dogworld

"Yeah it started really awkward. Took a few sleepovers."

Having recently performed as a part of Sydney’s SXSW Festival, dogworld joined Jenna Parker on Lunch to chat about their journey so far. The DIY scene of their hometown Canberra is something they still hold close to their hearts, but their recent move to Melbourne has opened the sort of doors that a larger city and larger music scene would seem to.

“In Canberra we were pretty much restricted to playing one venue or some DIY shows through Gut Wrench Records who do a lot of DIY down there… Canberra was such an encouraging place to perform but there's just more people (in Melbourne).”

Nature, bushland and a back-to-basics approach; RANGE was primarily written in the company of all four of dogworld’s bandmates – Yasmine, Ella, Jesse and Max – in  bushland on a camping trip. They came with the intention of bringing every idea they had to the table.

“I remember on the second night where we were writing. And then we went straight into ‘dash cam’, Max started playing this crazy riff. And we just kept working on it. On the last day, we just recorded everything we'd worked on and that was what became the EP.”

RANGE moves seamlessly between aggressive post punk, comforting alt country and rich shoegaze in a timeless and cathartic fashion. Working closely also with friend and photographer, Nikola Jokanovic largely shaped the visuals and video work surrounding dogworld and RANGE specifically, borrowing art featured in photobook Hotel Yugoslavia.

The EP solidified the foundation of their relationship with each other. Prior to forming, dogworld were strangers, mutuals, names in passing before forming through a mutual interest in music-making; the aforementioned awkwardness now all shaken off.

“I think it took a bit of time to get more close to each other and be more more vulnerable but now we've definitely found the balance of being able to do it so”

Words by Rhea Thomas