INTERVIEW: SOUTH SUMMIT CAST A SPELL ON YOU WITH THEIR DEBUT EP ‘MERLIN’S’

Meet South Summit, a young and upcoming fusion band already taking Perth by storm. Spending all of 2020 writing and performing, they’ve finally come out with their debut EP ‘Merlin’s’ early this year, a collection of tracks that showcases their sound perfectly. ​

Consisting of five members - Zaya (lead vocal), Nemo (backing vocal/rhythm guitar), Fynn (lead guitar), Josh (bass) and Nath (drums), the band defines their sound as “traditional R&B/roots/reggae vocals meets shredding guitars held together by tight rhythms”. Now if this sounds like too much for a band of five to handle, I suggest turning to their countless 5 star reviews on Triple J Unearthed to unveil the real reception of their talent. 

What is your creative process like?
Nemo - I guess jamming plays a big part in how we come up with ideas for songs, etc. we are all gifted in what we do and I guess we all kinda mix and match our ideas to form something special.
Nathan - We all do our own part in songwriting. Mainly it will start with Josh (bass) making a melody or chord progression and the rest of us just add to it until it becomes good enough to play on stage.
Fynn - Josh comes in with the foundation to pretty much every song, and then he brings it to us and we all jam it and work together to add our own influence to it. the finished product is a song that has a combination of all our different styles.
Zaya - As a band we are constantly coming up with new ideas whether it is at a jam session/rehearsal or in our own time. We're always sharing these ideas with each other and if it clicks for all of us we start working on it.
Josh - My creative process is sitting down and jamming along with guitar loops and parts , building and expanding parts. Trying to come up with something cool.

What is your favourite song on your new EP and why?
Nemo - I don’t have a favourite song on the EP as I enjoy playing all of them. When it comes to playing them live I’d say playing the songs that has the most parts is most enjoyable for us whereas the songs with 4 chords is for the crowd to enjoy. It’s kind of a give and take with the audience.
Nathan - My personal favourite is 'Lonely Island', the ending is my favourite part of the whole EP. It’s more of a rock reggae vibe.
Fynn - 'Merlin's' is my favourite song on the EP because I like the structure to it with all the change ups and different sections, it keeps it interesting.
Zaya - My favourite song is 'Lonely Island' because it has a little bit of everything from a nice acoustic intro to a powerful solo and outro but also it's catchy melody
Josh - 'Merlin's', because it’s a journey or a story for me , having two different parts merging together and telling a story musically is what I like about the song.

Thanks to all the members having a tight-knit friendship between themselves and coming from musical backgrounds, songwriting has come easy to them since their complete formation back in early 2020. They are influenced by indie/alternative icons such as Sticky Fingers, Ocean Alley and DMA’s to name a few. Since their first gig mid-August last year, South Summit has not stopped and doesn't plan on it either. Their ever growing fanbase is a testament to the way they’ve solidified their sound over the past year - their sold out EP launch on March 6th at the Rosemount Hotel only proves it!

What is the perfect way/scenario to listen to your new album?
Nemo - The unique thing about 'Merlins' is that you can listen to it wherever you are. The beach, in your car, even at a party. Our sound can suit different moods which is what we aim for.
Nathan - The album is sick because it doesn’t have to be listened at a certain place or when you are in a certain mood. Whether you are driving late at night , or cruising at the beach, at a party or just chilling in your room , our music suits every vibe.
Fynn - How I like to picture someone listening to our songs is usually in a car on a road trip or a drive to the beach.
Zaya - We like to think our music is very universal. Our band are from all different backgrounds and it shows in our music which we'd like to be diverse. Our music can be listened to at any place and time whether the listener feels like.
Josh - Few beers or what not down at the beach at sunset.

What's next for South Summit?
Nemo - Our next goal as a band is to play more sold out gigs around Perth whilst working on a next single.
Nathan - We are looking to get into the studio in the next few months to keep the momentum going. Playing bigger gigs and to continue to grow as a band is definitely my biggest goal!
Fynn - Putting out more of our music as soon as we can is an absolute must, and a personal goal we all share is having fun playing at a festival alongside some amazing bands.
Zaya - Hopefully keep sharing our music to more of the community so people can relate to us! It's our way of connecting ourselves to everyone and we enjoy it.
Josh - More recording, pretty keen too hit the studio in the next couple of months too get some tunes out for everyone to listen too.

The boys are constantly in the progress of writing new material, but until then definitely make sure to catch them at one of their next shows! We like the look of the Anzac Day long weekend at the Indian Ocean Hotel supporting Young Robin, more info here.

​Crystal Moonsamy