Premiere: Introducing Sputnik Sweetheart, who are taking a stand in the clip for Us Girls

Despite only having two singles released thus far, it's clear that Canberra indie-rockers Sputnik Sweetheart are onto something special. With their debut single Home Again and its follow-up Us Girls (both released this year, the latter back in August), their jangly indie-rock sound has caught our attention from the get-go, pairing light-hearted guitar melodies with wit-filled lyricism often exploring some important themes. Take Us Girl, for example: a seemingly bright and guitar-rich indie-punk that through its lyrics, tells the story of a group fed up with gender inequality and in search of something more inclusive - something super important not just to the band, but for us too.

Today, we're premiering the video clip for Us Girls, which acts as a cherry-on-top for Sputnik Sweetheart in the wake of the Canberra four-piece having an explosive debut year (think sold-out shows, sets at Stonefest and Spilt Milk, and support shows with Joyce Manor and The Babe Rainbow. It's a clip that doubles down on the single's themes in a more direct and attentive way, with subtleties that draw attention to the single's theme - two guys ignoring the band's lead singer Nette as they chat; grabbing breakfast items away from her just as she goes to grab them; pushing past her in a club/venue setting without a flinch.

It's a great single that reinforces the single's obviously important theme, and to come from a band so young and fresh into their development, really has us excited for the future. For now, however, dive into Us Girls' video clip below and better introduce yourself to the group while you're at it:

Tell us about yourselves.

We’re four best friends from Canberra who love coffee, music and dogs!

What’s the vibe music-wise?

At the moment, we probably sit somewhere in the indie alt-rock genre; however, we’re influenced by a range of different styles – particularly punk and surf rock at the moment. It’s funny because when we started, we all had completely different ideas about what genre of music we wanted to play, so it’s been a bit of a journey figuring out how to meld it all together.

What are your production and writing processes like?

We don’t really have a set production process as we haven’t had a great deal of studio time; however, there are a couple of things we’ve started doing that are helping inform the direction we want to go in. From a production perspective, what we found most helpful was sharing reference tracks with our producer and actively listening out for tones and styles we liked.

Our writing process is still evolving and changes all the time, but generally one of us will bring a small part of a song to the rest of the band (Guitar riff, Vocal hook etc.) and we just kind of go from there. Whatever we’re feeling at the time, whether it be personal things or social/political issues on our mind, someone brings something to practice and we bounce ideas off each other pretty easily.

Can you tell us about your new single Us Girls and its video clip?

The song Us Girls is inspired by women’s struggle for gender equality. It’s an issue that means a lot to all of us. We really wanted the music video to compliment the lyrics without distorting the message, which took a lot of planning and storyboarding. Luckily, we have so many creative friends who jumped on board to help with the filming, styling, directing and acting – so we’re very fortunate in that regard.

Any tour dates coming up?

We aren’t doing another tour until next year, however we still have a few local and interstate shows locked in for the rest of the year:

15th November – UC Hub Supporting Bugs
23rd November – Spilt Milk
1st December – The Basement Bec Taylor showcase
5th December – UOW Uni Bar supporting Maddy Jane
21st December – Grace Darling Turning Heads End of Year Party

What does the rest of 2019 and beyond have in store for you?

On top of these dates, we are releasing our debut EP Growing Pains on the 5th of December! It’s a collection of songs influenced by our experiences growing up in our hometown Canberra.

Where can we find more of your music?

You can find all of our music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Bandcamp!

Follow Sputnik Sweetheart: FACEBOOK