Barley Passable Suck: “I Love Diving Head First Into A Juicy Conspiracy Theory”
Bopping your head while listening to Eora duo Barley Passable’s music just feels right. Upbeat and breezy, they’re here to soundtrack life’s good times — time spent with loved ones, where worries disappear into nothing. Barley Passable (aka Kai Ollmann and Davy Brown) have just released their funky and fun new single, ‘Out My Mind’ which features fellow lovers of loafing around, Bread Club. Summer is just around the corner, and chances are you’ll hear this track at a few day parties in the near future.
To mark the release of ‘Out My Mind’, Junkee caught up with the duo to chat about how they’ve learnt to handle failure together, how they embrace the chaos of being in a band, and just how much Macca’s they can put away in one sitting. There’s a fair bit of food talk in this edition, so grab your favourite meal and strap in.
Junkee: A mistake that turned into an opportunity?
Both: We’ve had a few so far in our short careers but both of us not studying for this crazy hard uni exam we had to take and instead, on the way into the exam, making a crappy beat on public transport together for the very first time tops it all. That was the start of everything.
Cringe quote you used to live by?
Davy: FIDLAR — Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk. Still love the band but the quote had to go.
Worst advice you got and blindly followed?
Kai: My first job was at this family-run Thai restaurant and they used to cook food for everyone before the start of a shift. The first time I worked there they said something along the lines of “Ah don’t worry that dish is not that hot” — it was insanely hot, and from then on I ate the plain rice before every shift.
The worst failure you’re up for sharing, and what you learned from it?
Both: Honestly, our biggest failure is often thinking that we can get through things on our own without the other’s help. We constantly get rejected and turned down and it can really get to us. We often both think it’s best not to talk about it or reflect on these shared experiences together and instead try deal with them on our own, thinking that is best for our productivity. What we have both learned is that life is best when you do it with others and we both have each other’s backs!
Anything you used to be wrong about?
Both: Pretty much everything. This year has really been about learning this fact and being pretty daunted but also excited by actually how much we still need to learn.
Embarrassing internet habit?
Kai: I started watching gaming videos on YouTube as a little kid and now it’s just fused into me as part of my being.
Davy: I love diving head first into a juicy conspiracy theory. Currently loving the Mandela Effect.
Ideal morning routine versus actual morning routine?
Both: Ideally we’d love to be like Mark Wahlberg and sleep for 3 hours each night, dedicate 10 mins to family time and then eat 6 rations of salmon everyday. Instead we get up at about 10/10:30 after a late night either from writing or just being on our phones, don’t have enough time to exercise and rarely see our family.
Something very off-brand for you?
Both: We love the idea of a super-curated, well-organised running machine where everything is super on-brand and tight. However the reality of it is mostly us messaging friends super last-minute trying to get things together for shoots/shows/songs etc. So it’s actually usually pretty chaotic, but we love that.
Bad health decision?
Kai: I honestly just love staying up late. I’m a night owl and that often takes a toll on my health. There’s such a feeling of waking up early = healthy and I don’t find myself doing that very often.
Davy: I hardly ever get McDonald’s, but on the off chance I do, I spend $50 and only buy burgers and eat them all at once.
What do you waste money on?
Both: It feels like we both waste quite a lot of money — here’s a short list: Takeaway food. McDonald’s (on occasion, minimum spend $50). Drinks. Music gear. Guitar picks. Second hand clothes. Auction websites for random knick knacks.
Worst procrastination habit?
Davy: Trying to write new chords instead of finishing old songs.
Kai: Auction websites, just scrolling for unfound goodies.
Barley Passable’s new single, Out My Mind (feat. Bread Club) is out now.
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Illustration credit: Matt Lauricella, @pigeonboyart