Meanjin/Brisbane-based COSMICA's ultimate goal is to live life through our art and music. No matter the circumstance, there will be a song for it, and it will be loud.
Their passion for music is a collaboration of every band member who brings an array of genres and influences to the table. From bands like Gorillaz to Portishead, the songs come together in a giant melting pot of music they love.
With their upcoming EP 'Exhibition Act I' debuting on July 25th, COSMICA are set to celebrate with a multimedia show exhibition. Ranging from painting, silverwork to light painting and photography, this art and live music showcase will be hosted at Backdock Arts on the 27th of July.
We had a chat with COSMICA's lead singer Teah Biviano to deep dive into the background of this exhibition!
Congratulations on the upcoming release of Exhibition Act I! What inspired the creation of the EP, and what was the songwriting and recording process like?
"Thank you so much! We are completely beside ourselves with excitement to share this next EP with the world. It’s been a ride to get here.
The inspiration for this EP particularly was wanting to create a complimentary counterpart to Exhibition Act II, we asked ourselves what can we tap into that scratches beneath the surface this time round? How can we flip this on its head……COSMICA style??
ACT II was very sharp pointy and “in your face”. Everything on that EP told you what it meant as it meant it. Although we love saying the good ol’ ‘f u’ in songs, there was way more to us as people and musicians than that. We had a lot more to “exhibit” of ourselves than just those emotions/ situations. So thus, the focus then was to offer something “polar opposite” in the most complimentary way possible.
Emotionally demanding as I constantly say, this one is for the folks that want to deeply listen and feel something. Whether that means pumping it so loud your senses are drowned out or, simply listening to find the answer you need for something personal. Not that this EP has the answers, maybe it holds none to the listener. But, this one is fit for purpose, and even if only 2 out of the 5 tracks resonate with you or ALL of them do, our job is done.
Unlike ACT II being pre written and primed before hitting the studio, ACT I was a right of passage for us as a band to create something from scratch, and ‘ride the wave’ when it came to evolving our sound in the studio. Really being anal about how and why the instrument sounds a certain way. Get really nit picky for certain reasons. Although all of the fundamentals were there, this EP came to the forefront of its essence after we laid everything down. And to be quite frank, that was such a rewarding experience for me and the boys."
Were there any specific artists or bands that inspired the sound and direction of this EP?
"As per usual our inspirations span quite broad and, honestly, interchangeable depending on when you ask. But the artists that really stuck as influences for mixing and general direction are definitely names such as Oliver Tree, The Mars Volta, Gorillaz, and The Strokes. And then specific elements definitely were derived from more hardcore bands such as Rage Against the Machine and so forth."
How did the concept behind Exhibition Act I & II begin, and how the two acts are distinct from one another?
"Conceptually speaking for both EPs, they were inspired by the fact that we as per the human condition infinitely exhibit ourselves in different ways at all times, and that no two experiences will be the same. Everything encompassing emotion, space, situation, is all thought about. This body of work was not out to capture everything in pursuit of this thesis, but more or less showcase why you can’t capture it all. Everything from Act II right to the creation of Act I all came from certain places at certain times never to occur again. However, the distinct difference between Act II and Act I is the stylistic goals of how they were created, and what we exhibited of ourselves in the times of creation.
Such goals were set out to provide an obvious evolution, variation, and for ourselves a creative challenge. Derived from my love of listening broadly to music as well I appreciated tracks that could be played to simply experience at face value and not think about, and then of course, have the music that DOES make you think twice and tap into a really relatable part within. To me creating work that had this interchangeable use was very important.
Breaking down these EPs, Act II was built to be as sharp and to the point as possible. Everything is at face value. Then, Act I was aiming for the complete opposite, scratch beneath that surface and question how and why we are doing things, and really tap into some deep shit. Act II demands your attention, Act I demands your emotions."
Your upcoming EP launch is a special one, How did the idea for a multimedia show come about?
"COSMICA’s Exhibition is very much a bigger feat for us than ever before. Particularly, this show was our way of offering a fresh take on an EP launch. As I found Brisbane bands have become so self-centric that to me saying you have a single launch or an EP launch isn’t something to behold anymore. Or, at least the unspoken rules at which you would do so. Flat out, I didn’t want to abide by these rules or expectations from the public or others in the scene.
Plus, this was heavily influenced by the fact that selling yourself and having people buy into your vision is quite a task considering all of us young adults are struggling with a grocery shop, let alone purchasing a ticket to a show they aren’t familiar with. In this current economy, creating an event that can support multiple artists in one space with one ticket was the way to go. Not to mention so much more fulfilling and exciting!
So thus, I figured with all of these reasons why not make this occasion a WHOLE event that includes a selection of artists of many mediums to celebrate this with. I realised too that being an independent artist you can get so caught up in the grind you forget to realise there is an entire audience out there you might be forgetting about. Like, some people who like photography might be really into music too, vice versa. I think trying to have a grasp on a diverse set of audiences is such a neglected point of contact. At the end of the day, all of us creatives share the same thing, we want to be seen and heard through our art.
Hence, COSMICA’s Exhibition was created!"
Can you tell us more about the creatives behind the art and music featured in the exhibition? How did you select the creatives for this event?
"Oh it would be my pleasure to talk about our artists. Such a diverse set of mediums, it excites me SO MUCH!
To go from top to bottom we have Feral Teeth who specialises in wearable art, digital collage and photography. Gritty but also delicate. Doll Chains who crafts these gorgeous pieces of jewellery and silver-work. Creating jewellery that’s not for the faint of heart, really make a statement. Polymer and Air clay creations by the wonderful Bloody Mary Made. Taking functional pieces but making them whimsical.
Ike Zamo (Ik3), the graphic design genius behind the COSMICA logo, will be bringing some of their pieces to the exhibition that includes wearable merch. Then we have our beautiful friends My Daydreams playing on the music side of the show, offering up that incredible mix between dream pop and Nu metal. We have also have the stunning works of our friend and collaborator Jex Calder, the light painting and photography specialist.
Of course, we have traditional paintings and mediums too including the brilliant intricate works of Miktangle (Mikaela Swan) who mixes traditional mediums such as oils, acrylics, water colour, ink, the list goes on! We also have some surrealism by the fantastic Aleisha Devenport, capturing life via paintings, collages, textiles and more. Lastly, but certainly not least we have the awesome RnB pop fusion of Lydia Urbina for the music section as well. Lydia and her band have a super indulgent sound.
That’s the lineup!
Selecting artists was definitely a timely process as, my co-organiser (Lauren) and I had to really be conservative for our first show, manage our expectations. So for the first one we selected a couple artists we knew, but, keeping things fresh we reached out to some local artists we had our eyes on in the scene. All in all, no matter who we selected we wanted to be conscious about the variety of mediums, as that was the point of creating the show in the first place."
What do you hope attendees will experience and take away from this unique blend of art and music?
"A mixture of things come to mind, some might vary person to person. From the bottom of my heart I hope everyone who comes to the show finds their new favourite artist, new favourite medium or even leave the show inspired for their own art.
On top of that, I wish that everyone in attendance feels glad they bought a ticket to support all of these people. That they spent their time and money wisely. Indeed, in the times we are in with the creative space shows like these have become more important NOW than ever. Admittedly, when I booked this show over 6 months ago I never would have predicted the decline the art space is facing. Dare I say this show came about at a time the scene needed it the most. I know it’s not a simple antidote, but for the fact it’s trying it’s best to keep a venue open and artist's art alive is so heavily integral.
Lastly, I also hope everyone who attends leaves the show feeling optimistic the scene won’t fully crash and burn."
Collaborating with local creatives is a great way to share the spotlight, lift each other up, and welcome more creativity into the community. How has the Brisbane music/art scene influenced your music and career?
"To be as concise as possible, Brisbane has influenced my music and career in many ways. To start, Brisbane has an absolute wealth of art and talent its UNGODLY! However, to think about myself for a second, starting a band in a sea of talent like this was TOUGH to say the least. So overwhelming.
Something I do know for sure is, I always aimed to create work that is in essence timeless. Pieces of work that can withstand time and not get lost in the talent sea of Brisbane. Music you could revisit 10 years from now, and have that listenability. Stuff you can rinse and repeat over and over again. From a business point of view, Brisbane is a great playground to practise selling yourself as an act. For example, a lot of venues welcome bands no matter what style or level you are so, it was a great place to shape up before trying to aim for higher or really make a statement. So this exercise really helped whip into shape COSMICA’s spectacle like performances, and always remind me to push for better and not get too comfortable.
The other side of that coin though, being exposed to so many brilliant people is such an influence whether it reflects in my music or not. It keeps you inspired in certain ways and, reconnects you to music as a listener which is a nice way to ground yourself as a musician."
Are there any local artists or bands you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
"OMG! Too many to list! Honestly I’m going to keep it simple ANY artist that is interesting and cool I want to work with you!! Period. Hit us up."
From photographers to visual artists, videographers or booking agents, do you have any Brisbane creatives that you’d like to give a shout-out to?
"It would only be right to shout out the people who made this body of work possible. So here is my shout out list! (In no particular order)
Mitch Young - Who recorded, mixed, and mastered all of our tracks to date you’re a legend!
Lauren Potter - You have been so integral in organising this event and managing the releases for COSMICA, this would not have been possible without you.
Jex Calder - As mentioned one of our dearest collaborators, responsible for the Castle of Dark Illusions press AND Act I press.
Jeggs Creative - Absolute weapon behind the Castle of Dark Illusions music video, has worked tirelessly on live visualisers and more for the exhibition.
Matteo Grasso -The man behind our Act II press shots and Northern Star music video. Another legend.
Nayth Marshall - A dear friend of mine, but also helped create assets for our previous headline show last year. Check out his band Lonely Sort Of Death.
Alex Edwards - Another dear friend, been so supportive of COSMICA for a long time. Helped us in lots of ways this past year. Go check out his latest release “Felonious Friends”, IT IS GENIUS!
MOST importantly a shout out to all of our artists for July 27th. Check them out at COSMICA’s Exhibition!!!And, anyone not mentioned who helped with COSMICA releases to date, you guys are the bomb dot com!!!"
And lastly, what's next for COSMICA?
"What’s next? Geez, what a question.
After July 27th there is no stopping the COSMICA train. Full speed ahead into our booked shows and rock some socks off until the end of the year. November particularly keep an ear out as we have something HUGE in the works for that. Amongst that diving head first into our next project will be next on the to-do list. So! Safe to say we are far from finished this year and beyond ! Stay tuned"
Get your tickets HERE (this event is 18+)
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