Creswick-based psychedelic shoegaze band Pyrex and occasional Cyclic Defrost contributor Jason Heller have just collaborated on a new music video for ‘Beautiful Creature’ the third single from Pyrex’s debut release. The single drops today (30th June) and you can feast your eyes on the smeared visual interpretation of the song just here.
Cyclic Defrost caught up with Jordan and Ari from Pyrex to get to the bottom of what they are doing.
Cyclic Defrost: How did Pyrex come to exist?
Pyrex: Pyrex came about during the lockdown, when Ari and Jordan started jamming on some of Ari’s songs, and recorded two singles with Richard Pleasance as a duo. Jedd was then added to the mix, and Pyrex is now a fully formed five-piece.
Cyclic Defrost: Talk to me about your sound. How did you arrive where you are?
Pyrex: The Pyrex sound is an amalgamation of some of its member’s personal tastes – folk, pop, shoegaze, grunge and hip hop. Each musician in the band interprets Ari’s songs in their own way, which as a whole results in our 90’s-esque sound. Think The Cranberries and Warpaint.
Cyclic Defrost: What is the regional music scene like where you live?
Pyrex: The regional music scene throughout Creswick, Daylesford and Ballarat is reasonably active and diverse. From a State perspective, there is a general lack of support and funding for the Arts in most regional areas, which makes it difficult for some performers from these areas to make meaningful progress. This often means that regional acts have to work harder to be heard.
Cyclic Defrost: Pyrex seems to be a 100% DIY effort, how do you fit into the music scene in 2023?
Pyrex: The DIY approach is often a necessity as a new artist with limited resources, but we’re lucky in that there’s experience within our band which made understanding the needs of our project and how to get things done possible. We’ve built a network of brilliantly supportive people, including community radio hosts, directors and producers, fellow musicians, venues and visual artists.
Cyclic Defrost: How did the clip come together?
Pyrex: Jordan and Jason Heller, the Director, met through a mutual love of strange, obscure and DIY music. Jason then worked together with us to plan and conceptualise the clip, which resulted in a trippy assortment of images and editing filmed out in a French Forest near Creswick, Victoria. Jason brought some really fascinating camera techniques and artistic flair to the table, which has resulted in a beautiful, twisted and completely unique music video.
Cyclic Defrost: How did working with Richard Pleasance come about?
Pyrex: Richard happens to be a family friend of Ari’s; he had just finished soundtracking the final season of Wentworth when we contacted him to discuss recording some tracks. He had limited time, so we completed three songs in his studio, then arranged for the remainder of the EP to be produced under the genius of Naomune Anzai. The two experiences were completely different, but equally rewarding and such a privilege.
Cyclic Defrost: Beautiful Creature is your third single, what’s next on the horizon?
Pyrex: Beautiful Creature is the third and final single from our forthcoming debut release, EP ‘Noise For No Reason’. The EP will be released in the coming months, with some launch shows to celebrate.
Beautiful Creature from Pyrex is available at Bandcamp, and also streaming on Spotify. Check it out!
