The past year has seen Perth trio Polly quietly become one of Australia’s most exciting emerging indie bands.
With support from triple j and triple j Unearthed, alongside tours and support slots with the likes of Spacey Jane, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Hockey Dad, The Grogans and The Belair Lip Bombs, the band’s reputation has continued to grow through energetic live shows and emotionally honest songwriting.
Following the release of their new EP Maybe on Friday July 17th, Polly let us know about uncertainty, finding their sound, life in Perth’s close-knit music community and why this release feels like the beginning of something much bigger.
Finding the right title
The title Maybe perfectly captures the emotional thread running through the five track release.
“I think the word Maybe kind of sums up the whole EP. A lot of the songs kind of sit in that space of uncertainty and really just not really knowing what the right decision is. There aren’t too many resolutions on the EP, and we always really like that. It felt like the perfect title for this EP!”
Introducing a new chapter
While fans had already heard ‘Doubt’ and ‘Tell Your Friends’, choosing the first singles wasn’t a simple decision.
“There were definitely a lot of conversations about it, but we always felt like Doubt was the right place to start. It introduced the sound we wanted to have for the EP and we wanted to start heavy haha. Tell Your Friends then kind of showed a different side to the EP without giving everything away. We wanted each single to kind of reveal a different part of the EP rather than just putting out the biggest songs first.”
Chasing emotion over imitation
For Polly, writing songs has never been about trying to recreate another band’s sound.
“It’s definitely more a bit more about the feeling. We all listen to heaps of different bands, so there’s always little influences kind of creeping in, but we’ve never really sat down and said, ‘let’s write a song that sounds like this.’ Usually we kind of feel like if the emotion feels right, the sound kind of follows naturally.”
Polly ‘Doubt’ video
Growing up in Perth
Despite being one of Australia’s most isolated music scenes, the band believes Perth has been central to their development.
“Definitely. Perth has such an amazing music community, and because we’re so isolated from the rest of the country, everyone really gets behind each other. You end up playing with the same bands over and over and learning so much from them. I think that’s been a huge part of why we’ve developed the way we have.”
Learning from the best
Sharing stages with some of Australia’s biggest indie acts has also shaped the band’s approach to performing.
“That’s a tough question to answer but probably that there’s no shortcut to becoming a great live band. The biggest thing we’ve noticed is how consistent they all are. Every show feels like it’s the most important one they’re playing, kind of regardless of the venue or the crowd. That’s something we’ve really tried to take into our own shows.”
That lesson has become especially important as Polly continue building a reputation for their own high energy performances.
“You definitely have to earn it every time haha. Every crowd is different, which is one of the fun parts of touring. Usually there’s a few certain moments in the set where we can feel the energy shift, but that’s pretty awesome when you can play into it. Once that happens, everything becomes a lot easier.”
Watching the momentum grow
While there have been several memorable milestones, announcing their upcoming Australian tour stands out.
“There have been a few, but I think when we announced the upcoming Aus tour was a big one. It’s something we’d always hoped we’d get to do, so announcing it and just committing to it felt pretty surreal. It’s one of those moments where you stop for a second and realise things are actually moving.”
The band also revealed that not every song written for the sessions made the final cut.
“Haha there actually was a track that didn’t make it onto the EP. Maybe we’ll release it one day who knows!”
One song they’re especially excited for fans to experience live is opening track ‘Shut Up’.
“We’re really excited for people to finally hear Shut Up. We’ve been sitting on that one for a while, and it’s become one of our favourite songs to play. It’s probably the biggest sounding moment on the EP, so we’re keen to see how people react when they hear it for the first time and especially yell the chorus lyrics haha.”
Looking ahead
For Polly, Maybe isn’t the destination. It’s the first step.
“Hopefully they come away feeling like they’ve found a band they want to keep following! More than anything, we wanted the EP to feel pretty honest. Hopefully it can connect with people. We feel like this EP is just the beginning of where we want to take the band and we’re already ready for the next chapter!”
Maybe tracklist
- ‘Shut Up’
- ‘Tell Your Friends’
- ‘Doubt’
- ‘Forget You’
- ‘Hit’
Stream here
Follow Polly on instagram here
Australian tour
Saturday, July 25th – The Y HQ, Perth – AA
*supports CNTR, lefty, zoevi
Thursday, August 6th – The Old Bar, Melbourne – 18+
Thursday, August 27th – Low 302, Sydney – 18+
*supports The Pulse, Gena Stone
Friday, August 28th – Towradgi Beach Hotel, Wollongong – 18+
*supports Lazy Haze, Electric X
Saturday, August 29th – Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Burleigh Heads – AA
September 1st to 3rd – Bigsound, Brisbane – 18+
Friday, September 4th – The Old Bar, Melbourne – 18+
*supports The Halves, Violet
Friday, September 11th – Six Degrees, Albany – 18+
Saturday, September 12th – 33 Degrees, Esperance – 18+
Friday, September 25th – Froth Craft, Bunbury – 18+
Saturday, September 26th – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River – 18+
Saturday, November 28th – Rolling Sets, Tweed Heads – 18+
Find out more and pick your tickets up here.
With Maybe now out in the world and a national tour underway, Polly’s upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing. If these five songs are any indication of what’s to come, Australia’s indie scene has another band worth keeping a close eye on.
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