After almost a year of relative silence, things are starting to heat up again for Amy Meredith. With a new single, the aptly named “Fun”, being released just in time for summer, and a new album and tour soon to be announced, it's looking like another busy year for the Sydney pop-rock darlings is right around the corner. The AU Review caught up with singer and keyboard player Christian Lo Russo to talk about charity, song writing, and the new album.

Thank you for talking to us today

No worries.

How has it been going with the new album?

It's been really good, we've spent a lot of time writing it and perfecting it and um, we just released the first single “Fun”, so it's kind of an exciting time for us.

How would you say it's different from your debut?

It's definitely a little bit different from our debut album. I think we had time to go away and kind of think about what we wanted to write, with no pressures, with no people telling us what they wanted us to do, which I felt was really refreshing.

What have your influences been on the new single? I can hear a lot of Killers, and maybe even some 90s surf stuff. Thoughts?

The funny thing is is that we went overseas and we went around the world and then we came back, while we were overseas we were referencing a lot of bands like INXS and Tears For Fears. But I guess when we came back, I don't know, we kind of went back to the old Killers riffs and stuff like that. I guess it was kind of, I don't know, everything was unintentional, we were listening to a lot of music, so that's the thing. There's no direct references. I think when we wrote “Fun” we were listening to a lot of the Dandy Warhols.

Yeah I can hear that. And you've got a new tour coming up?

I think we're going to be touring in November, but there's nothing confirmed at the moment. We're gonna be playing a charity show on the 14th of September, but I think we're going to wait until everything's kind of rolling out and we get the album ready to go and then we'll tour with the album, if not, there's no point in touring without a product.

Yeah, true. That charity event, that's Stella Fella, against sex trafficking?

That's correct, yeah, it's a really great charity, and they're really great people.

What's your experience been like with that?

I guess when we met Steph from Stella Fella we were very, I don't know really just wanted to research it, and she gave us this book, and it was just really, I don't know, its just really intense what goes on.

Have you read Trafficked?

I haven't read Trafficked, what's that one?

It's about a girl in England who got abducted and sold on the sex trade in Italy.

I haven't read it, but that does sound like something I'd be interested in reading.

Yeah, it's uh, really brutal. You guys were in Afghanistan last year playing for the troops, how was that?

Awesome. It was such a rewarding experience to go over there and see how people live their day to day lives so differently to what we do and how lucky we are and I guess the sacrifices these people make with their families all the way at home and how they're literally detached from like, everything. It was just like, eye-opening, I don't think anyone can really explain what we got to see.

How would you say the whole band works together, like with the recording of the new album, and your single, and with your debut as well?

We kind of... I don't know, we've all grown up together, so it's just been like a fun experience, writing music, making music and touring, going on the road and just really, I don't know, embracing everything that is music together. We kind of have a very interesting dynamic, and when we get together its always kind of a, I don't know, a circus, especially on tour, it's just so much fun.

So you all write the music together?

Oh, no, not for the most part, I think me and Joel write a lot of the songs. You know, Joel is like, very good with the music, and my strength is the top line, the melody, and the lyrics, and then we kind of get together and brainstorm ideas and then flesh out the songs, but um yeah, me and joel usually just sit in a room with just us two, or sometimes we collaborate with other people, and we just write a whole bunch of songs. We kind of, we just don't stop writing really.

Do you think your sound has matured since the first album?

I definitely think that this is the album, and I'm not discrediting the debut, but this album, the sound we stumbled across is the exact sound we wanted to write basically our whole lives, so we're really proud of what we've created on this album. We're definitely ready for it to be released now.

You don't have a release date set yet?

Nah, I guess like, in the past, we've had so many release dates and in the end they just get pushed back like a million times, so the best thing to do is just don't set one

Okay, so this is kind of a weird question, but apparently you guys are from the Sutherland Shire?

Correct, we grew up in the shire.

Is it anything like the TV show?

I guess what you see, in terms of the beaches, and the landscape shots that they use, that's what it looks like. I guess the people that you see... I mean there's all types of people in every area that you grow up in, I mean, I haven't seen or ran into the two girls on the show that everyone talks about, but I do have about four or five friends that are on the show.

Oh, wow!

Oh man, everyone knows everyone around here. So, that's one thing that I can confirm, is that the people are real.

Do you think growing up in that sort of place has influenced you guys at all?

Uh, we had a lot of friends growing up, and between all the boys, we all sort of grew up in the environment of the Shire but we also, you know, went out a lot, and had a lot of friends, and I guess that was an influence, and it shaped our lives, and who we are at the end of the day. But I don't think it determined who we are.

You've played with some pretty big acts like Cobra Starship, and Good Charlotte, and Jessie J. What's that been like?

I guess it was just a lot of fun, Cobra Starship are good dudes, Good Charlotte are great dudes, Jessie J...Interesting. Bit of diva (laughs). I guess every time we get to play a show and tour with big bands like that it's just like reminds me of how much fun you get to have.

Is it a different feeling from playing your own show?

It is a different feeling really, because there's no pressure. No pressure to, like, be the one with the full house, or like, go out there and make sure you are the best you can be. Like, we do that anyway, but it's just like a weight that's lifted off your shoulders because you're playing to a full room, you didn't have to worry about bringing those people and yeah, it's just kind of like you can just be the best that you can be.

Are you looking forward to getting back on tour?

Can't wait.

Awesome. Lastly, do you have anything you'd like to say to the fans?

Hmm...just make sure you stick around and listen to the new record, and I guess that's the most important thing I can think of.

Awesome. Well, well done on the new single, and good luck with the record.

Thank you very much.

Single “Fun” is out now, and you can find Amy Meredith on tour with a new record later this year.