PATIENT SIXTY-SEVEN // On Mares Nest, Perth’s Scene And More

Patient Sixty-Seven has proven they’re one of the bleghst things in Oz metal with their latest offering, Mares Nest.

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It’s the third single from the Perth-based band this year, and it’s both a melodic and lyrical heavy hitter. We caught up with frontman Tom Kiely, who ran us through how it came together and more.

Hysteria: Mares Nest is a personal one. Run us through what inspired it and the significance of the title.

Tom: The title Mares Nest was something we used early on when Declan (Le Tessier, guitar) was demoing the song. It pretty much means you’re finding out more about yourself and learning things about yourself that you might not be super comfortable with, putting yourself in a bit of a bind.

The song’s opening line references a misled discovery, which is the definition of Mares Nest. And that leads into what the song is about: pretty much being in an uncomfortable situation with yourself where you don’t like the person you’re becoming and facing that reality and trying to work through it. It’s not a new theme for our songs, but we approached it with a heavier, more aggressive style. I was really pleased with how the song came together, and the title fit it quite well.

How’d it come together?

Every song is different. Sometimes they come together quickly, and sometimes they take time. Sometimes, they get fleshed out in the studio. This one, we demoed out a few months before recording. Declan wrote the instrumental and spent a lot of time on it, so as we brought it into the studio, I was thinking about how to tackle the song from a lyrical standpoint. As everyone contributed their ideas, we made some changes to the structure. We wanted to make the track as hard-hitting as possible. It’s surprising how the blend of heavy and the chorus came out as more uplifting. We were happy with that because the message is very: will I find myself, come to terms with who I’m becoming, and figure things out.

The way that message is delivered is one of the cool things about our genre of music; it’s a little more poppy, and then you have the contrast with the heavy guitars and breakdowns.

The song’s opening line references a misled discovery, which is the definition of Mares Nest. And that leads into what the song is about: pretty much being in an uncomfortable situation with yourself where you don’t like the person you’re becoming
[ Tom Kiely, Patient Sixty-Seven ]

The blegh in Mares Nest is truly a thing of beauty. We must ask, who do you reckon does the scenes best blegh?

I wouldn’t be responsible if I didn’t shout out Sam Carter from Architects. I should be a blegh historian at this point, but he’s definitely the first person that comes to mind in terms of artists who popularised it. Chris Motionless from Motionless in White also does it well. So does Chris Roetter from Like Moths to Flames; he’s delivered some absolutely pummeling ones.

We want to include it in our songs when it fits. People seem to enjoy them when we throw them in, and I love doing them live too!

You’ve managed to build quite the following on socials like TikTok. How do you think platforms like that have helped the band?

My thing’s always been you get out what you put in. It’s an opportunity. I’ve spoken on our Facebook Live about how it’s time-consuming. But we find it’s the best opportunity to get our music out there. Especially being from Perth, with us not having the chance to tour as regularly as those in other markets might. Especially in the US and the east coast of Australia, where most of our audience is. We have to look towards other avenues where we can hone ourselves as artists and market ourselves. Social media is the best way for us to do that. The way we do it might not be for everyone or every band, but we have fun with it. We try to keep it lighthearted and show sides of the band that you can’t get through the standard social post. We like to mix it up and make people laugh.

It’s very valuable, but you constantly have to change, which can be exhausting for artists. It’s a balancing act.

We feel like the Perth scene doesn’t get enough love; who are some bands there we should all get behind?

I remember a few years back, I spoke to Hysteria about how being in Perth is a challenge. Generally, bands who want to break out end up moving over east, which is kind of crazy when you think about it. But now that I’ve been exposed to touring and that sort of thing, I fully get it (laughs).

That said, there is always a good influx of bands in Perth. I have to shout out Our Demise. They’re one of the awesome up-and-coming heavy bands here, and we’re playing their launch show next month. They’re killing it at the moment.

There’s also liveconformdie. They have such a unique sound. I also want to shout out ColourMind. They’re an up-and-coming alternative/pop/rock/punk outfit. I was lucky enough to see them live a few weeks ago. They recorded their album DIY, which was cool. Finally, I want to shout out Primrose Path. They’re a really sick, proggy band doing these insane visuals, and I hope they get the love they deserve.

There’s no shortage of talent here. Perth just feels like you’re on a bit of an island, so we have to support each other.

You’ve had such a big few years; what’s in store for 2024?

A lot more of what we’re doing! We will be doing a lot more touring across the East Coast. We will release more music; we’ve been writing a lot! I’m really excited. If you’re keen to hear more from us, keep an eye out on our socials, and we’ll have more to share!