An Interview with Quiet Neighbours

Melbourne-based band Quiet Neighbours is quickly becoming a force in the local scene with their unique blend of grunge, shoe-gaze, and post-rock. The four-piece, comprised of friends who met through school and work, has a compelling story rooted in a shared love for music. We sat down with the band to talk about their origins, their music, and what's next.

We decided to keep this interview as raw as possible because we found the energy that these guys bring infectious. 

So here it is, as real as it gets. 

What first got you into music? Was there a moment, a song, or an artist that lit the spark for you?

JB: Driving late at night with dad in the car when I was about 9 or 10. We sat in silence and listened to The Dark Side of the Moon from start to finish. I remember being mind blown and Dad just looking over at me and grinning. That was the moment I realised music was something more than background noise on the radio.

JF: Definitely my dad helped me get into music- I remember when I was super young, my dad would take me to a studio and record his songs. My dad never released any of his music, he just wanted to make his music for himself and enjoyed the process. I loved being in the studio with him, even though I had no idea how anything worked- showed me how personal and fun music is.

RP: One of my earliest memories is watching Rage with my Dad almost every weekend morning. There are too many moments in my early life that put me on a trajectory to love music. All I know is I was absolutely surrounded by it. Between my two parents' love for music and the diversity of the music they listened to and introduced me to, I will be forever grateful.

CF: With dad being a part of the Melbourne scene throughout the 90’s, it only makes sense that I would end up following suit! I remember always listening to the records he made in the car on road trips and being introduced to the classic records of the 70s.

Tell us a bit about your backstory. Anything you'd like to share about how the project came together, who you are individually or collectively — it’s all welcome.

JB: I first met Charlie in 2012 where we were friends in primary school. Later, Reuben became one of my best friends during high school. I reconnected with Charlie after about 7 years of not seeing him at a music festival, and we all moved into a share house together.

JF: I met Reuben at the Corner Hotel where we used to work! And I was lucky enough to meet Jack and Charlie through Reuben- they all moved in together, and I was pretty much there every day- all fell into place pretty easily once we realised we all played a different instrument!

CF: Yeah that pretty much sums it up.

Who were your biggest musical inspirations growing up? Are there any artists who pushed you toward creating your own sound?

JB: Sonic Youth, easily the most exciting and creative band I have ever listened to. They are able to make you feel more emotion with their guitar tone than most bands make you feel with their lyrics.

JF: Gotta be Green Day and the Pixies for me! I loved the meaning behind all of Green Day’s songs and Tre Cool’s drumming is so sick. The Pixies were such an inspiration for my interest in music- such a unique sound that still to this day remains unique.

RP: It’s a bit of a classic but Nirvana, followed by The Smashing Pumpkins as well as Blink-182. I used to love learning Nirvana and Blink songs as a kid as their ability to make songs that were so catchy through such simple riffs and techniques was something i wanted to capture, and the sheer powerfulness of Smashing Pumpkins lyrics and sound had me hooked from day one, idolising everything they’ve done.

CF: Pink Floyd have got to be my number 1 pick, being a huge influence to my songwriting in particular. More relevant to quiet neighbours, I draw a fair bit of influence from post-rock, but above all else try to be as original as possible!

How have you all been lately — musically and personally? What’s been going on in your world?

JB: QN have been living together now for almost 3 years now and are praying that their lease will be renewed in November.

JF: We have been super busy, all of us have so much outside of the band, and the music we play honestly feels like a break from everything else- this past year has been so awesome in the band’s progression and it’s just the beginning 

How would you describe the evolution of your sound? From your earliest tracks to now, what’s changed or stayed the same?

JB: Our initial songs were all super simple pop-rock songs. I had only started learning the bass to play music with my friends, and apart from Charlie we were all pretty inexperienced playing live. Eventually as we all became more confident in our abilities, we were able to write songs based upon our aspirations as opposed to our limitations.

JF: Our sound has increasingly become more in tune with what we want to create- I definitely think this is attributed to our progression of our skills over the past year. We started off with a more pop-punk sound, which progressively got more grunge and shoe-gazy absolutely loving the songs we have created so far.

How did you all find each other and form the band/project? Was it a classic ad-meets-rehearsal-room story, or something more chaotic?

JB: The four of us have all been friends together for about 4 years now, having graduated high school. Me and Reuben planned to move in together for ages and finally made it happen. Charlie joined us and Jazz is partners with Reuben. Each Reuben, Jazz and Charlie played different instruments while I always wanted to play bass. Initially we just started making music with our friends for fun, but we soon found people actually wanted to listen.

RP: Me and Jack met in High-school and have been best mates since eventually moving in together in 2023. I'd met Charlie a couple times throughout the years and hung out with him through mutual friends but it wasn't until he moved into the third room at me and Jack's place that I really got to know him and hang out with him. At the same time me and Jazz had been dating for around a year and later when we were all jamming i remember a conversation going like ‘if only we had a drummer’ to i responded with ‘you know Jazz used to play drums?’ From there we started jamming and writing songs as friends, then as a band, and now were finally able to share what we've created together with others.

What’s been your best — and worst — gig experience so far? Feel free to name names or keep it cryptic.

JB: Best gig: upstairs at the tote, Low single launch. We had put so much work into promotion and our live performance and it really paid off. We had about 95 people in the crowd and the atmosphere was electric. Worst gig: Major Tom’s headliner. Our first headliner, we were underprepared, under experienced and had a bad case of headliner nerves. Pretty much everything went wrong and it was very embarrassing lol.

RP: We played a headline show at Major Toms in Kyneton, a local live music hotspot where we all grew up (except for Jazz). We were underprepared, maybe a little cocky off a string of successful support slots and a combination of many other things and it was an underwhelming feeling getting off stage with the feeling that wasn't as good as we had the opportunity to make it. The ‘Low’ single launch was a highlight but nothing will ever beat the feeling off our first ever gig. I just remember finishing the last song, crowd cheering and looking around to all of us on stage, after months of practice, almost no little live experience between us (except the wizard himself Charlie) and I was like holy shit. We did it. That was awesome!

CF: I second Jack.

What’s your creative process like? Does it start with lyrics, a riff, a mood — or does it change every time?

JB: Usually Reuben will come up with a riff or simply chorus verse structure and we all jam it out and come up with a song together.

RP: The songs have all started off slightly differently whether it's an improv jam turning into something more or a riff/lyric idea one of us brings towards the band. I personally know I have a problem where I tend to write more riffs/songs before the previous ones are complete. It's funny though, we all come from very different musical backgrounds and experiences, with some of us not quite enjoying certain types of music the others listen to but we come together from these diverse musical backgrounds, and we're all on the same page for the music we want to make. And we love what we make.

JF: Reuben’s riffs go so hard- we all get in the groove of it and it meshes super well.

CF: Reuben will often come into the lounge room with an idea or riff he wants to explore, and we’ll just plug in and jam it for a bit, trying to incorporate different melodies and musical ideas. From there, it goes into the rehearsal room for more of an intensive work through. And then if it’s extra good it ends up in the set fairly quickly, or sometimes it’s put in the pile of other songs we may or may not pick up again at some point.

If you could collaborate with any artist, living or not, who would it be — and why?

JB: Butch Vig. One thing we are still improving is our experience and knowledge in the studio. Butch has produced some of the greatest grunge albums of all time. I’d give anything for an afternoon crash-course.

RP: Tough one but Steve Albini and Butch Vig would definitely be up there. To learn more of the behind the scenes of some of the most influential and greatest rock/grunge records of all time would be a dream come true.

If you could open a show for any artist in the world, who would be your dream pick?

JB: Superheaven. A perfect example of modern grunge and a huge inspiration for us as a band.

RP: Smashing Pumpkins would be an absolute dream! Superheaven or Citizen would definitely be next on the list. None of them have split up permanently yet so fingers crossed.

JF: Gotta be the Pixies!

CF: Surely the Pixies.

What’s your favourite song to perform live — and what makes it so special?

JB: b.a.n.g.e.r. The first half is an insanely heavy headbanger while the second half is a psychedelic instrumental build exploding back into the heavenliness of the beginning. It is a showstopper without fail.

RP: Our debut single ‘Low’ without fail is one of my favourites, with a longish tension filled intro bursting into the first chorus with all that built up energy, gets me geared up even more than i was before. B.a.n.g.e.r., an unreleased song of ours is one of my favourites as well which i think Jack has perfectly described how it can make you feel.

JF: Currently, my favourite song is ‘Lost’. The song is quite long and doesn’t have any lyrics, but the way it makes me feel says so much more than what words could- the whole song feels like an emotional release and it also just super fun to play.

CF: Put me to rest has got to be my fav to play, hits so hard especially after the bridge. And the intro is basically just a big solo for me so that’s always nice haha. I also really like the little live intro we do to TMI.

Do you ever find yourself metaphorically ‘wearing the hat’ of an artist you admire while performing? Someone whose energy or presence helps you get in the zone?

JB: Blink-182 are a huge inspiration for our live presence. Their confidence and charisma with the crowd is something to be admired.

JF: Green Day is a massive inspiration for energy on stage- Their live performances are so chaotic and personalised- I want our audience to feel like we are there WITH them- and not just playing TO them.

What’s one message you’d want to share directly with your fans right now?

JB: If you like music, go to live shows. Ticket sales and merch is legit the only way artists are able to make any money to continue to create music. Unless you’re pulling millions of streams, streaming is nothing more than advertising for merch and tickets.

JF: Support the local scene! Big radio stations and massive music media are OVERRATED- you would be surprised how many talented artists, bands and media there are right around the corner- stop giving people who have connections the upper hand and support thy neighbour 

CF: Totally agree with the others. We gotta keep the scene alive and supporting local up and coming artists by going to shows and buying merch and physical media is the best way to do so!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about making music or navigating the industry?

JB: Act confident in yourself, even if you’re not. It took a while for me to realise that often the best band of the night isn’t the one with the polished songs, it's the ones who are most confident. A band who makes mistakes but laughs and is confident in their show is much more exciting than a polished band who looks uncomfortable.

RP: The biggest thing is confidence. You don't have to be the best and what you do, just be confident and enjoy the moments and opportunities that come your way. It took a while for me to feel confident in myself when playing music, even when starting the band I was hesitant to share lyrics and songs to my closest mates but the best part about the now found confidence is the amount of opportunities that have come my way since.

JF: Confidence is key- every musician you come across feels the same way as you do- everyone compares themselves, but every artist is unique. Enjoy what you make and you will do well 

CF: Authenticity!

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be — and why?

JB: Streaming profits. In the past, if you made music that people listened to, you made money. With streaming, it isn’t sustainable for artists to continue to produce music. Bands are forced to increase ticket prices and constantly push merch just to pay for their next song.

JF: How damn biased it is! And how easily it is to be exploited in the industry- it is so difficult to win in this industry and part of it is related to the idea that being a musician isn’t a ‘real job’.

RP: The industry is lowkey a bit fucked at this point. You got Spotify pushing AI artists, neglecting emerging artists unless they have a certain follower amount and just a bunch of greedy corporate assholes who wouldn't have the guts to get up on stage and play a song to an empty room. There's so many things I'd change but that's my opinion, if any of us wants to create change in the music industry it starts by supporting the local industry, the venues, the bands, the community. Be a part of it, have fun, meet new people, discover new music, only by supporting the scene from the ground up will any change come at all.

CF: The streaming situation is pretty dire. After putting so much time, effort and resources into producing a song, EP or LP, just for it to go virtually nowhere and have little to no return on investment makes it hard to be sustainable. Which is why supporting local artists in other ways is all the more important and valuable.

How do you feel the internet and social media have changed the landscape for artists today? Has it helped, hindered, or a bit of both?

JB: The internet and social media as a whole is incredibly useful in a time where fewer and fewer people are going to see live music. While it’s easy to blame streaming for financial struggles, it is important to acknowledge how useful social media is in allowing us to connect with current fans and promote ourselves to new audiences.

JF: The internet and social media gives artists the opportunity to reach people at such a massive scale- which is super insane when you think about it.

RP: The internet's great for the opportunities it creates but definitely has created issues in terms of you see bands becoming almost influencers just to get signed. I don't know, we're in a new climate with social media but one thing's for sure, being able to reach so many people with our music is amazing!!! Shit we got streams all across the world like, what the f*ck.

CF: While the online space has made promoting and accessibility to a large range of music a whole lot easier and widespread, the sheer volume of musical projects around these days is staggering. While of course it is still possible to ‘make it’ as an artist, I feel as though it is a much smaller percentage of artists that get to that stage.

What’s next for you? Any upcoming releases, gigs, plans, or things you want people to know about?

JB: We currently have two singles recorded and planned for release later this year, as well as an EP written which we plan to record early 2026. Quiet Neighbours is a new band, having formed less than a year ago, and have put in the hard yards with non-stop gigs throughout 2025. As we move into 2026 we look forward to capitalising on the connections we’ve made and focusing on time more on songwriting and recording.

RP: WE GOT A SINGLE. But all jokes aside we do have our second single releasing early Oct. It's called MCYPMU (Mum Can You Pick Me Up). It's one of the first songs we wrote together and have been playing it ever since. It's my mum's favourite and a fan favourite and we can't wait to release it!! It's a little bit more cheeky and fun than our more regular sound but we love it all the same and hope everyone else does as well. We’ll be celebrating on Thursday Oct 23rd with a single launch! It'll be free entry so when it comes out give it a listen and come have a cheeky mosh and dance with us on the 23rd!

CF: Yes, singles and EP!