INTERVIEW: The Power of Perspective - Inside Screensaver’s 'Anxious Groove'
There is a potent, nervous energy thrumming through modern music, but few bands harness it quite like Melbourne's Screensaver. Their sound, a "rhythmic gloom that rides the new wave to synth-punk," is the definition of a perfect paradox: anxiety-ridden yet compulsively danceable, a frantic message delivered with an irresistible groove.
Following their acclaimed 2021 debut Expressions of Interest and 2023's Decent Shapes, the band is channelling that tension into their third and most ambitious LP yet. The new record is built entirely around the theme of 'power': how it’s wielded, who it serves, and how we decode it.
We sat down with members Krystal Maynard and Christopher Stephenson to deconstruct the new album, from its corporate-speak-slaying single, 'Context Is Everything', to the multi-layered title that started it all.
The album’s title, a phrase first suggested by Stephenson, immediately suggests a complex, analytical approach. As it turns out, the name is a deliberate prompt to look at the world (and the album's theme of power) from multiple angles.
"It's definitely loose and open to interpretation," explains Chris. "As it applies to the music there’s the individual lens, the interpersonal connections between the individuals, and then the whole all together. Zooming in and out, side to side on the process of collaboration, being aware of the role you play, the voice you have and how it relates in context to the whole."
Krystal Maynard, who writes the band's lyrics, notes the phrase has real-world applications that fit their theme perfectly. "In the business world, it’s about using an analysis framework where you view things with three different lenses, say a strategic, political or cultural lens," she says. "But we like the appeal, mostly because it refers to viewing things from multiple perspectives."
For her, it’s also a personal philosophy. "I like the phrase because it makes me remember I, like most people, am naturally inclined to only have my viewpoint and considering other viewpoints helps me think about life and the world from other people's povs."
Nowhere is this critical perspective more focused than on the new single, 'Context Is Everything'. The track masterfully dissects the use of language as a tool of power, specifically the hollow, manipulative nature of corporate communications.
"The song is written as both an acknowledgment of the hollow and false nature of corporate comms whilst simultaneously being an example of those comms," Krystal reveals.
It’s a sharp reflection on how easily words can be weaponised. "Sometimes words can be used that appear gentle and apologetic when the subtext is sinister, emotionless and lacking in empathy for the receiver," she explains. "You need to decode the context of any situation to fully understand the message being sent, what is the sender's agenda, what narrative are they trying to spin? For corporations they are always trying to protect their interests, their brand. So every piece of communication they send needs to be interpreted with that context, because context is everything baby."
Tackling such a massive, cerebral theme requires a band to be a completely locked-in unit. Screensaver's journey began as a trans-Pacific collaboration between Krystal and Maynard in 2016. Now long-since based in Melbourne, this third LP marks the first full album with a solidified lineup.
"We'd been playing live together already for quite some time," Chris says. "We did an Australian tour with them after the second record quickly followed by a tour of the UK and Europe and finished tracking not long after that. At this point we'd solidified considerably and had a good idea of what we wanted to get down sonically."
This collaborative strength gives Krystal the confidence to go big with her lyrics. "It’s probably worth me saying that I write all the lyrics so you can blame me for the huge theme, haha". "But I know my bandmates and their politics and I feel I can write words that are in line with their values."
That solidarity is the engine, but the sound is the fuel. The band has long excelled at welding anxious topics to high-energy grooves. Critics have aptly described their sound as everything from "the blunt thunk of early ’80s disco punk" to "coldwave’s synth-licked gloom," and this record is no different.
"I think that's been a through line for all of our releases," Chris notes. "James's beats have always had dance adjacent inspirations and there's a punk background for all of us that keeps the tempo well beyond 120 bpm for the most part."
He sees the tension not as a contradiction, but as a form of catharsis. "I think there's an inherent anxiety in dance music as well as punk and hardcore for that matter, that sparks a physical reaction that's a salve for the initial anxiety. Music has long been a great antidote for mental chatter."
As seasoned veterans of the road, with multiple Australian, US and UK/European tours under their belts, Screensaver understands the importance of building a scene. They have been meticulous in curating their upcoming tour's support lineups with bands like Tongue Dissolver, Placement, and Enclave.
"We're really happy with the way the tour has come together," says Chris. "It’s great getting out to other cities and meeting different music communities... we've managed to book some quality shows with bands we're looking forward to watching."
Krystal agrees, seeing it as an extension of the band's own ethos. "Wherever possible we like to play with bands we think are doing interesting things musically," she says. "It’s also been really nice having people from each city help us put lineups together, it really gives you a sense of community that stretches beyond the city you live and across the whole country."
From the macro-level analysis of power structures to the micro-level tension of a beat, Screensaver's new record is not just an album you listen to; it is a framework you see the world through.
Catch screensaver at their upcoming shows!
Friday 21 November - The Dart and Marlin, Warrnambool (Gunditjmara Land) + High Angle Beams
Saturday 22 November - The Hotel Metro, Adelaide (Kaurna Land) + Placement, Hägöl, White Columns
Friday 28 November - The Croatian Club, Newcastle (Awabakal Land) + Laura Panic, The Pee Wee 50’s, Sheena Dali’s Swedish Magazines
Saturday 29 November - Waywards, Sydney (Gadigal Land) + Enclave, Boiling Hot Politician, Arditi Daggers
Sunday 30 November - Dissent Cafe, Canberra (Ngunnawal Land) + Evadell, Nuta Mantis