that’s with Belvedeer, Echo Facility, The Red and Ugly Mug. And we have a show at La La La’s in Wollongong with The Sweaty Bettys and Michael Cera on the 25th of October. We’ve got some more shows being lined up for later in the year but nothing else I can speak to as yet
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