Music / Features
Track by Track:
SERF -
All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family
SERF -
All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family
Following the release of All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family last Friday, we had Rory Maxwell, the mastermind behind SERF, talk us through the uneasy and evocative synth-pop that makes up his debut album.
Rory Maxwell is SERF, a Naarm-based multi-instrumentalist who blends post-punk turbulence with synth-pop smarts, to craft stirring anthems that could deservingly soundtrack any 80’s throwback movie montage. His 2019’s split EP with Polish post-hardcore band Love Glove was one of the most unexpected and fascinating releases to pass through our emails last year, and All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family picks up right where he left off - the two songs Maxwell contributed to the EP, ‘Daily Feed’ and ‘Fumigate’, are included on this new album, rounded out by nine other tracks of equally nostalgic pop.
SERF’s sound is current in a peculiar way: for a few years now, ‘80s nostalgia has been all the rage, from the use of VHS aesthetics in music videos to the popularity of TV shows like Stranger Things, and this is where SERF fits in intrinsically. An admitted admirer of bands from that era, the inspiration provided by The Cure and New Order is evident on songs like ‘Walking In Circles’ and ‘Fantasy’.
Maxwell knows when to rein his synthesizers in to evoke a more melancholic trip: songs like ‘Daily Feed’ and ‘Faceless’ are brandished with the same darker hue that has proven so successful for moody millennial purveyors of synth-pop revival such as Current Joys and Bedroom. More typically, though, the synthesizers on the tracks soar euphorically. Opener ‘Your Faith Will Come To Me’ is anthemic and glistening; the single ‘Restoration’ likewise deserves to play over the climactic scene to any dramatic ‘80s film.
It’s wryly indicative that Maxwell chose to name his musical project SERF, meaning “an agricultural labourer bound by the feudal system who was tied to working on his lord’s estate.” Once one knows what the name refers to, for in the modern musical sense of the term, this is far from Maxwell’s position - the album was written and recorded wholly alone in his bedroom studio, released independently, with no meddling label overlords to pay heed to.
SERF’s output, then, burns with the same individual spirit as the exquisite DIY - and criminally underrated - musician Martin Newell, of The Cleaners From Venus, showcasing the same understanding of lo-fi dynamics and addictive rhythmic hooks. If SERF is to continue down this same path, All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family should be the first of many consistently excellent albums.
To dig a little deeper into All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family, we caught up with Maxwell to go through each of album’s tracks.
SERF’s sound is current in a peculiar way: for a few years now, ‘80s nostalgia has been all the rage, from the use of VHS aesthetics in music videos to the popularity of TV shows like Stranger Things, and this is where SERF fits in intrinsically. An admitted admirer of bands from that era, the inspiration provided by The Cure and New Order is evident on songs like ‘Walking In Circles’ and ‘Fantasy’.
Maxwell knows when to rein his synthesizers in to evoke a more melancholic trip: songs like ‘Daily Feed’ and ‘Faceless’ are brandished with the same darker hue that has proven so successful for moody millennial purveyors of synth-pop revival such as Current Joys and Bedroom. More typically, though, the synthesizers on the tracks soar euphorically. Opener ‘Your Faith Will Come To Me’ is anthemic and glistening; the single ‘Restoration’ likewise deserves to play over the climactic scene to any dramatic ‘80s film.
It’s wryly indicative that Maxwell chose to name his musical project SERF, meaning “an agricultural labourer bound by the feudal system who was tied to working on his lord’s estate.” Once one knows what the name refers to, for in the modern musical sense of the term, this is far from Maxwell’s position - the album was written and recorded wholly alone in his bedroom studio, released independently, with no meddling label overlords to pay heed to.
SERF’s output, then, burns with the same individual spirit as the exquisite DIY - and criminally underrated - musician Martin Newell, of The Cleaners From Venus, showcasing the same understanding of lo-fi dynamics and addictive rhythmic hooks. If SERF is to continue down this same path, All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family should be the first of many consistently excellent albums.
To dig a little deeper into All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family, we caught up with Maxwell to go through each of album’s tracks.
Your Faith Will Come To Me
This track has been my traditional set opener since SERF’s conception. It was only fitting it spearheaded the album. Lyrically, I’m being a bit of a cryptic boy on this one. Drawing on marginally blasphemous biblical imagery, the song explores faith not only in a religious sense but also faith in friends, family and loved ones, directly linking to the title of this album. I’m a huge fan of everything Interpol does and I try to let it show especially in the verses of the song, two note guitar chords ring above a chugging baseline that’s doing most of the talking.
Restoration
I am an absolute sci-fi nerd for the record. ‘Restoration’s lyrics are essentially a sales pitch made by a well meaning super powered AI wanting to take over humanity by incorporating everyone's consciousness into its own simulation world, The Matrix much? In the lead up to recording the album I got ripped off by a stranger on eBay with an “original vintage made in japan” boss overdrive pedal. It had been modded a bunch of times and was missing the back plate, however its warm 80s overdriven tones perfectly suit the arpeggiated guitars throughout the track.
Daily Feed
This is probably my fav on the album. It was originally released on a split EP I did with my Polish pals in Love Glove earlier this year. The song employs an incredibly low brow metaphor of a poop feeding machine (think MONA’s 'Cloaca Professional' meets Human Centipede) to depict certain media and click bait publications (not mentioning any names - Newscorp) that are impossible to escape in our daily life. It features my favourite bass line on the whole album, channeling my inner Peter Hook I’ve let my fingers wonder uncomfortably high on the fretboard.
Vomitorium
So I found out vomitoriums were not actually rooms where Ancient Roman aristocrats vomited to make room for more food and vino, it’s actually a boring old theatre doorway. Regardless, this song is still about opulence and self-indulgence - a homage to the myth that’s been busted. It’s probably the oldest track in the album. SERF materialised when an old high school buddy sold me a cheap Fender knock off bass for 100 bucks in 2017. This is one of the first tracks I wrote after picking it up. The bass is so incredibly bad it’s good. The strings are covered with years of finger grime, stopping any sustain in its tracks, producing this flat woody tone perfect to inundate with chorus pedals, similar to the likes of Black Marble and Future Islands.
Faceless
"Faceless/Shapeless/Faceless" - the chorus rhyme, such a pathetically drab song, a ruined shrine to self doubt and social anxiety. It was written in the midst of my quarter life crisis, during which I quit my job to make more time for SERF, it was a period filled with crippling introspection feeling like it would never end, hence the bridge references the ancient icon of the serpent eating its own tail. Musically the song takes shape around a cheesy 80's synth melody sitting atop an uncharacteristically funky bass line.
Caribbean Park Drive Part I
I think I was listening to a lot of Sade at the time of writing this track. Think 'Smooth Operator' meets the soundtrack of GTA Vice City (not that I approve of the remainder of this game's content). It’s named after my favourite freeway exit I pass on my daily commute. I have no clue what possessed a town planner to name a freeway rest stop (equipped with a BP, Maccas and KFC) after a tropical paradise. Anyway I digress, I’m usually passing this strangely named place in the middle of the night, so this song is my attempt to get on everyone's Nightdrive playlists. Part II is in the works, watch this space friends!
This track has been my traditional set opener since SERF’s conception. It was only fitting it spearheaded the album. Lyrically, I’m being a bit of a cryptic boy on this one. Drawing on marginally blasphemous biblical imagery, the song explores faith not only in a religious sense but also faith in friends, family and loved ones, directly linking to the title of this album. I’m a huge fan of everything Interpol does and I try to let it show especially in the verses of the song, two note guitar chords ring above a chugging baseline that’s doing most of the talking.
Restoration
I am an absolute sci-fi nerd for the record. ‘Restoration’s lyrics are essentially a sales pitch made by a well meaning super powered AI wanting to take over humanity by incorporating everyone's consciousness into its own simulation world, The Matrix much? In the lead up to recording the album I got ripped off by a stranger on eBay with an “original vintage made in japan” boss overdrive pedal. It had been modded a bunch of times and was missing the back plate, however its warm 80s overdriven tones perfectly suit the arpeggiated guitars throughout the track.
Daily Feed
This is probably my fav on the album. It was originally released on a split EP I did with my Polish pals in Love Glove earlier this year. The song employs an incredibly low brow metaphor of a poop feeding machine (think MONA’s 'Cloaca Professional' meets Human Centipede) to depict certain media and click bait publications (not mentioning any names - Newscorp) that are impossible to escape in our daily life. It features my favourite bass line on the whole album, channeling my inner Peter Hook I’ve let my fingers wonder uncomfortably high on the fretboard.
Vomitorium
So I found out vomitoriums were not actually rooms where Ancient Roman aristocrats vomited to make room for more food and vino, it’s actually a boring old theatre doorway. Regardless, this song is still about opulence and self-indulgence - a homage to the myth that’s been busted. It’s probably the oldest track in the album. SERF materialised when an old high school buddy sold me a cheap Fender knock off bass for 100 bucks in 2017. This is one of the first tracks I wrote after picking it up. The bass is so incredibly bad it’s good. The strings are covered with years of finger grime, stopping any sustain in its tracks, producing this flat woody tone perfect to inundate with chorus pedals, similar to the likes of Black Marble and Future Islands.
Faceless
"Faceless/Shapeless/Faceless" - the chorus rhyme, such a pathetically drab song, a ruined shrine to self doubt and social anxiety. It was written in the midst of my quarter life crisis, during which I quit my job to make more time for SERF, it was a period filled with crippling introspection feeling like it would never end, hence the bridge references the ancient icon of the serpent eating its own tail. Musically the song takes shape around a cheesy 80's synth melody sitting atop an uncharacteristically funky bass line.
Caribbean Park Drive Part I
I think I was listening to a lot of Sade at the time of writing this track. Think 'Smooth Operator' meets the soundtrack of GTA Vice City (not that I approve of the remainder of this game's content). It’s named after my favourite freeway exit I pass on my daily commute. I have no clue what possessed a town planner to name a freeway rest stop (equipped with a BP, Maccas and KFC) after a tropical paradise. Anyway I digress, I’m usually passing this strangely named place in the middle of the night, so this song is my attempt to get on everyone's Nightdrive playlists. Part II is in the works, watch this space friends!
Walking In Circles
As much as I dread all the covid-centric music, art and film that’ll probably plague our lives for the next few years, I am guilty of indulging in my own version of COVID-core. This is the only track on the album that was written during the first Naarm (Melbourne) lockdown. My bedroom studio looks out onto a big park where people pushed the lockdown laws to their limits, running laps of the oval, sitting down having beers with a group of mates and having overfilled personal training sessions. Who cares really? As long as the economy is healthy hey?
Fumigate
This song had a very poor prognosis from the outset. Sitting in the depths of my hard drive, lost to the sands of time, the sun finally shines on the 'Fumigate' file when Love Glove asked me to do a split EP with them in early 2020. After writing the first iteration of the track I felt “shit Rory you just wrote a cookie cutter pop-rock track”, so I just thought “fuck it”, why not give it an obnoxiously long and slow intro, featuring a flute synth reminiscent of the Never Ending Story soundtrack. This has since become one of my favourites. Lyrically, this track can be simply described as a climate change love song. Making light of the impending environmental apocalypse, ‘Fumigate’ outlines a couple going on a date on a beautiful and sunny 52 degree day in hazmat suits.
Fantasy
This is also a blooming old track and has undergone many revisions and was extremely frustrating to mix. It has a three part harmony in most of the choruses and being no Freddie Mercury I can proudly admit that there is no auto-tune here or any part of the album. EMBRACE THE DISSONANCE! I am so happy with how the track turned out. Written during a summer fling I had many moons ago, this song is about feeling trapped in a relationship for fear of losing them and being alone.
Dive In
A few years back I was commissioned to write a jingle for a friend's cycling company. The footage I had to soundtrack featured a gang of lycra clad friends cycling down the Great Ocean Road getting up to cycling and road trip related shenanigans. ‘Dive In’ was the result. It’s about throwing caution to the wind, driving down the coast and going for a little swim. That’s what life’s all about!
Save Yourselves
One of these things is not like the others! This track ended up being a bit of an anomaly for the album, an instrumental message of hope to close it out. If you’ve read this far I have a little gift for you in the form of a music recommendation. Go listen to Ruby Haunt if you haven't already. They were the primary inspiration for this track, however I let my indie rock sensibilities get the best of me with the final product making it sound like a Band of Horses instrumental.
As much as I dread all the covid-centric music, art and film that’ll probably plague our lives for the next few years, I am guilty of indulging in my own version of COVID-core. This is the only track on the album that was written during the first Naarm (Melbourne) lockdown. My bedroom studio looks out onto a big park where people pushed the lockdown laws to their limits, running laps of the oval, sitting down having beers with a group of mates and having overfilled personal training sessions. Who cares really? As long as the economy is healthy hey?
Fumigate
This song had a very poor prognosis from the outset. Sitting in the depths of my hard drive, lost to the sands of time, the sun finally shines on the 'Fumigate' file when Love Glove asked me to do a split EP with them in early 2020. After writing the first iteration of the track I felt “shit Rory you just wrote a cookie cutter pop-rock track”, so I just thought “fuck it”, why not give it an obnoxiously long and slow intro, featuring a flute synth reminiscent of the Never Ending Story soundtrack. This has since become one of my favourites. Lyrically, this track can be simply described as a climate change love song. Making light of the impending environmental apocalypse, ‘Fumigate’ outlines a couple going on a date on a beautiful and sunny 52 degree day in hazmat suits.
Fantasy
This is also a blooming old track and has undergone many revisions and was extremely frustrating to mix. It has a three part harmony in most of the choruses and being no Freddie Mercury I can proudly admit that there is no auto-tune here or any part of the album. EMBRACE THE DISSONANCE! I am so happy with how the track turned out. Written during a summer fling I had many moons ago, this song is about feeling trapped in a relationship for fear of losing them and being alone.
Dive In
A few years back I was commissioned to write a jingle for a friend's cycling company. The footage I had to soundtrack featured a gang of lycra clad friends cycling down the Great Ocean Road getting up to cycling and road trip related shenanigans. ‘Dive In’ was the result. It’s about throwing caution to the wind, driving down the coast and going for a little swim. That’s what life’s all about!
Save Yourselves
One of these things is not like the others! This track ended up being a bit of an anomaly for the album, an instrumental message of hope to close it out. If you’ve read this far I have a little gift for you in the form of a music recommendation. Go listen to Ruby Haunt if you haven't already. They were the primary inspiration for this track, however I let my indie rock sensibilities get the best of me with the final product making it sound like a Band of Horses instrumental.
All You Need In Life Is Someone To Love And Your Family is out now.
