WASTEMAN | INTERVIEW + TRACK REVIEW

WASTEMAN aren’t interested in playing it safe.

Blending vulnerability with raw energy, the Melbourne-based outfit carves out a space where emotional honesty and sonic experimentation collide. From the cathartic highs of Teeth to the haunting introspection of Good Friends, WASTEMAN continue to evolve without ever losing their distinct voice. With a new run of singles on the horizon and a reputation for captivating live sets, they’re proving that no two songs need to sound the same to still hit you where it matters. We caught up with the band to talk about their process, their influences, and what’s coming next.

TRACK REVIEW

What begins with the gentle ease of a folk tune quickly reveals itself to be something far richer—a layered indie fusion track that feels both tender and expansive. There’s a warmth to the acoustic guitar tones, that soft jangle that lingers like the smell of eucalyptus after rain. It’s got that same emotional pull you find in early Angie McMahon—a kind of aching optimism wrapped in raw, melodic honesty.

Listening to Watering Weeds feels like rolling around in a sun-drenched field just outside Byron Bay Hospital, letting nature take over while your thoughts drift somewhere softer. WASTEMAN manage to take something quiet and make it hit deep. A beautiful, grounded piece that lets vulnerability bloom.

LISTEN HERE

What usually comes first when writing a Wasteman track—lyrics, instrumentation, or just a feeling in the room that sparks everything?

We’re constantly writing what we call little seeds—melodies, lyrics, and guitar parts that often don’t see the light of day, but sometimes come together and grow legs. If one of these half-baked ideas marries nicely to another, they can become more than the sum of their parts. We tend to sense pretty quickly what’s compelling enough to refine into something more.

So rather than one element always coming first, it’s more of a process of digging into our ideas and trusting our instincts to follow what feels most potent.

Your music strikes a powerful balance between vulnerability and energy. How do you approach that contrast when you’re arranging songs together as a band?

We’ve always been drawn to that contrast, but we don’t see vulnerability and energy as opposites. A song’s softer moments can still crackle with intensity—it’s just a different kind of energy. Over time, we’ve developed a shared instinct for how certain lyrics want to be matched dynamically.

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is strip everything back and let a lyric breathe. Other times, we build from something gentle into something explosive. There’s a kind of catharsis in that arc that we love to play with.

Our arrangements usually come together through jamming. Nothing’s ever fully written before we bring it to the room—just a skeleton that we flesh out together. Drums in particular shape a lot of the energy, and we like to let those parts evolve organically in rehearsal.

Each member of Wasteman brings such a different musical background. How have those influences shaped the unique sound you’ve created as a group?

We all bring different influences to the table. Pat and Bill enjoy playing with harmony and chord choices that stray from typical pop norms—that’s our classical and jazz backgrounds sneaking in. Charlotte has a soulful feel and a remarkable sense of timing and melody that elevates everything she touches. Even when she’s close to the original idea, she makes it her own.

Glenn has listened to more music than the rest of us combined, and that breadth of knowledge shows in his instincts and his ability to write genuinely interesting basslines. He gives songs a depth that’s hard to fake.

Together, we take rough demos and transform them into something totally new. That collaborative process is what gives Wasteman its distinct sound.

From Belgrave to Teeth to Good Friends, each track reveals a new side of Wasteman. How do you see your sound continuing to evolve with the singles you’re working on for 2025?

We’re leaning even more into the diversity of our sound. Each new track shows that our storytelling can take on totally different sonic identities, but still feel unmistakably Wasteman. That’s something we often hear at gigs—no two songs sound alike, yet they all sound like us.

We’re pushing further into that space—more emotion, more rollercoasters, more rawness. And it’s exciting to finally be releasing songs written by Pat and Charlotte as well. They’re tunes we love to play and that resonate with our audiences. They expand what “Wasteman” can sound like.

If you could design your dream tour or collaboration—any artist, any stage—who would be on the lineup with Wasteman and why?

That’s a tough one! There are so many incredible artists out there, but if we’re dreaming big, collaborating with someone like Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, or Sigur Rós would be incredible. Their cinematic, emotional soundscapes are a massive inspiration.

We’ve also talked about doing something completely different one day—maybe an orchestral or ambient project that reimagines what Wasteman could be. It’s not on the immediate horizon, but the ambition’s there.

Melbourne’s indie scene is constantly growing. What do you love most about being part of it, and what would you like to see more of in the community?

What constantly inspires us is how diverse the Melbourne scene is. There are so many sounds, aesthetics, and perspectives we’ve never even considered—jaw-droppingly talented artists doing their own thing.

Some of our favourite nights have been ones where we’ve stumbled across a new act that completely resets our expectations of what music can be. We’d love to see even more collaboration across genres, more support for emerging acts, and more spaces that nurture that kind of creativity.

Your lyrics often tell deeply personal stories. Are there themes or topics you haven’t explored yet that you’re interested in tackling next?

We’ve sometimes shied away from going too deep into certain themes, preferring lyrics that leave room for interpretation. But that’s changing a bit. A new unreleased track, Home, for example, shifts between the personal and the political—domestic struggles and a broader reflection on Australia as a whole.

It’s a song about looking after yourself, your community, and striving for a future that’s progressive and sustainable. We’d love to explore more of that territory in future songs.

You also perform acoustically as a duo. How does that stripped-back format change the way your songs are experienced, both for you and the audience?

Performing as an acoustic duo gives our songs a different kind of intimacy. It allows the lyrics and melodies to take centre stage in a way that’s sometimes lost in a full band setting.

For us, it’s a chance to connect with the songs—and the audience—in a more vulnerable, exposed way. It often brings out different emotional shades in the same material. And it’s been a beautiful way to reimagine songs we’ve been playing for years.

You’re recording your upcoming show at Mamma Chen’s. When everything clicks, what does the perfect Wasteman live set feel like onstage?

When everything clicks on stage, it’s electric. Despite the nerves—which are always there—it’s the best feeling. The challenge of being a DIY band is that you’re not always playing with a great sound system or even with your own gear. There are a lot of things that can throw you—like not being able to hear the music properly or your drum kit having a different setup than you’re used to.

But the nerves are also a huge part of what makes a gig thrilling. We actually love being nervous. It reminds us that we’re getting out of our comfort zones, and we feel proud that we can still play a kick-ass show despite the stress.

The best nights are when we know we’re sounding great, we’re being a little goofy, trying to make each other laugh in the middle of a song, and it looks like the crowd is having just as much fun as we are.

Looking ahead to your EP and beyond, what do you hope listeners walk away with after hearing Wasteman’s music?

We hope people are moved. We hope they relate, reflect, and enjoy the music on whatever level it speaks to them. There are guitar lines we’re proud of, vocal moments that hit hard, and a lot of emotional honesty packed in.

If there’s an underlying message, it’s about taking accountability for mistakes so that we can grow, showing empathy for others, and enjoying good things while they last. But ultimately, we want people to take whatever meaning they need. We’re really proud of these songs, and we’re so excited to share them.

LISTEN HERE