Raising Children
September (he/they), Clover (they/she), Ella (she/her) and Sol (he/him)
Naarm
Hi Demure!
We’re September, Clover, Ella and Sol and we make up Raising Children. September is a musician and theatre maker, Clover is a musician and part-time poet, Ella is an actor, disability support worker and musician, and Sol is a theatre maker who releases his repressed anger by hitting drums with sticks.
Both Ella and Clover are First Nations; Ella is Taribelang (Bundaberg region in QLD) and Clover is Plangermaireener (Palawa, Tasmania region).
How did you all meet, and how did Raising Children come to be?
Ella and September met in the halls of their highschool, but weren’t musically involved. Clover and Ella then met in their first day of University (Valentine’s Day), and began making music at the same time that Ella, September and Sol began collaborating. Our worlds collided when Ella and Clover were asked to open for Earnest Jackson and they knew exactly who they needed to complete a perfect quad. We’ve been in love ever since.
What is the story behind both your band names?
Pearl Blue was nothing but a poetic phrase (to some of us) which was often associated with Ella and Clover as a duo rather than us as a 4-piece band, so we decided to change it. However, this was NOT an easy task. After months of spitballing with failure, Ella’s google search of ‘how to tie shoelaces’ was on a page titled ‘Raising Children’ which lead us to where we are now. It felt perfect given many of our songs approach parenthood, and the gentle nature we imagine parenting with, and many of our new songs are developing the perspective of a child.
How have you seen your style evolving?
Our style has evolved quite rapidly. We started playing live before we had the chance to sit down and write, which meant we were largely based in the folk genre that grounds a lot of our solo projects. We began writing and then it became “where does the water go when it enters the crocodiles mouth?”. We are having a lot of fun experimenting, and have a few fully developed songs that have disappeared into the ether.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Dua Lipa; Beatles; Sunfruits; Angel Olson; Amy Winehouse; Patsy Rodenburg; Michael Cera’s Clay Pigeons; Nick Cave; The Wiggles; Cat Stevens; Paul Simon; Aldous Harding; Doja Cat; Backyardigans; Beach Boys (Pet Sounds ‘makes much more sense in stereo’); General Levy; ABBA; Fart noises; The sound of the breeze in the trees; Biggie Smalls; Bjork; Kate Bush; Karen Dalton; Zombies; Michael Hurley; Peter; Paul & Mary
How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard it?
“It’s as if the feathers of a peacock were matched with the warbles of a lyre bird, and together, as when all of the power rangers formed, a beautiful explosion of synaesthesia”
Do you create lyrics or music first?
Music
What’s next for Raising Children?
Burying Parents.