This alt-rock band from Melbourne has a sound that ranges from sleazy metal to laid back indie rock and yet always maintains a familiar teenage angst vibe. They’ve already got a few original crowd pleasers up their sleeves, but, mesmerized by fellow acts during the first round of the Emergenza festival, they’ve taken notes and are ready to hit the stage with new gusto. Don’t miss out on your next chance to see them live at the Espy on the 16th of October. Before the show, they take the time to speak to Emergenza.

CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUND OF SONIC MILF CASTLE?
The only way I've been able to pigeonhole it is alt-rock but I'm kinda glad the only genre we could describe it with is vague in itself. It's a surprisingly big sound for a three-piece band; the vocals are violent yowls wrapped around lyrics dripping with filthy teenage angst. The scratchy and at times percussive strumming of the guitar overlays juicy funky bass licks and fresh beats which all combine to form a sound which ranges from sleazy metal to laid-back indie rock.

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FIRST ROUND FOR YOU?
Honestly I think we just love performing. Personally the highlight of the first round was seeing the stagecraft in play by some of the other acts. Just watching Oppression go completely insane was mesmerising.

WHICH ONE OF YOUR SONGS DO YOU FEEL SPEAKS TO THE FANS AND REPRESENTS THE BAND THE BEST?
Honestly it's hard to tell because showcasing the band and speaking to the fans are two different things. On our EP The Milf Rises we have two songs and they're great for precisely those two reasons. "Raven" is catchier and tends to be the crowd favourite whenever we play it. But "Mink" is just a testament to the skill of the band. During the breakdown we each take a solo in which the bassist and drummer go fast and loose and really showcase their worth as instrumentalists. The song for me is also physically draining and a huge challenge as a vocalist with the sheer amount of words that I crammed into each line when writing the lyrics. In the end though, I'd still say “Raven” just because it's so accessible.

UP TO THIS POINT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN THE BAND'S BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?
That's tough… probably recording. That was hard on everyone. Even though we only did two songs in a day, we were all working flat out. I lost my voice twice and Hutchy (the bassist) had blisters on his fingers for a week. Lee Carding, who provided the studio and mixed for us was great though and made the process a whole lot easier than I thought it would be.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST OBSTACLES SO FAR?
Our biggest obstacle has been developing existing material and trying to stay motivated to finish songs. We love jamming and will easily come up with 3 songs in a day but then we workshop them for months trying to work out all the kinks and get them to a level we're happy with. But really that's the most important part. We can't just leave a song unfinished and when we're finally happy with the way a song turns out all the work seems worth it.

HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE EMERGENZA FINALS?
Honestly no different than last week. We're excited to keep advancing in the competition but I'm painfully aware of how far we have to go. Either way I'm happy to just play to people.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR UPCOMING CONCERT AT THE ESPY?
I just hope we enjoy it or at least learn something. Also a big crowd would be nice. Either way it'll be a positive experience, and playing at the Gershwin Room is always fun.

WITH OTHER BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITIONS AROUND, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE EMERGENZA?
The way they approached ticket sales was much fairer than any of the other battle of the bands we've done. Also a company that could get us a European tour could also generate some publicity, so it seemed like a great opportunity