Reckless Coast: ‘We wanted something that gives off some vintage rock ‘n’ roll vibes – it’s a little bit cheeky!’

Brisbane’s self-proclaimed ‘coastal misfits’ Reckless Coast have released their brilliantly energetic and surfy, pub mosh debut EP, ‘Naked & Famous’.

The band comprises Jaeden Ogston (vocals and guitar), India Raine (bass) and Jono Frowd (drums). Their name references their upbringings, as they’re all coastal kids: ‘I was raised not too far from Byron Bay,’ Ogston explained last year. Raine was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, but moved to the coast of New South Wales in Australia when she was two and Frowd is from the sunshine coast up north. Their name also references getting trapped in Coffs Harbour on their first tour, describing touring Australia as being like ‘a reckless coastline’.

The five-track release encapsulates the authentic raw energy and infectious melodies that have quickly become synonymous with the band’s sound as well as Ogston’s huge vocals: ‘I feel that all the songs on this EP are connected by a similar timestamp of inspiration or creativity,’ Ogston said. When I chatted to Ogston and Raine last year, they had already settled on the EP title of ‘Naked & Famous’ but Frowd needed some convincing, and I ask Ogston how he persuaded him to go with it: ‘He was a little unsure about it (laughs) but I think it really came together well in the end. I think it just sort of made sense after a while because we were trying to think of another title for it but everything else sucked (laughs). We could have called it ‘Burn Street’ (a track on the album about a former house share of Ogston’s) but it didn’t really match the rest of the tracks. We wanted something that gives off some vintage rock ‘n’ roll vibes – it’s a little bit cheeky!’

‘It’s just a riff that’s based on the movement of one note in this single chord that changes from disjunct to a bit more of a held together sort of sound’

‘Naked & Famous’ contains three new tracks alongside their previous singles ‘Burn Street’ and ‘Bad Habits’. Packed with momentum, ‘Runnin’ is a brilliant opener, a real crank it up in the car on a sunny day kind of song, with an infectious bass line, driving Foosey rhythm section and massive vocals from Ogston. The hooky singalong chorus is bound to make it a fan favourite. It was inspired by a Matthew McConaughey motivational speech and Ogston describes it as being about ‘not leaving breadcrumbs behind and getting rid of everything that’s not what you want it to be’: ‘I think it just started out as that Foo Fighters kind of riff,’ he said. ‘I just remember having this chord that I found that’s super dissonant. It’s just a riff that’s based on the movement of one note in this single chord that changes from disjunct to a bit more of a held together sort of sound, if that makes sense? The words “just running, keep running away” for some reason came into my head.’

The idea for the song came to him quickly after hearing McConaughey’s motivational speech: ‘It was the day after or maybe later on in the day after listening to it, I had the idea of the song and everything, I just didn’t know what to do lyrically or melodically,’ he said. ‘I started piecing a few lyrics together based off what he was saying because, obviously, it was resonating with me at the time. I was going through this phase of reading a lot about other people and their careers and what’s helped them along the way. Every time you have a little bit of doubt in your head, I always like to see how everyone else overcame that, if that makes sense? Especially as musicians or anyone in the creative industry, that’s always going to happen. You’re always going to get that doubt. Actually, anyone in general trying to achieve anything, I think.’

‘Runnin’ also features a really infectious drop down in the bridge, thanks to a descending riff that whips up the speed as Ogston’s vocals intensify to match it: ‘I have this thing that I like having variations in the structure that challenge the usual,’ he said. ‘I like to see how far I can manipulate the bridges, choruses and verses. In this song, I wanted a bridge that sounded different and that kept up the energy. I don’t want to lose that momentum because that’s the biggest thing with ‘Runnin’. It needed to be something that provides variation dynamically, it’s a low dynamic, but the descending notes give it the momentum, it keeps that flow of motion.’

As the track kicks off: “Keep runnin’ away from all the things that make you smile. Lose count of the days. And all the faces you admire. Keep saying that it’s okay but you’re just runnin’ away.”

‘I think it’s more about when you get to a part of your life where you have to make changes’

The artwork is pure rock ‘n’ roll, featuring a black and white photo of a man with a vintage-looking floral shirt half hanging off him, wearing jeans but barefoot, with ‘Naked & Famous’ graffitied on the wall behind him, and it turns out to have been inspired by another rock ‘n’ roller, Mick Jagger: ‘In that photo, he’s got no shirt on, sitting on the floor and then behind him it’s spray-painted – it’s very rock ‘n’ roll, I think! It’s a real niche photo but I thought it was really cool,’ Ogston said.

‘Dying Town’, with its beguilingly solemn vocals and guitar introduction swiftly reels you in before a wall of raspy, fuzzed up guitars, supported by a punchy bass line, pulls you towards a stadium-worthy chorus – think Smith Street Band Australiana meets Waax angst: ‘It’s not really about any specific town,’ Ogston said. ‘I grew up in a regional town but I mainly started writing it when I was actually in Brisbane. I think it’s more about when you get to a part of your life where you have to make changes. This is going to make it sound like the whole EP is like a motivational speech (laughs) but it’s not. It’s about a stage in your life where you can either change things and grow as a human being – whether that be with your habits or your career – or you can stay stationary and nothing changes and you sort of just stay rotting. I’ve given that idea context through the narrative of someone being stuck in a town which is holding them back but it could also be a societal situation that’s not improving their way of life. I have this moment where they go: “Well, I don’t know if I should go or stay”. So many people feel that, especially regionally, there are so many disadvantaged communities.’

I ask him which pedals they’re using on it: ‘Live, I use Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys’ Fuzz Face pedal,’ he said. ‘I think in that recording, we may have stacked that pedal with a vintage ProCo Rat, it’s a distortion pedal from the 80’s. It was just us stacking a few different fuzzes together. It’s quite alluring, in a sense, that intro! When you come straight out of it, it just needs that aggravated angst emotion (laughs) and I feel like that just nails it perfectly.’

As the track goes: “Well, I’m so damn bored of sittin’ around. Can’t stand the sound of this dyin’ town. Oh lately, I don’t know if I can stay. If you just leave me, I’ll be lying in my grave. These people, their choices, they’re enough to claim insane.”

‘You’re on a trip with your mates, it’s got that high energy, you’re in car, probably a convertible!’

When I chatted to them last time, Ogston described ‘Bad Habits’ on the EP as ‘outlining toxic situations people keep returning to’: ‘Sometimes we can get so used to a situation that we don’t see ourselves deteriorating. Like, “Am I actually in love with this person? Or have I become numb from all the bullshit?” I came up with the initial riff, I had a psych-surf riff in my head, it was trippy (laughs) and that’s what came out! I had a pub rock riff for the chorus and pieced it together with a blues shuffle. The band had the idea of addiction but transferred to relationships and feelings for people, when you know someone is a bad habit but you’re comfortable and don’t want to leave a situation.’ He describes the track as ‘coastal pub rock’: ‘You’re on a trip with your mates, it’s got that high energy, you’re in car, probably a convertible!’ Raine agrees: ‘Our inspiration came from 70’s and 80’s rock but we don’t want to just repeat ourselves, but we like the vintage element.’ It’s a song that grabs you from the glam rock guitar intro, crashing drums from Frowd, hooky, distorted bass and strong, catchy vocals and backing vocals from Ogston and Raine.

As the chorus goes: “And the people keep saying you’ve been down for a while. And I hope that it ain’t true. And these bad habits, baby, got me walkin’ to you. And I don’t know what to do.”

Ogston was just five or six when he started playing guitar and around 10-12 when he started singing: ‘Honestly, I have no idea why, I always had this calling to the instrument,’ he told me last year. ‘I can’t say there’s a moment in time where it clicked, the interest seemed to just be there from the start. Then players like Angus Young just pushed me to take it further and further.’ 

‘Burn Street’ on the EP is a reference to the name of the street in the first house that Ogston shared in Brisbane: ‘I had the best crew of housemates, we had a movie night every Sunday, there was a couple and a dog and also another guy there, too, he was a friend of the couple from high school,’ he told me last year. ‘The couple got married and moved away, and the share house broke up. I didn’t realise that all share houses weren’t like that. The next one I had was dilapidated and horrible. The song is a nostalgic look back at the first house.’

As the track goes: “And now this place ain’t the same. It’s all broken windows and dusty frames. And I have never known what it was truly like to sit alone. And I can’t take her home because there’s nothing there that I care to own…”

‘I’m kind of hopping up and down like on a pogo stick!’

The band is currently on a tour of the east coast of Australia, with shows in Meanjin/Brisbane, Eora/Sydney, Mulubinba/Newcastle, Yugambeh/Gold Coast and Naarm/Melbourne. They have recently supported bands such as The Delta Riggs, Press Club and were the sole support for The Southern River Band during their ‘Stan Qualen’ tour dates. However, Ogston is having to adjust his movements on stage since he broke his foot last year and is still having physiotherapy: ‘I do this kind of pirate hop, you only see it if you’re close enough,’ he said laughing. ‘I’m kind of hopping up and down like on a pogo stick!’

‘People Piss Me Off’ is a fantastic closer and chronicles the daily aggravations of dealing with people and society. Gutsy vocals sit atop a gritty groove leading into a big bridge featuring a helicopter rhythm, due to the guitar and drum synchronicity. The stand out line is a reference to people who “itch my skin and ick my mind” and when I tell him I love it, he grins: ‘That’s exactly what it is, some people, they do that right from the first minute,’ he said laughing. ‘The best way I describe it to someone is when you’re behind slow walkers, that sort of aggravation. They know there’s somebody behind them and it feels like they even slow down! It’s funny, at our live shows, I take the piss out of it. I always dedicate it to cyclists. I don’t know if that’s a thing anywhere else, but in Australia, we always take the piss out of the cyclists (laughs), I don’t know why!’

Raine calls it her favourite track on the EP. ‘It’s funny because if you look at the lyrics and even listen to it, I wouldn’t say it’s serious but you’re not mucking around,’ Ogston said. ‘It does have this touch of tongue-in-cheek to it.’

‘We did the Elvis thing, that was diabolical!‘

One song that did not make the cut but will feature on a deluxe edition of the EP due out later this year, is ‘London’, a track about a girl that Ogston met who ended up moving to London. It made Raine tear up the first time she heard it and Ogston says he’s ‘most proud’ of the lyrics. ‘We wanted to do a little surprise track for our fans, ‘ he said. ‘We play it at the acoustic show, people are sort of waiting for it!’

All three of them are massive foodies and last time we chatted, they wanted to make their own version of Elvis’ fried peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich: ‘We did the Elvis thing, that was diabolical!’ he said laughing. ‘That was so unhealthy, it was pretty funny. It was never supposed to be serious but it was a bit of fun. We have a partnership with a local Australian beer company called Brick Lane Brewing, based in Melbourne, so for most of the cooking videos, we try and incorporate their beers into the recipe. They have a ginger beer, so we soaked bananas in the ginger beer, it came out all right (laughs). The one that came out the best, though, was probably the deep fried gnocchi that we made with a beer batter. They came out like crispy little puffs!’

Their love of food extends to being on the road: ‘I love food, I’m the worst, even on tour when we’re driving down, I always like to have some snacks,’ Ogston said. ‘I remember one of the first times we did the whole Sydney leg with Jono, he was like: “What the hell, man?!” I snacked the entire way down for the 10 hour drive. We get to Sydney, and I’m like: “I’m hungry, I have to go for dinner” (laughs). He’s like: “How is that possible? You’ve just eaten for 10 hours!”. I’m like: “Snacking is not meals, bro!”‘ Ogston is also good at finding little food places on his travels: ‘Last time we were in Melbourne, I went on a little day adventure because we had a day off and the other band members were doing other things, so I caught up with a few friends. I was just walking around Fitzroy in Melbourne and I came across a place, I think it’s called Little Hop. It’s a taco bar that serves mezcal as well – it’s tiny, a hole in the wall sort of set up but I genuinely think they were the best tacos I’ve ever had in my life! I haven’t had them since. Even when we went down to Melbourne last weekend, I didn’t get around to going there. If my last meal was tomorrow, I just want those tacos, those specific tacos (laughs). I think one of them was green beans, which sounds weird and there was a mushroom one, I’m pretty sure. And they had empanadas. It was all really simple but the amount of flavour that came out of it! It’s just one guy on the grill, too. I would love to go to Mexico purely to eat!’

‘Every time Marcus King releases an album, it’s something contrasting to the last but building another version of him’

If he could write a song with anyone, he picks American southern rock/blues singer, Marcus King: ‘I absolutely love his new album, Mood Swings, it’s incredible,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘It’s so raw and emotional. Every time Marcus King releases an album, it’s something contrasting to the last but building another version of him, but still remaining true to what he is, if that makes sense? I just love his writing.’

Ogston would love to hear ‘Burn Street’ on the EP on a TV show such as Sex Education (starring Asa Butterfield and Emma Mackey): ‘Like the show, the song itself is very coming of age,’ he said. ‘It’s all about them figuring themselves out, it’s more than what the title says, and making mistakes along the way and trying to find a place for yourself in the world. I feel like it would fit with the narrative of that show a little bit. Who’s the guy that Gillian’s (Gillian Anderson) character’s seeing (Jakob)? A Norwegian dude? Her boyfriend, he just makes me laugh. He’s so dry!’

(Top photo from left to right: Jono, Jaeden and India. Black and white photo credit: Darcy Goss.)