Aussie triple-threat Blusher talk artistic origins, pushing pop boundaries, and their kaleidoscopic new EP, “RACER”.

In a post-BRAT society, musical hedonism reigns free. Pop has finally fully broken down its barriers. Blusher rejoice in its giddy desolation. The Australian three piece — Miranda, Lauren and Jade — have been rustling plenty of the sonic status quo’s feathers; culminating in the release of their exceptional new EP, “RACER”. 

The body of work feels distinctive yet recognisable, an amalgamation of artistic pull points from LCD Soundsystem to Charli herself, a deft and daring musical manifesto and subtly raises the bar. It’s infectious, entertaining, and emotionally provoking — adept in songsmithery and wider conceptualisation alike. Watch out — Blusher will unabashedly redden your cheeks. 

Listen to “RACER”…

Read the interview…

Hey Blusher! Talk us through your musical origins? 

Miranda: We were three solo artists with pretty different musical upbringings, but lots of shared context in the industry. Jade grew up singing in her family’s ABBA tribute band, then started making dreamy, vintage-inspired pop with a loop pedal and lots of vocal layers. Lauren was listening to Britney, Kesha, and Coldplay while she was teaching herself how to produce on GarageBand and recording her vocals in secret in the bathroom for the natural reverb. I grew up as a classical violinist, pulled a total 180 and started a punk band, worked as a music journalist for a while, made trippy sad-girl pop and DJ’d a bit before I met the girls. We bonded over our shared love of shameless pop music and our passion for doing every part of the creative process, as well as having a lot of shared experiences of guys in the production chair telling us they knew what our music needed better than we did. We wrote two songs together, did a photoshoot with Jade’s vintage BMW and all looked at each other and said… I think we should be a band?

What are your roles within the framework of the band?

Lauren: Absolute havoc, in the best way. Being solo artists before the band started means we all come from a super DIY way of creating and filling every role ourselves. I’m obsessed with production and lyrics, Jade is a melody machine with the voice of an angel, and Miranda loves bass lines, chords, and hooks. It’s a different configuration every time we write, which is what helps us keep things feeling creatively fresh. On stage, we trade instruments and all take turns being lead and BV’s. We all produced, sung, and played across the EP and dreamt up the visual world together.

How would you define your artistic essence? 

Jade: Sparkly, chaotic pop with equal parts grit and glitter.

Congrats on your new EP, “RACER”. How are you feeling about the release? 

Miranda: I don’t think we’ve ever been more excited for a release. RACER feels like the perfect combination of our three individual tastes and experiences coming together to make something that is so us, but also so much bigger than us. We’ve been working on the EP in one way or another for more than a year, and it’s pretty surreal at the moment to think that we get to see how everyone else connects to it. The best feeling is hearing peoples’ stories of our songs helping them get through a breakup, or pumping them up when they feel terrible, or that they’ve made their new best friend at a Blusher show. We’re hoping these songs lead to more of those moments. 

What’s the story behind the project’s title? 

Jade: Being a RACER is a state of mind where someone is their boldest, brightest, most magnetic and unapologetic self. They’re their own stunt person, they’re the ones starting the dance floor while the rest of the party is trying too hard to be cool. Being the most authentic possible version of yourself is very “RACER”.

What inspired the thematic direction of the EP?

Lauren: The camaraderie we share with each other through all of our experiences being a band — from the start it’s felt like we’re a tight knit team encouraging each other to be our most RACER selves. The energy you have when you’re in the ‘getting really into fitness’ part of a breakup. Girlhood, confidence, and clubbing as a team sport. The first song we wrote for the EP was about taking your best friend on a marathon night out to help them through their breakup, and the concept snowballed from that moment.

Across the project, you flirt with the expectations of what pop is and has been — is that intentional or emblematic of your fluidity as musicians?  

Miranda: I think that’s unavoidable with us, to be honest. We’re all total music nerds at heart. We all have a lot of respect and love for our elders. We’re always listening to ABBA, The Beach Boys, Madonna, Kylie. We’re also obsessed with futuristic, boundary-pushing pop and dance music. One thing we basically never do is reference something that’s big or trending at the moment. We’re super fluid with what we listen to and what we’re inspired by, but creating through the venn diagram of the three of us means it will always turn out quintessentially Blusher.

You’re hitting the road once again later this year. What can attendees expect from a live show? 

Miranda: Bangers, bubbles, bass, choreography, remixes, covers, new merch, CD’s, energy, afterparties.

You’ve previously toured with Sugababes, Tove Lo and played with Kylie Minogue — what did those experiences teach you? 

Lauren: These shows were such a dream come true. We definitely took many notes from each of their shows from choreo to band set up to fashion – but I think the most inspiring thing for me is just to see these women having long, sustainable, fun careers in the music industry. Our job is made a lot easier by the path that these women have forged. 

What else is to come from you — this year and beyond?

Jade: We’re so excited for the RACER era and we have big plans for remixing the EP and touring and travelling a lot. We love writing when we travel and we find a lot of inspiration from whichever new city we’re in at the time. We want to write for the next project, make as many new friends all over the world as we can, and find some matching vintage Adidas boxing boots.