As part of Music Is To Blame’s What’s to Blame? interview series, Wotts talk us through their Australian psych-pop inspirations, their Spotify editorial, and upcoming releases.
Introduce yourself and where you’re from.
Thanks for having us! We’re Wotts and we’re an indie pop band from Ottawa, Canada.
Talk to us about your band name - who’s to blame for its inception?
Funny enough, three people that aren’t in the group anymore. I remember it being a headache trying to come up with a name that we all liked, and just going with this one so we could get to the fun part.
What have you got coming up that you’re most excited for?
A new EP! Originally we were gonna drop our first full length, but the more we thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea for us. So we’ll keep it nimble with a couple shorter records this year, while at the same time exploring the vibes and sounds we originally planned. Look out for the announcement of the new EP in late March or early April!
What or who would you say is to blame for your music career? (what got you into music/why did you choose this path)
For me personally, it was Kevin Parker (Tame Impala). Someone told me to check out 'Lonerism' and after that I became obsessed. By that point I had written a couple songs but didn’t know anything about production or even how to record music. I kept reading that Parker did everything on his own, and that really drew me in. Even with zero music background or an instrument to my name, his whole story made me feel like the sky’s the limit.
The timing worked out great because the pandemic hit and then I had a bunch of extra time to figure things out.
'Sinking II' is a reimagining of 'Sinking' through the lens of Tame Impala and Gorillaz - how did these bands in particular influence the final product?
'Sinking' started to take on a new meaning for us after we released it. Without getting too deep, it became about losing people close to me, and a bit about bending to the universe’s will. So with this huge existential theme, we knew we wanted to come back with something bigger. We’re drawn to Tame and Gorillaz for a bunch of reasons, but one of them is their ability to create these lush, almost cinematic soundscapes. We gave it a shot and I think that vibe complimented the meaning of the song perfectly.
Who are the biggest musical inspirations for the sound you’ve curated?
Up until this point, if I had to sum it up it would be Australian psych pop, specifically Tame Impala and Pond. But over the last year we’re starting to incorporate a lot more 90s britpop into the mix.
How was it getting on the Spotify editorial?
That was crazy and so incredibly cool! I know it doesn’t lead to fame and fortune, but for someone that didn’t even know how to play an instrument five years ago it was a nice bit of reassurance to keep going.
Sum up your sound in three words
Nostalgic. Feels. Pop.
Lana Williams
Image: Rainbow Studios
