RELIQA - Know Thyself
Written by: Tom Wilson @thetomwilsonexperiment - Sense Music Media | Monday 5th September 2022
Sydney Alt-Prog Heroes On MONOLITH and Fishnets
One of the standouts of the stacked MONOLITH lineup, Sydney’s RELIQA are set to release their latest EP I Don’t Know What I Am. Singer Monique Pym spoke to SENSE about working with MAKE THEM SUFFER, crafting their EP, and having a fashionista on bass …
How have the MONOLITH shows been going?
It’s been incredible. I really am so grateful to be part of this little family that’s kind of happened. We’ve been seeing each other week in, week out, working together, with amazing crews. I’ve made some really good friends on this tour, and friends in high places, too! People that I’ve been looking up to for years, as an artist, as a musician, it’s been really, really special to be part of something that is probably the biggest thing we’ve done in our career yet … and just for it to be a sort of day-to-day thing. Not only is this such an exciting thing for us, as a band, but it’s become just a part of our lives at the moment. We’re off to Brisbane this day, and we’re off to Melbourne the next, and we’re playing with KARNIVOOL of all people. It’s kind of surreal. It’s almost surreal how normal it feels now, which is just so cool.
Let’s talk about Sean Harmanis. How did you guys end up working together for [new track Safety]?
We were so glad we worked with Sean, actually. We’re really lucky to have Josh Smith on our team from NORTHLANE, and Chris, of course, Chris O’Brien, head of Destroy All Lines … I think they actually manage MAKE THEM SUFFER. So we are pretty close in connection to them now, which is great, so it wasn’t too hard to reach out and show him the track. When we were writing it, when we started realising, “Okay, yeah, we think we want a feature on this track,” it’s mainly because this song is probably the most metalcore … mainstream metalcore we’ve really ever been, and wanted to service that with someone who already makes that kind of music and makes it so well, and Sean was really a no-brainer. We’re really glad we went with someone who is somewhat close to home, but also has this already incredible catalogue of music through MAKE THEM SUFFER, and that’s another band we look up to. Once we knew Sean was the go, it all fell into place pretty quickly actually. I was saying a little earlier, I was somewhat a little bit embarrassed to send over the demo, because there were parts where I had to sing or rap his part where I can’t scream, and I’m just like, “Don’t do it like this, but here’s the rhythm!” [Laughs] But he was very receptive during all of it, and pretty much as soon as he sent something over, we were like, “Done!” He was so easy to work with.
Of all the bands on MONOLITH, who do you think consistently stands out as your favourite one to watch? Or who surprised you the most? I remember you and I were both very excited to see OCEAN GROVE…
OCEAN GROVE! Done! [Laughs] But, okay, I can give you a more complex answer than that. Number one, I’ve been so excited to see OCEAN GROVE for some time, and of course, interacting with them on a weekly basis lately has been incredible, and seeing their set, night after night, they just deliver. They have so much energy, so much passion. I just love how much fun they have onstage, and it’s just very clear … it’s just infectious. I’m standing side-stage and I’m just bopping my head around, having the best time. And it’s clear that that is what they want out of their audience reception. I think that they service that really well … Special mention I think to PLINI. PLINI are incredible … PLINI is incredible, being the man behind it all, but the whole band, really, are just so tight. They also … I think that is a key point throughout the entire tour; they like to have a lot of fun onstage. They were bantering, and you can see, especially because they’re an instrumental band, you can see, through their facial expressions, and their interactions with each other, they’re laughing at little parts and stuff, it’s so fun to watch. With PLINI, their music just unfolds, almost like a lotus flower opening, in this really beautiful way … a very organic way. Yeah, I think I definitely wanted to give a special mention to them. I mean, I could say KARNIVOOL or COG, but we know that, right? It’s really good to take a look at some of the other artists on the bill … everyone is showing up, all the time, and I’m continually surprised, even though I know everyone’s setlist off by heart at this point, I’m still continually surprised by everyone, really.
I understand that this would have been a very bitter pill to swallow, because I could tell that you had put a lot of work into your stage outfit … was it crushing to lose the Best Dressed award to your bass player?
No, he deserves it. [Laughs] I mean, that outfit … what was he wearing, the mesh and the fishnets? Yeah, he deserves it. Not crushing at all. The fact that we can even compete between us, I think we’re doing something right, you know? [Laughs] If our bassist is winning Best Dressed, like, hell yeah, I think we’re winning! … It’s cool. I think it’s another way of expression as well. You don’t really realise until you’re playing the bigger shows, the higher capacity shows, and higher production value … You’ve got your lights, you’ve got your backdrop and everything going on … It’s a performance. You want to be dressing the part, I think, and that’s something we’re learning a little bit more at the moment. It’s fun to play around with some fun styles and stuff! [Laughs] Myles is killing it!
Let’s talk a little about the new EP, I Don’t Know What I Am. Spoiler alert: I actually know the answer to that question.
I don’t! [Laughs] Can you tell me?
You’re a good singer – that’s what you are!
Naaw! [Laughs]
Tell me things! How long have you been working on it?
Well, it sort of came into fruition around the 2020 to 2021 mark. We recorded it between October and December last year. Really, some of the songs date back a little earlier. Some of the songs are actually very new … In fact, the interlude, .blip … was written pretty close to recording time, but it was just like the missing puzzle piece, you know what I mean? “This needs something more.” Chuck that in there, bam! That does it. That answers the question, I guess, that we had. Really, it’s been quite a long time in the making. Mainly just lining up when to release it has been a matter of strategy, I guess you could say. If we had released it as soon as it was ready, it would’ve been out a long time ago … It would’ve been out probably March or so. There was a lot more to sort of factor in when it came to its release. MONOLITH was a great example. The fact that we’re releasing it amongst this tour, it feels so right, and it makes so much sense. It’s kind of like the wait is paying off, I guess you could say.
I Don’t Know What I Am is out September 16th.