The State of Living in an Objective Reality

Eliza & the Delusionals is a four-piece indie rock band from the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Earlier this year they supported Silversun Pickups on tour around the United States and released their second EP, “The State of Living in an Objective Reality.” We had the chance to speak with vocalist Eliza Klatt about how the band has stayed creative during the pandemic, the EP, and so much more.

1. How has the band handled working through a pandemic? What are your strategies to stay creative (and to stay sane)?

It has really had its challenges. Our living situation has made it had for us to hang out or do anything band related, so we’re feeling thankful for social media and Zoom in that sense. Myself and Kurt spent a lot of time building a home studio setup, so we feel incredibly lucky we had the space to do something like that. It’s definitely helped us stay creative and inspired during these times.

2. Why did you name the latest EP “A State of Living in an Objective Reality?” How was the name chosen? What was the inspiration behind it?
The name was actually the last thing we came up with whilst we were preparing for the EP release. The name was inspired by the overall meaning of all of the songs collectively, and about the idea of not living in your own reality, feeling stuck and not in control of yourself and your decisions – living in an objective reality.

3. How did you decide on the concept for the EP’s artwork?

We were actually in New York at the time, and we had a really short deadline on artwork. We weren’t really sure what the final idea was going to be, but when we were doing laundry in the basement of the hotel I had taken a photo of the exit sign. I didn’t think much of it until Kurt had done some editing and changed the colours, and we all really connected with it and felt like it was the perfect image to sum up the context of the EP.

4. Do you feel like you’ve evolved creatively and/or personally since the release of your first EP to now? If so, in what way?

Absolutely. As a lot of those songs were written and a part of the live set long before we took them into the studio, I felt like I wasn’t the same person as when I wrote them at all. And I feel even more disconnected to it now. I still love the songs of course, but I feel like me disconnecting or not relating to the EP songs as I did when I wrote them is a sign of growth. A lot of the newer things we’ve been writing have been really collaborative, rather than just me in a room on my own with a guitar. The change was a little hard to adjust to at first but I really love where we are going with new songs and ideas.
5. Which song took the longest to make or was the most difficult to complete?
I don’t really remember having a lot of struggles writing and structuring the songs, but I do remember ‘Feel It All (And Nothing)’ being one we had to spend a fair bit of time getting right in the studio. It was finding that balance of an emotional song and where it should sit with the band. I listen back to it now and wish we recorded it a bit slower, or maybe even more stripped back. In saying that, it’s one of my favourites from the EP.

6. What was it like touring outside of Australia? What are some of the distinctive differences you noticed in touring at home versus in America for example?

It was probably the best experience we’ve had as a band. It was a really wild experience, especially compared to touring that we’ve done around Australia. We were lucky enough to have a song on high rotation over there, so we had a lot of people turning out for us as the support act which was super cool. There’s definitely a lot more ground to cover in the States, which was super different to what we’re used to at home.
7. What is the most important touring tip that you’ve learned?

I think touring in a band for long periods of time you definitely learn a lot about your other band mates, they become your second family or ‘home away from home’. I think one of the biggest lessons we learnt is when things are going south – which always will happen when you’re in a band on tour – to stay calm and everything can be worked out. There will always be stressful situations, and you’re always going to be tired on tour, but everything can be fixed if you work together to problem solve.
8. With a lot of misconduct and allegations happening in the music scene, what is something you think artists can do to make fans feel safe?

I think we can look to the recent example of Jaguar Jonze and how her standing up for victims and making them feel comfortable about opening up about their negative experiences. Sharing resources with them for where they can get help/speak about what’s happened. I think creating a safe space online and at your shows for fans is super important, and I think she’s set a really great example. 

A few questions just for fun:

1. What animal would you want to be reincarnated as?
Probably a dog, because I love dogs and I’d love to just hang at home all day and sleep on the couch.
2. Imagine you’re headlining a show and you can choose whatever bands or artists (dead or alive) to open for you. Who would you choose?
Maybe Coldplay? They’re one of my all time favourites. I’d just have to figure out how to have a more impressive live show than they do haha.
3. What are two things you would do if you woke up to find yourself completely invisible?
I really don’t know, I’d probably freak out at first. Then I’d probably walk around pretending to be a ghost and spook people.

Keep up with Eliza & the Delusionals and watch for their next single “Sentimental” coming this week!

Listen to “The State of Living in an Objective Reality”