With a sound that lands somewhere between grunge-soaked grit and melodic pop sensibility, The Burbs are carving their own lane in Australia’s indie rock scene — and they’re doing it on their own terms. Hailing from Bells Beach and born out of the Geelong music circuit, the trio has built a reputation for emotionally raw songwriting and sonically sharp delivery.
Their latest single, “There’s No Time For Presents,” is a haunting confessional wrapped in acoustic textures, knife-edge percussion, and poetic lyrics that cut deep. It’s a track that doesn’t just ask to be heard — it demands to be felt. From intense guitar dynamics to one of the year’s most devastating lyrical moments, the song shows The Burbs at their most vulnerable and their most confident.
In this candid Q&A, the band talks about their early days, navigating genre labels, the story behind “There’s No Time For Presents,” and the fine line between emotional exposure and artistic imperfection. They also share what’s next, including a 2025 album, a string of upcoming singles, and a refreshingly unfiltered take on the future of music in an AI-saturated world.
- Let’s start by sharing more about The Burbs. How did you all come together?
We met at parties and through the Geelong music scene in 2016 and started crafting together some songs that Brook had been demoing the year earlier. The first six or so months were pretty lowkey and then it took off with gigs every weekend; sometimes three, or four, or six in a week.
- Your music has this gripping balance between grunge grit and pop sensibility. How do you navigate that balance when writing or recording?
The songwriting is always from a pop angle. We’re inspired by artists like Elliott Smith and The Posies and Primal Scream. Not sure why we get labeled as grunge and stuff like that so often, it’s probably just that we’re still working on sounding more professional and haven’t quite got there yet.
- Your lyrics often feel deeply personal but still universally relatable. How do you decide which stories or emotions to share in your music?
Yeah, they’re all quite personal. We have no formula, but we usually write about something we’re going through at the time. And we try to make it about something that hasn’t already been done to death – like breakup songs – I don’t think we have any breakup songs… wait, we have one, its called Anyway, but that’s just a fun dumb singalong kinda song.
- “There’s No Time For Presents” is such a raw, emotional punch. What sparked the writing of this track — Was there a particular moment or feeling that set it in motion?
A phone call with a friend.
- The pocketknife sound is an incredibly bold production choice. Can you tell us how that idea came about and what it symbolizes in the context of the song?
On one of our older tracks (Pristine Evergreen) we added a guiro on the demo recording. It was something we wanted to do again but didn’t want to repeat ourselves with the same instrument, so we were thinking what else could give a similar effect whilst still being a different sound. In terms of symbology, its not that deep.
6. That line, “What a nice weight to get off your chest / All it took was a pocketknife and a press” – it’s haunting. What’s the story behind those lyrics?
It was the most pleasant way to articulate something awful. I don’t want to say more. I’d just say if you tell someone you love them, make sure you care about their wellbeing as much as you care about your own, otherwise please let them be free.
- I really enjoyed the guitars over here. The palm muted guitar, along with the marvelous lead guitar tone. Was it planned during your songwriting process?
I don’t know. Everyone loves ‘Every Breath You Take’. I assume everyone loves it. So how come so many bands just strum chords or just use clangy, trashy guitar techniques. There’s different ways you can pluck a string.
- Working with Aaron Dobos at Sing Sing Studios – what was that experience like? How did he help shape the emotional weight of the track?
Aaron’s epic to work with. He’s the best. As we were working together on this song we were trying to build it in the opposite direction… the song was already emotional enough, we were trying to make it happier with tambourine and harmonies and stuff.
- Brook’s vocal delivery is incredibly intimate here. Was it challenging to lay something so confessional and vulnerable down in the studio?
A line is easy to sing when it reads well poetically. This song was easy. An artist doesn’t mind exposing their emotional vulnerabilities, they worry about exposing their creative flaws.
- What’s next for The Burbs — is a full-length release or tour on the horizon?
Yes. Both. A couple more singles for 2025, the first of which is a prequel to There’s No Time For Presents. We have an album coming out next year and we’re currently booking a couple of tours for 2026 too.
- If you could collaborate with any Australian artist right now, who would be at the top of your list and why?
Marcus Teague. There is so much we could learn from him.
- What’s one thing you hope listeners take away from There’s No Time For Presents after the last note fades?
Never let go of your dreams.
- Finally… In our fast-paced AI-driven digital age, what are your thoughts on the future of the music industry?
The music industry was already screwed. AI is helping improve things though because of all the AI cover art which makes it easy now for listeners to quickly identify which bands are trash, they just have to spot the AI artwork and they can put it straight in the dumpster.
