Quintet Canary Two Step Interview

An Intricate and Immersive Sound

Continuing to craft sounds that push their personal creative boundaries, as well as the familiar sounds their fan base has come to expect, Canary enter a new chapter of their career emboldened and focused.

From their debut release Dear Universe in 2011, to the defining I Am Lion in 2016, Canary have finessed their songwriting and musicianship under the eyes of not only Australian industry and audiences, but international names alike. Shortlisted for the Unsigned Division of the 2014 International Songwriting Competition (deliberated upon by the likes of Tom Waits and Bastille) for their single 'Carried Away', Canary's music rang out strong abroad and only bolstered the band's drive for creating new music.

Led by songwriter Matthew Kenneally, Canary are known for producing indie pop that is steeped in gorgeous melodies, intelligent instrumentation and an ever curious approach to their delivery; a delivery that has made the band a favourite with live audiences around the country, having supported the likes of Saskwatch, Hein Cooper, Ainslie Wills and LANKS in recent memory.

I Am Lion marked a personal dynamic change for Kenneally, as he channelled navigating a break up into the music. What resulted was a big album full of tonal dynamics and personal insights that not only further exposed Kenneally's creative direction, but demonstrated the great collaborative nature Canary possess and continue to thrive upon.

Now, Canary emerge once more from the studio, armed with material primed for their forthcoming third album. Again, the gears have shifted as the band aims even higher with this new studio release.

"We have recorded a lot of this next album live," Kenneally says. "But unlike the previous one, the songs weren't fully formed before going into the studio to record. It was just a collection of riffs and grooves and melodies, which we laid down spontaneously in the first recording session, and have slowly been piecing together songs out of those initial recordings since."

This approach has already born some tasty fruit in Canary's new single, 'Two Step'. Tight, vibrant and rollicking in pace, Canary take another strong step forward into their new phase.

The new Canary album will be out in 2019.

Interview with Quintet Canary

Question: How would you describe your music?

Quintet Canary: Difficult to describe. It changes from song to song, album to album. Dense. Maybe too dense.


Question: What inspired the new single 'Two Step'?

Quintet Canary: Lots of things. Bright Eyes' "I Must Belong Somewhere" is in there...somewhere.

Question: Can you tell us about how 'Two Step' came to feature in a German advertisement?

Quintet Canary: A German based production and sync agency asked if I had anything suitable for the ad. I submitted 'Two Step' and it took off!


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Quintet Canary: 'Burning Man', it really builds at the end and is easy to get into.


Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Quintet Canary: Radiohead's Thom Yorke or Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Quintet Canary: Recording.

Question: What is the story behind the band name?

Quintet Canary: Canary was a personal childhood nickname. We used it as a makeshift band name until we thought of a better one. We haven't thought of a better one.


Question: How did the band come together?

Quintet Canary: We either went to high school together or went to church together in our younger years.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Quintet Canary: The fear of death and wasting my life doing trivial things.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Quintet Canary: Andy Shauf, Junun, Pedro the Lion.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?
Quintet Canary: To make music.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Quintet Canary: Conor Oberst. But I'm not as good at collaborating as others are.


Question: What's next for the band?

Quintet Canary: We're recording a new album to be released (hopefully) next year.


Interview by Brooke Hunter