Meet The Musos: Get To Know All-Female Electronic-Soul Outfit Pink Matter

Genre-defying electronic-soul outfit Pink Matter has officially dropped their debut album GLOSS, a body of work that acts as a form of escapism for the all-female band as they venture into uncharted sonic territory.

The Meanjin/Brisbane-based group is made up of classically-trained trio Kerry, Izzy, and Libby, whose extensive musical knowledge sees them craft a unique intersection between dance, neo-soul, and jazz, whilst simultaneously allowing them to develop their identity in the electronic music space. 

Boasting production from heavyweights such as Harvey Sutherland, Memphis LK, and Squidgenini, GLOSS is brimming with polished textures and production. 

The focus track Let Go was the first track written for the mixtape, coming together organically in their rehearsal space. Created with assistance from the keen ears of long-time friends Sumner, the track is sonically reminiscent of one of the band’s many inspirations: Madonna, with its focal point being the main chorus hook.

Speaking on the project, the band said, “The three of us experienced a lot of setbacks within the last few years, and we wanted to focus on writing and releasing music that gave us joy both to play and listen to." 

"This was new territory for Pink Matter in a lot of aspects - we were pretty new to the dance space and it was a lot of fun experimenting with how our perspective on songwriting would sound.”

Following the exciting release of their banger if debut album GLOSS, we chat to Kerry, Izzy, and Libby to find out everything you need to know about Pink Matter.

Give us the story behind your name?

We spent some time together brainstorming, we wanted something that reflected the feminine energy of the group without being too on the nose. Most of us were big Frank Ocean fans at the time so Kerry thought of naming us after his song “Pink Matter”. 

If your music was a flavour, what would it taste like?

It would taste like the new Weis grapefruit/chocolate bar. Little sweet but with a darker taste. OR rocky road, little surprise with every bite. 

Who are some of your biggest musical influences and how have they impacted your own sound and style?

Our sound is morphing and developing constantly, we definitely write for how we’re feeling at a particular moment, so this answer will probably be very different in a year. 

For this release, we were particularly influenced by SG Lewis, kaytranada, Disclosure, Madonna and Calvin Harris. 

Our influences from when we first formed as a band have definitely changed as we experiment with different instruments and genres. 

What’s been the biggest moment in your careers so far?

Collectively I think we can all agree that playing Splendour in the Grass was such a huge moment/bucket list goal for us. 

Playing live is our favourite part of what we do, so to play one of the biggest festivals in the country was a dream come true. 

What's the most unusual or unexpected source of inspiration you've drawn from when writing a song?

For one song on our new mixtape, we started writing a song while having a long ongoing discussion about conspiracy theories which eventually led to us talking about Jason Bourne/mk ultra. 

While developing the song we specifically had this scene from Bourne Identity in our heads, where Jason Bourne is being chased through an embassy by many guards. Definitely unexpected but it’s let to a good/unexpected song name Mk Ultra.

Can you share a hilarious or cringe-worthy moment from your early days as artists?

When we were still pretty fresh we would play covers gigs to get some money in the band account for recording. We picked up a gig playing at a ball for our old uni and to this day we still laugh about it. 

We were playing this cover of Come On Eileen and I had the chords open on my phone which was sitting on my [Izzy's] amp behind me. I went to quickly look back at them and accidentally stepped on my lead and ripped it out. 

There was this huge pop over the PA and I was so shocked and mortified but everyone was so lit that they hardly even noticed. Probably the worst show I’ve ever played and it still haunts me haha.

What are the top three tracks or artists you’re vibing on rn?

Kerry - Going through a massive Metro Boomin phase right now. Really keen to see when he comes out here and his soundtrack for the Spider-Verse movie is amazing :’) 

Libby - Kylie Minogue's Padum is a banger, I have that on repeat right now.

Izzy - I’ve been on a big The Weeknd bender… but otherwise, I’ve recently rediscovered the song Cherry by The Chromatics, and my God that song rips :’)

What’s something that fans not might know about you guys?

We are absolute grandmas :’) once a gig is over we will try to get to bed as soon as we can. We don’t party much, so tours or interstate gigs are usually pretty wholesome and tame. 

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Kerry - SOS by SZA, it has a song for every mood 

Libby - Music of the Spheres by Coldplay or Renaissance by Beyoncé.

Izzy - Skinty Fia - Fontaines DC or Ego Death - The Internet

What's in the works for Pink Matter in 2023?

We have a tour coming up in August, we will be visiting Sydney and Melbourne and then supporting Big Words for their album launch in Brisbane!