Written by: Oliver Heffron
Aussie pop-trio Blusher are having a very good time. Synthesizing the invisible feeling of an outrageous night out with a spontaneous approach in the studio, the Melbourne-based newcomers have made a name for themselves since bursting onto the scene at BIGSOUND 2022.
Fluidly switching instruments in their sessions, Blusher’s music retains the spontaneity of a slumber party recording session while presenting the DIY artists’ talents through innovative electronic production, infectious melodies, and lyrics that refuse to conform to expectations. All three members lead in this metaphorical teen rom-com of a band, creating a diverse yet cohesive sound that distills 2000s club nostalgia into dance anthems ready for 2033.
Blusher's new single, “Accelerator,” amplifies their sound to the max with scorching synth melodies, a pulsating beat, and lyrics that embody a frenzied desire for freedom: “Sometimes I feel like I want to jump out of a helicopter.” Their live shows, enhanced by hypnotic choreography, are a testament to their evolving sonic world.
Currently on their first US tour, opening for Icelandic pop artist Daði Freyr, I had the privilege of witnessing their recent performance at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. Their futuristic dance routines, megaphone chants, and captivating vocal performances left no doubt that Blusher was the show's star.
Catching up with Nuance on a tour break, Blusher’s members–Jade, Lauren, and Miranda–discuss the band’s musical origins, unique studio approach, and impressive live performances.
Blusher began at the end of the pandemic when three Melbourne-based DIY artist-producers were dying to leave the house after Australia’s intense lockdowns and finally make music with other people again. Lauren explains, “We’d been cooped up, and I think after that time, we were all just so keen to make dance-y music and get out of the house and make music that was really high energy.”
Blusher's journey from a fun side project to a full-fledged band is a testament to their passion and talent. The band was born at the end of the pandemic when three Melbourne-based DIY artist-producers were itching to leave their homes after Australia's intense lockdowns and collaborate with others. Their first session resulted in “Softly Spoken,” the opening track on their debut EP Should We Go Dance? released last year. As Lauren recalls, “We didn't quite know that it was a band at that time. It was kind of just like a fun side project to make some hard-hitting po. Then that song came out and got a lot of buzz and we were kind of like ‘Yeah, this I guess this is a band now…’” Miranda adds, “Lauren brought us together as a producer. When we first started the band she knew Jada and I separately through doing production with both of us. And so our sound is like very much core of like starting in Laurens bedroom back in Melbourne and having us three just kind of in the room, germinating.”
Having had plenty of time to germinate, Blusher soon got to their feet and started making beautiful pop sounds. Jade explains how their typical studio session begins with Lauren’s vocal sampling: “A lot of the time, a song will start with chopped-up samples of our vocals that Lauren stitched together, and it always makes the song sound really unique and gives it that flush of DNA when Lauren turns these crazy vocal textures into instruments in the tracks.”
Lauren describes how their sessions will progress into a fun, conducive chaos: “There’s usually a lot going on because we all play a bunch of instruments and we all have our journals out. I like it. It’s really fun to be able to swap between those things all together.” Miranda adds, “it’s cool coming from the background of all three of us being solo artists because I feel like each of us individually, through that experience like became very DIY and like this writing on our own. So it’s like in the studio, it’s like three solo artists coming together to have a session, but then we turn into a band.”
Returning to the session that resulted in their anthemic new single, “Accelerator,” Jade explains how a rough night before and caffeine resulted in a divine musical epiphany: “very caffeinated. We had been on a night out the night before and usually when you have a session the next day after that, you want to get your energy levels particularly high and we had all been drinking coffee and I realized that like I had taken this painkiller that I didn’t realize had caffeine in it as well. So I was really just buzzing that day. And we help them we each like to hop on the mic and improvise some melody ideas, and for some reason, a higher power came through me, and it came out as ‘Sometimes I feel like I wanna jump out of a helicopter.’”
Photo Courtesy of Paige Rosoff
In their live shows, the trio recreates the spontaneous energy of their recording sessions through impressive choreography–swapping instruments, breaking into synchronized dance, and engaging with the crowd, all without breaking a stride. “I care a lot about showmanship,” Jade states. “We definitely lean more into being performers than instrumentalists,” Lauren adds.
Working with producer Danny Bravo (Disclosure) for the first time on the track, Miranda discusses how he made a great addition to the band: “That was the first day that we met him in LA actually was the session where we were accelerator and it was just because we were on such a chaotic journey. It was like really helpful because he just came to the party and really matched it, and he went on the crazy ride with us.”
Reflecting on their electrifying single “Rave Angel,” which laments the experience of hearing a bad LA DJ, the girls explain the unfortunate experiences that inspired the track: “They just broke every rule of DJing and sound to the point where it was particularly hard to have a good time and dance to it when someone’s pulling crazy moves with the faders,” Jade explains. “It’s just the most frustrating thing when you finally get a chance to go out and have a good dance and the DJ is being selfish,” Lauren says. “It wasn’t just one DJ,” Miranda adds, “It’s like a collection of a bunch of nights we had in LA up to that point where we would just get so much more hyped up in the Uber on the way to the thing…we would get there and be so ready and the DJ would just play three hours of old Motown and we were like ‘Fuck!’”
Currently moving to Los Angeles and working towards their sophomore EP, Blusher is positioning themselves to become a favorite on those turntables anyway. While the girls are excited for what’s next, they also emphasize how much fun they’re having where they’re at–writing music as much as possible, inspired by the feedback from their growing fans. “I think we’re still in the phase where we just want to really singles and see what resonates with people and like it’s been cool in the live show. We’ve tested out a couple of unreleased new songs in the shows, and just having that experience of what people connect with is great while we’re writing,” Miranda says, “We’re just trying to make friends.” If you wanna make some friends, maybe connect to the pregame speaker and throw some on some Blusher.