INTERVIEW: Grenade Jumper's Bianca Davino on their new single 'Heat Wave': 'We’re getting closer to truly finding what our sound as a band is.'
Sydney punk-pop-rock band Grenade Jumper today release their first new music of 2020 with the single ‘Heat Wave’. A driving, melodic number with sonic throwbacks to the indie rock sounds of the 1990s, ‘Heat Wave’ showcases a band growing in confidence and fine tuning their sound, in turn developing as one of the most exciting rock bands on the local music scene.
Headed by Bianca Davino, Grenade Jumper first appeared in 2018 with debut single ‘Get Ahead’, followed by 2019’s ‘Gazed’, which gained critical acclaim from a number of outlets including triple j Unearthed and FBi Radio. To celebrate the release of ‘Heat Wave’, we recently caught up with lead singer Bianca to find out more about Grenade Jumper.
Hi Bianca! Thanks for chatting to us. How is everything in your world, and the world of Grenade Jumper, right now?
Hey WIP! Thank you for repping Grenade Jumper, we really appreciate it first and foremost!
Everything in my world and the wider Grenade Jumper world is extremely busy right now - with the release of ‘Heat Wave’, a stack of upcoming live shows and polishing off recording our debut EP, it’s definitely full on.
What were your musical inspirations, or loves, growing up?
My first ever exposure to music was through the classic rock my parents raised me on. It instilled a love for artists like Neil Young and Led Zeppelin very early on in life which I will be forever thankful for, and their inspiration is embedded in my DNA as a musician to this day.
As a young teenager, I became exposed to the modern pop punk scene and Australian heavy music scene through friends, which was the real catalyst for me wanting to play in a band that aligned with the ethos of this “world” of music. Bands like The Wonder Years and The Story So Far were wholly important during this time.
In high school I also become hyper-obsessed with 90’s Pacific Northwest indie rock and the riot grrrl movement, as well as alt-pop artists like Sky Ferreira and Charli XCX, all of which continue to shape who I am as a musician today.
Can you tell me a little bit about how Grenade Jumper formed?
Max and I were itching to play music together and we’d both started attending a lot of local shows, and were slowly getting to know everyone in the scene in early 2018. Our goal was to put out a single and play a house show, so we phoned in a favour from our friend Dean (drummer) to record the track with us and Lukas (bass) to help us out with our first live show.
By the tail end of 2018 we played our first show and decided that we wanted to pursue the band seriously and we’ve been at it since!
Where did the name come from?
We’re actually named after a Fall Out Boy song! The track ‘Grenade Jumper’ is off the record Take This To Your Grave, it’s one of Max and I’s favourite albums of all time and it’s such an essential punk album. The raw spirit of the record is something I will always ensure is present within GJ’s output.
Outside of Grenade Jumper you are also a successful journalist and media professional. What has it been like to become the subject of attention rather than the other way around?
I do believe it has given me a more well-rounded perspective on just how important media is in an artist’s branding and overall reach. As I’m used to controlling what I write and create in journalism and media, there is an element of having to let go of “controlling” what GJ are perceived as by online media, radio and writers in general.
Your new single ‘Heat Wave’ is out today and it is great! Can you tell me about the inspiration behind the song?
The song, musically was inspired by the anthemic alt Rock energy of acts like Foo Fighters, Against Me! and Trophy Eyes. We really aimed to create something with a driving punk feel, that was just an overall positive and bright listening experience.
There is a clear progression in the sound of this release compared to your previous two singles, how do you feel you are maturing as a band?
I absolutely feel as though we’re getting closer to truly finding what our “sound” as a band is. Over the last year we’ve spent so much time playing live together, and we’ve really taken time to explore our influences and decide who we want to be.
Do you have more music on the horizon, is there a chance of a full-length album?
Yes! We’re polishing off our debut EP at the moment, which I would say is an even further statement on us maturing our sound as a band.
What are the challenges and positives of being in an independent band in Sydney in 2020?
I do believe the biggest challenge facing bands is the financial stress of operating - but I feel as though that may be a problem within this type of music in particular. It’s definitely a massive investment so ensuring everyone in the band is on the same page is important, because it’s not worth the time and money if you’re not 100% into it.
There has been so much debate over gender equality and the treatment of women in the wake of #metoo. What are your thoughts on sexism and gender equality in the music industry?
Where do I begin! Haha, I could talk about this all day, seriously.
To keep it somewhat short, I do believe in a macro, mainstream sense, there has been a genuinely meaningful shift in the discourse surrounding women and non men in music. It’s still discouraging to see male artists like Lewis Capaldi get hugely popular because I don’t believe a woman would ever be allowed to be as mediocre as him and be successful….if we stack him next to Billie, Halsey, Charli XCX it’s quite clear what the difference in effort and talent is here. That’s where I think the imbalance is.
However, in a micro sense (what we as a band are most closely related to), the Australian heavy music scene has light years to go in terms of equality. Not just with representation of women, but with other minority groups.
Do you find you receive different treatment from others in the music scene - roadies, engineers and so on - compared to your male bandmates?
I think it’s more the “expectation” from women in bands is different. As we’re still operating at a local level, everyone is generally super inclusive and encouraging.
What other exciting things are in the pipeline for Grenade Jumper in 2020?
Our debut EP release is going to be so exciting!! As well as playing more shows and getting out interstate more!
‘Heat Wave’ is out now. You can download on iTunes or stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
To keep up with all things Grenade Jumper, you can follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
