The intro track invites listeners to strap in for the ride, while making it clear that the band don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s a subtle and playful nod to the EP’s title - encouraging audiences to find joy and a good laugh in times of uncertainty, while serving as a reminder of what Human Interest is all about.
The brash ‘Wearing Faces’ pleads for comfort with the vulnerability of a child - “Hold my hand / we’re all strangers in this land” - hammering home the desire for connection amidst the chaos, a central theme of the EP. On ‘Better Press Repeat’, released as the uplifting second single from the record, Damara and Harrison dream of new beginnings, remarking on the magic of dancing to your favourite song for a feeling of hope. The sweet simplicity of the track combined with the bright indie sound brings to mind both The Velvet Underground and Bombay Bicycle Club.
‘Shapeshifting’ wears its heart on its sleeve - it's a sonically sunny track that remarks on societal alienation and searching for one’s self amidst the mechanisms of conformity. With ‘Wearing Faces’ and ‘Shapeshifting’ marking the EP’s most dynamic points, the band are careful not to push things too far, leaning more into their subdued side to deliver their carefully crafted social commentary.
Harrison commented on the EP: “The songs all had to fit a feeling: a feeling we hadn’t quite articulated yet, and it was for sure convoluted.” Nowhere is this more evident than on the languid, sweet ‘Matrix’, which sits infinitely in flux. On the track, Harrison and Demara sing of being in between heaven and hell, light and dark, and hanging onto fragments of memory for a sense of permanence.
The interwoven vocals of Demara and Harrison on tracks like ‘Shapeshifting’ and the soft, slow ‘Matrix’ create the impression of one unified voice, which adds an extra layer of intimacy and vulnerability to ‘Smile While You’re Losing’. These tracks are reminiscent of earlier works, like acoustic fireside gem ‘These Parties are Awful’, which appears to nod to a distant world that only Demara and Harrison have the key to. This welcome escapism is wonderfully rife throughout the EP, and for just about twenty minutes, Human Interest offers listeners some respite alongside them in their secret, magical world.
In the final track of the EP, the band are waiting on the horizon for a ‘Nuclear War’. The echoing repetition of refrain “Take me to the end / I’ve seen the end” makes the song an ever-relevant anthem for navigating life in a world that is constantly verging on instability and descending into chaos.
On ‘Smile While You’re Losing’, Human Interest question our significance in the grand scheme of the world while embracing the beauty of vulnerability. Listen to the full EP, available on all major streaming platforms now.
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