Pain Gain is the collaborative project of Chloe Kaul (Kllo), Hamish Lefevre (SWIM), and Samuel Cooke (CRUSH3d), who have recently released one of our favourite albums of the year so far. On their debut record, the three musicians embraced a guitar-led indie rock sound that they crafted by beachside forests in southern Australia. We caught up with Chloe from the band to talk making the record and what's next:

We’ve been living with this album for a few weeks now and we really love it. How does it feel having your debut album out in the world?

It’s nice to have it out now - we’ve lived with these songs for a long time that they’ve become very familiar to us, so sharing them with the world feels like a fresh take on them again

What’s been the most interesting feedback/comment you’ve had so far on the work?

(from an interview) “Don’t you think the name Pain Gain leaves too much room for depression?”

Did you have an intention going into this album? Was there a clear idea of what you wanted to achieve or were you going with the flow?

The restriction of going in with a strong intention didn’t feel right for our first record together. We wanted to experiment and have fun, and see what came out of us without any expectations. We wanted to make something that felt bold and exciting in the moment.

We’ve read that you challenged yourselves to approach songwriting in a more childlike way - what do you think that brought out of you? How can you hear that in the music?

We went in without a filter and pushed ideas in different ways for the first time, allowing room for error and learning through those mistakes. We kept a lot of the first takes and focused on the feeling rather than perfection. It wasn’t written in a conventional way at all, so each song is tied to different rooms and landscapes that we were in when we made it.

Is there a song you’re most proud of finishing writing?‍

Our first single, Turning Point, had the biggest impact on us. It was the first one we made, and we listened to it around the speakers on loop for hours. That was the first moment when we realised we could make something super special together.

Tell us about the visuals for the album. What was inspiring you, what did you hope to evoke?

Being our first visual outlet as a group, we wanted to concept the videos ourselves and test how far we could take them. We wanted everything to have a dreamlike and playful essence, with a melancholy undertone - exploring how an experience can feel two ways at the same time.

How do you think this project has influenced your solo project?

Pain Gain has inspired us to pick up new instruments and try out genres that are outside of our comfort zones. It’s also helped us learn to leave space for each other.

Which other Australian artists are you excited about at the moment?

There’s a lot. To name a few: Acopia, Armlock, High School and Folk Bitch Trio.

What else is inspiring you right now, aside from music?

Anything that makes us slow down a bit and pay attention. Being outside and staying off our phones.

What’s next for Pain Gain?

We have the second album half done, so we’ll be getting together to finish that. Seeing as we live in different parts of the world, we’ve got to work in short stints and efficiently. It’s really about figuring out how and when we get together to do the next thing.

Listen to Pain Gain HERE.

@paingainband