SYNGE // The Brave New World Of Metalcore

Sydney’s metalcore dynamos Synge have released their debut EP, Vacant Minded.

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And to say we’re excited would be one heck of an understatement. So to tide ourselves over, we’ve been spinning their latest offering, Soma, on repeat. We were lucky enough to grab the band’s drummer, James Merkouris, for a chat. We dug into the track, what to expect on the EP and more.

Hysteria: What’s been happening in the Synge world since we last caught up?

James: We wanted to get things out sooner, but everything was delayed – obviously, due to COVID. It was specifically with our music video. We tried to get Colin Jeffs, who filmed it, down to Sydney. We had to cancel a few times due to people getting COVID, and then other restrictions were imposed. We finally got it done and have our EP release around the corner. Things are finally kicking off.

Your recent single Soma is massive. Run us through what inspired it.

Lyrically, the song was inspired by the book Brave New World. It was loosely inspired by its arguments surrounding the brutal truth of miracle happy drugs. Overall, Soma implores everyone to understand that we all have our struggles. These are ours; this is what’s detailed in the song.

This was actually the first song we wrote for the EP. We wrote it all the way back in 2019. It originally wasn’t going to feature on it, but we were looking for a song to finish the collection, and we thought it was perfect.

Obviously, be ready to hear more riffs and breakdowns. But there are also some longer songs – and they’re more dramatic and full than the three-minute singles you’ve heard so far.
[ James Merkouris ]

Let’s go back to 2019. How’d it come together?

It’s a funny story. I remember it was written on the night that Northlane played the Roundhouse for the Alien tour. And I remember that because I wasn’t old enough to go. So me and Dimitri (Tsopanian, guitarist) stayed home and wrote a song. Most of it came together pretty quickly. Anything we tweaked was two years later when we were recording it. It was actually pretty much finished; we just added in one section.

The release of your debut EP is just around the corner. What can listeners expect from it?

I’m very excited to show people the EP in full. The singles do represent the sound of the EP, but we think we’ve saved the best ones. Obviously, be ready to hear more riffs and breakdowns. But there are also some longer songs – and they’re more dramatic and full than the three-minute singles you’ve heard so far.

What’s in store for the rest of the year?

We recently played our first gig in Tamworth. It was our first regional show. We’ll be playing there again and hope to play in some major cities like Melbourne and Brisbane. We have some things in the works. We can’t wait to tour the EP and see how people like it.

Purchase and stream here.