INTERVIEW: NZ pop duo Foley release 'Crowd Pleaser Pt 1': "The goal was just to push the limits of pop and find a sound that feels like a chaotic and energised combination of all our influences."

New Zealand duo Foley (made up of Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett) have been bringing pure pop bliss to the masses since the release of their debut single ‘Settle’ in 2017.

Today they release the first half of their debut album, Crowd Pleaser Pt 1 , which will be joined by volume 2 forming a complete collection later this year. Foley have always focused on pure, unadulterated pop but across the five tracks on Pt 1 they transform their sound into an electrifying mix of 1980s-inspired synthpop and electronica. It is also the first time in their career that Everett has appeared on lead vocals on some of the tracks alongside Wallace.

New single ‘Coffee’ kicks off the album. With a funky guitar base, twinkly synths and a gorgeous vocal from Wallace that moves from a monotone and distorted into, soaring full-bodied heights. Its playful-yet-serious lyrics talk about feeling everything is going wrong and being overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion: ‘I’ve got a coffee but it’s cold / I think it’s the time to go lay down.’

First single ‘Killing Me Babe’ is a smooth, funk-R&B-pop track that powers along with an intriguing background of ‘whoops’ and random electronic sounds popping up throughout the track. The second new track on the collection, ‘Lost In The Garden’ is pop, but pulls things back to the basics. A steady, soulful beat steams along with Wallace’s voice allowed to shine through the more pared back sound.

Third single, ‘Nothing’, is arguably the greatest track on Crowd Pleaser. A gorgeous, melancholic synth-ballad in the best tradition of Scandinavian ‘dance cry’ pop, it is a duet between Wallace and Everett and deals with the realisation that your relationship was all for nothing. ‘When it turns to dust / I’ve given all my love for nothing,’ Wallace sings.

Crowd Pleaser Pt 1 ends with second single ‘Smooth It Over’. An delicious way to end the collection, Wallace punches out its staccato chorus to an absolutely mesmerising backbeat which has everything from electronic trills to whistling.

Foley have always made music which on the surface is brilliant pop music, but quickly showcases the intricate layers they build into their sound. Crowd Pleaser Pt 1 sees a marked maturation in their sound and they are sounding stronger than ever. This is top drawer pop and the release Crowd Pleaser Pt 2 is going to create an album of some of the best pop music of 2023. We recently caught up with Ash Wallace to find out more.

Hey Ash! Thanks for sparing us some time. How is life with you right now?
Life is great! We are coming into such an exciting time with the release of our debut album - we both have such a romantic connection to albums even though singles are so much more common now. It’s a dream to be releasing songs we are incredibly proud of so we are honestly feeling fab

The first half of your debut album Crowd Pleaser Pt 1 is out today and it is just amazing - congratulations. Can you tell us a little about what you were hoping to achieve with this release, sonically and lyrically? What were your inspirations?
Thank you! We worked on this album for nearly two years going down sonic rabbit holes and experimenting with what we could make. The goal was just to push the limits of pop and find a sound that feels like a chaotic and energised combination of all our influences. We genuinely had the most creatively free time of our lives.

Sonically we wanted to layer up the production in a way that always focussed on feeling - we have gone incredibly deep on all of the details and minimal elements that all add up to make a song go from good to really powerful. There is a lot of chaos and energy bottled up into a short space so we hope that the intensity of that emotion really hits our listeners.

Lyrically we always write from the conversations we have as best friends. It’s always been such a great way to write songs because we talk really openly and can bring that energy into a session. Some of the tracks on this album go a lot deeper into themes of loss, relationship breakdowns, and our own faults as people. I think being a little older and wiser now we feel more comfortable to express how we feel with no limitations, and be confident in what we have to say.

Can you talk to us a little about the creative process for Part 1?
We worked with a few long-time collaborators on the first half - the wonderful Josh Naley, Harry Charles, and Josh Edmonds who are all absolute genius level producers and writers.

It’s always a pleasure to be in the room with them

It’s been a long process, mostly just because we wanted to keep writing and working until we felt like the album captured all of the emotions we wanted. There were plenty of songs we could have released, but we wanted to explore and experiment to push ourselves to songs we were incredibly proud of.

New single ‘Coffee’ is a gorgeous, funk-electro-disco track which we love. Can you tell us about the story behind this song?
This song was written across New Zealand and New York with Tim Atlas who we have been a huge fan of for some time. The song was a super natural and easy song that just flowed out of us so quickly - and when Tim laid down his verse it just added a whole new flavour we didn't know we needed. Mostly we wanted to capture that feeling when things aren’t going right for you, and it’s easy to get down about things; you have to just choose to be positive and find a way to embrace the ups and downs of life. That song is a rollup of a lot of emotions, but I think we’ve all felt that chaos in our own minds where we can’t find peace or rest.

One of my favorite lines is ‘if i leave the house i’ll fall in love again’ - when you feel like you’ll just accidentally slip into another hard and fast relationship against your will. Meeting someone is usually an exciting thing so it gives an insight into our headspace, that things have been so out of our control that even love feels exhausting.

We also have to say we are a little bit obsessed with ‘Nothing’, which slows the pace down a bit and is a classic ‘dance cry’ song - cool electronica beats with melancholic lyrics. What was the inspiration behind this song?
Man this was a really vulnerable one for us. We had a huge chat about a relationship that was really one-sided, where I felt like I was putting so much effort and heart, but getting nothing in return. People change and move on which can be really hard to accept, especially if it's a friendship that has a lot of history. This song applies to all kinds of relationships so it's been amazing to have our fans reach out and say it’s really resonated with them. Gotta love a dance cry!

This record is also the first time Gabe contributes vocals to your music. What inspired this switch up, and how has this changed the creative and performing dynamics in the band, if at all?
We have always wanted to have Gabe sing lead and it's been a journey of writing lots of songs for him to find the perfect one. I am so glad we waited because this moment was so so so impactful and the vulnerability he brought vocally is incredible. The dynamics stay really similar because we always collaborate on the melodies, lyrics, instrumentation, production - it’s just awesome to have unlocked Gabe as a lead vocalist and get to explore that world more.

What informed your decision to release the album in two parts? Can we expect a different sound and feel on the second half?
Definitely! We wanted to release the first half as those 5 songs feel really at  home together, and then recontextualise them with new ones on the second half. I also really feel like weather impacts the way we listen to music, so I love the idea that fans will experience the first half in summer and the second half in winter or vice versa. It’s absolutely still a whole album though despite being split in half - the sound and themes are all tied together and meant to be enjoyed in the end as one big body of work.

You have been releasing music as Foley since 2017. How do you think you have changed as artists during this period?
I feel like we have changed a million times ha ha!. Mostly we just have a new confidence and sense of self that we didn’t in 2017. Growing up a little and learning from our first two EPs has allowed us to feel confident exploring and pushing boundaries in the music and the visuals. In particular I feel so much more willing to push the styling, makeup, themes - anything that felt risky before I now feel like I can express on my own terms. Its led to a really free and fun set of releases, that genuinely feel more creative and joyous.

You recently posted on Instagram about how important it was for you Ash to be featured on Spotify’s EQUAL playlist, which highlights female and non-binary artists. So much - and so little - has changed for women in music since you first launched your career. How do you think the music industry is fairing in terms of sexism and gender (in)equality in 2023? Are things getting better?
Yeah honestly it’s such a privilege to sit alongside such incredibly inspiring and talented female and non-binary artists. When I was young I didn’t have a playlist to look to for female inspiration, and I found it really hard to aspire to something I couldn't see. To think that young people can so easily access and discover female and non-binary artists to relate to and fall in love with is just the coolest fucking thing in the world to me.

I think we have such a long way to go on gender equality in music - there’s no doubt about that. Particularly on festival lineups for me it’s heartbreaking to see so little care go into gender inclusivity - because at least half of the festival audience won’t have their gender represented on stage. Non male artists have to be so resilient and thick skinned to fight the barriers the industry puts in front of them, on top of all their own normal hurdles of music like imposter syndrome and self doubt. I think that’s why i look at EQUAL and feel so in awe of the people on there- I know how hard they’ve worked and how many times they probably felt the intense emotions I have felt - but kept going anyway for their art.

Crowd Pleaser Pt 1 is out now. What else can we expect from Foley in 2023?
World domination.

Crowd Pleaser Pt 1 is out now. You can buy and stream here.

To keep up with all things Foley you can follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.