Interview: Back with Fan Club

‍It’s been a few months since your BurgerFuel Battle of the Bands win. How did that moment shape what came next for you?
‍We’ve been in the studio working on our upcoming EP, rehearsing, recording, and getting ready to release some new music.

Your winnings actually helped make “Text Me When You Land” possible. Can you tell us a bit about how that track came together?
‍I went on a trip earlier this year, met someone I really liked who lives far away. I just kind of got back and went to the practice room, starting to write some new stuff and that's just kind of what came out. The song came together naturally and was written in about an hour.

What was it like working with Tyler Burke and Caleb Young on the song’s production?
‍Caleb led most of the production, and we spent a lot of time rehearsing and running the songs before going into the studio so we could try every possibility before committing time and money. We worked with Tyler Burke, who’s been part of our live sound for years and really understands how we want to sound, which made the studio process feel natural. One of the tracks was self-produced by us, with Caleb taking the lead, and mixing was done by Scott CW, who immediately understood our direction, everything came back sounding exactly where we wanted it, and the whole process was really smooth and efficient.

Are there areas in the song making process that each member naturally falls into or has more of an interest in. How do you feel this plays into your roles within the band and creating new music?
‍Our voices and influences are different, but we share a lot of the same inspirations, so we’ve always had a pretty clear sense of our sound and vibe just from jamming together. This project mixes older songs we wrote a year ago with newer ideas, so it’s a blend of old and new, polished, reshaped, and refined. We’ve stayed true to our lane but also explored a few new directions along the way.

With your song writing process, have you found that you tend to lean more into personal experiences or are you taking inspiration from other things around you or lyrics you like?
‍It depends, but a lot of our songs are inspired by real life. For example, our first song, Never Ever, was inspired by a character from Heartstopper, a queer TV show I was really into back in 2022–2023. Usually, I draw from my own experiences and collaborate with the team on the lyrics, taking reality and shaping it into something that works musically, heightening it or twisting it so it’s not a literal retelling, but still rooted in real emotions and experiences.

You’ve said “Text Me When You Land” marks the end of this chapter for Fan Club, what makes it the perfect send-off?
‍I think “Text Me When You Land” is a great single for the EP because it bridges what we’ve done before with where we’re heading now. It blends elements of our old sound with new directions that will be explored further on the EP. Overall, we’re really proud of the project, it feels like a solid collection of ideas and a strong representation of this stage of our journey. As we wrap up our time as a band  we just felt like this EP was the perfect farewell, a big sendoff and a way to close this chapter with something special.

We’ve done a lot, and I think it’s just where we are in life now. Everyone’s busy with other projects, session work, or university, so it’s been harder to get together consistently. Now feels like the right time to wrap things up properly, we want to do it the best we can and give a proper sendoff.  With the final show, it was mix of nervousness, sadness, and excitement. We’d been practicing songs we haven’t played in a while, revisiting our whole discography, and was a really special night that captured all our sounds and vibes.

What’s the emotion you hope fans feel when they hear it for the first time?
‍I like songs that are open to interpretation. I can share what inspired it, but I want people to connect with it in their own way, whether it’s the lyrics, the tune, or the guitar. It’s one of my favourite songs we’ve written, and I’d love for it to be something people play on a night drive, on the way home from the beach, or just whenever they’re in a good mood. For me, it’s about creating a vibe people can make their own, something that feels personal to them while still capturing the energy and emotion we put into it.

The song title alone feels like a bittersweet message — was there a real-life “text” that inspired it?
‍It’s about someone I met on a trip. We clicked really quickly, and I was trying to figure out how to make things work. When I got home, I felt both fulfilled and a little unsatisfied with how things went, so I just had to write it down. Writing the song was a way to process all those feelings, the excitement, the connection, and the uncertainty

From Smokefree Rock Quest to Play It Strange, then Battle of the Bands, you’ve had an insane few years. What’s been the biggest “pinch-me” moment?
‍There have been so many highlights over the years. Winning the Central Region Rock Quest finals was huge for us; it really helped us find our footing on stage and feel like we knew what we were doing. Recording our first song at Parachute with Play It Strange was another milestone, and doing promo for “Westbound” and getting NZ On Air funding was surreal. Random moments like watching friends jump off the Harbour Bridge, which I refused to do, were just fun memories too.

Some personal highlights for me were live moments like when the mic cut out during our VP gig. It could have been a disaster, but the crowd’s reaction made it unforgettable. Touring and playing in different places, like Christchurch and up North, was amazing, and having a song featured on Shortland Street or performing on Breakfast TV was super exciting. Being part of the BurgerFuel Battle of the Bands, playing alongside so many talented artists, and being able to reinvest winnings into our music has been incredible. Just all the opportunities we’ve been able to have in such a short amount of time has been incredible.  

What’s something fans might not realise about what it takes to keep a band like Fan Club running smoothly?
‍I have a boxing ring at my house (JK!). Communication is the key for us. Working as a group always comes with bumps in the road and different opinions, but we always had the same goal so knew we had to work it out some way or another. A lot of compromise is involved, and it’s been great because sometimes if I’m unsure about something, hearing someone else’s idea makes me realize they’re right. Everyone brings their own ideas and knows when to push back, and we take the time to let things work themselves out. Any clashes aren’t negative, they just show how passionate we are about the project and making sure the songs sound as good as possible.

Is there anything else you wanted to share?
‍Go Check out our new EP – When you land, OUT NOW!

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