It's My Kind Of Interview - Winters End

We've been big fans of Sydney's sister-brother combo, Winters End since we heard their track 'Walls' last year. Now they're out touring the most excellent follow-up single 'Mayfair', with a stop in Brisbane at Rics Bar planned for this coming Saturday, November 14! Tonight, Winters End (aka Marissa and Christopher Pinto) drop by to chat about 'Mayfair', life on the road and a whole lot more. Enjoy! 

WINTERS END'S

MARISSA and CHRISTOPHER PINTO

Interview by Matt Bond

Hey hey, Winters End! Thanks for stopping by for a chat. How are you on this fine day and what have you been getting up to?

Marissa: Hey guys! We are well and very excited to be speaking to you! Currently we're on tour in Melbourne for our Mayfair Single Tour.

As an emerging band, you're going to have a lot of people trying to define your sound. So tell us a little bit about Winters End. You're a sister/brother combo, but when did you decide to start making music together and how would you define your own music?

Christopher: We started Winters End in 2011, both coming from vastly different tastes in music, with a common tendency towards music of the 80s. Due to our differing backgrounds, our music is really a combination of dance grooves, and highly emotive melodies and soaring vocals.

'Mayfair' is your latest single and the follow-up to 2014's 'Walls'. Opening with rolling drums from Chris and highlighted by Marissa's striking vocals, it's easy to understand why it's been winning you so many new fans. What's the story behind the song?

Marissa: The story behind Mayfair is that it is a song for all the people who feel trapped, and feel as though what they want is constantly just out of their reach, like Mayfair in monopoly.

You're touring 'Mayfair' through the end of the year, with upcoming stops in Brisbane (woo!) and Adelaide. For unfamiliar punters, what is the Winters End live experience like?

Christopher: During a Winters End live set we aim to take our listeners on a journey, where the only place they need to be at that moment is in the room with us. So that the outside world becomes completely irrelevant at least for the duration of the show that is.

What's on the agenda once the tour has finished? Will you be recording more music for release in 2016? Maybe a debut album or EP?

Marissa: The agenda for future recording is to get back into the studio early 2016 to record some more music. At this stage we're deciding on whether we will do another EP or record another single. We'll keep you posted!

How do you approach your songwriting? Do you find inspiration in the world around you, the make believe or your own life? Who are some of your favourite songwriters? 

Christopher: The process of our songwriting is that Marissa will compose a melody/idea and then bring it to our rehearsal studio where we will work on it and that is where the magic happens. I think there are many influences on our songwriting and it really does often reflect what is happening in our lives at that point in time. We actually have a very special song we play live which was written after we lost a very close friend. Favourite songwriters of ours would be: Beach House, The Jezabels, Paul Kelly, Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac.

THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE HAS HAPPENED! Don't freak out too much, you survived. Before you were forced to evacuate to... Tasmania... you had enough time to pick out five CD's that are incredibly important to you (and they'll possibly be the only five CD's remaining in... Tasmania). Which CD's did you grab and why?

Marissa: Beach House's Devotion, because it takes you away to the cobwebs and creaks of a haunted house.

Tame Impala's Lonerism, because it lifts me up and mellows me out at the same time.

Radiohead's OK Computer, because the tracks opened my mind to what music could be

HAIM's Days are Gone, as it is an 80s revival that keeps my feet tapping,

Beach House's Depression Cherry, their best album, and an album that didn't let me down in 2015.

A question I'm asking in all our interviews now, stolen from "Almost Famous", that's been getting some amazing responses is something that might seem simple, but it's really not. So... what do you love about music? 

Christopher: For me I love that music can do so many things. It can cheer you up, relax you, make you cry, make you dance and the list could go on. I know that we are so thankful to be able to create music that makes people feel a range of ways and playing it live really is something so special.

Quick Hits:

The first album you ever bought was... 

Marissa: Spandau Ballet's Greatest Hits.

If you could collaborate with any artist it would be... 

Marissa: Stevie Nicks.

Your music guilty pleasures include... 

Marissa: Miguel, Madonna.

When you're not making music, you could be found doing... 

Marissa: Surfing.

It's been a huge year for Australian music and people are going to have to start getting ready to vote for the next triple J Hottest 100. If I was to ask you today what songs you'll be voting for, what would you say?

Christopher: For me I would have to vote for Rufus' 'You Were Right'. I saw these guys in a small nightclub in Toronto last year and was just blown away. As for a couple of internationals I can’t go past 'Criminals' by MSMR as it is just so full of power. The second would be 'Mountain at my Gates' by Foals. Hell of a song.

When they air the MTV Behind The Music Winter's End special in forty-five years time, what will they say about you? 

Marissa: The thing you could be guaranteed of when dealing with Winters End was that while their musical success was huge on a global scale, they maintained the utmost respect for everyone that they worked with. They were just so stoked about their music reaching so many different people and allowing them to travel to play for people worldwide, that they developed quite a reputation for professionalism and gratitude, and I think that this was integral to the extent of their success. 

Professionalism and gratitude. I knew there was a reason we liked these two. A big thanks to Marissa and Christopher for the chat! If you're in the Valley on Saturday night, Brisbane friends, make sure you head to Rics to check out Winters End. They'll be hitting up Mt Victoria and Adelaide next, details below...