Inklines Elusion Interview

Hard Hitting Riffs and Infectious Melodies

After a busy 12 months recording with Lachlan West of The Vines, and a national tour in support of their debut single One Day, Sydney 3- piece Inklines are back with their new single Elusion.

Hard hitting riffs and infectious melodies accompanied by a steady beat, Elusion will have you singing along from the first listen. With Lachlan West at the reigns as producer, the song was recorded at Hercules St Studios in Surry Hills Sydney, as part of a collection of tracks. Once mixed and mastered (also by Lachlan West), it was immediately obvious that this song was a standout, and the crowd reaction at live shows solidified this.

Interview with Tom Bowden

Question: How would you describe Inklines music?

Tom Bowden: A modern take on classic rock is what a lot of people have to say about us, and I'd have to agree with them. We definitely have our influences, and they shine through in a lot of the tracks, but I like to think we add a unique twist to the music we make.


Question: Can you tell us about Elusion?

Tom Bowden: Elusion was one of the first songs we started playing together as a band. We always felt pretty good about it as a song, but it was never a real standout until it was recorded and we all agreed that it had to be a single.

Playing it live always gets a great reaction as well, it just seems to get the crowd hyped up and ready to get into it.


Question: Where did the inspiration for Elusion, come from?

Tom Bowden: The track came together pretty quickly in production and was always one that had a lot of emotion packed into it. I think the inspiration came from the feeling of helplessness after repetitive fights and dramas that we all go through.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Tom Bowden: Elusion is actually one of my favourite songs to play as it's a hard hitting and punchy track, but for the sake of being interesting, I'll also say one of our other tracks Back to Me. This song has an awesome riff and the final outro of the song is always something that gets me pumped up.


Question: What should we expect from your upcoming shows?

Tom Bowden: We're currently planning our second tour for September this year, and you can expect a new single to be coming with that as well. As for the music, we have been working on a new track recently that we're all digging pretty hard, so hopefully that might land a spot on the set list for those shows. Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Tom Bowden: Obama, he just seems real cool!


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Tom Bowden: Playing live is always heaps of fun, and has an awesome energy that is hard to match. But the hours spent in the studio curating the tracks are always the best times. Dedicating your days to the music you love playing, and making the songs sound as good as possible is the most rewarding experience and I would love to spend my days doing it all the time.


Question: What is the story behind the name, Inklines?

Tom Bowden: We were on a website called Dafont and there was a font called Inklines. It just stood out to us and we couldn't think of anything better.


Question: How did the band come together?
Tom Bowden: Will was just doing solo stuff but always writing songs with a band in mind. One day he saw me playing a show with my other band I formed in high school, and he decided that he wanted me behind the kit for Inklines, and together we recruited Dan on bass.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Tom Bowden: The thought of producing good music and being proud of the work we do is a big driving force during the creative process. It's always nice to be able to play music that you enjoy, but actually putting the effort and care into creating the songs makes the final product that much better.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Tom Bowden: At the moment my go to album for any car ride is the new Hockey Dad album Blend Inn. It's just full of bangers and is a good way to take your mind off the traffic. If it's not that album, it'll be Royal Blood. I went and saw them in April and still can't get their tracks out of my head.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Tom Bowden: I couldn't pin point that on one person or thing, but I guess you could say whoever gave me a drum kit in the first place would be the real inspiration, because the second I started playing I knew I wouldn't be stopping any time soon.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Tom Bowden: A good 3 piece like Muse would be cool to collaborate with. The way a band operates when there are only 3 members has a unique feel to it, and working with other musicians who have experienced that would surely have heaps of benefits. They also just seem like really cool guys who would be fun to be around.

Interview by Brooke Hunter