The boys behind Computers Want Me Dead share a shameless joy for pop and synth, writes Scott Kara.
The lads from Computers Want Me Dead talk about their love of Michael Jackson and Madonna in the same breath as industrial music stalwarts Skinny Puppy and saxophone-playing noise freak John Zorn.
And Damien Daniels and his songwriting sidekick Sam Harvey - the shaggier of the two - first bonded three or so years ago over the industrial dance delights of Nine Inch Nails.
"I think that's one of the reasons we work so well together because we both have a wide palette of influences to draw on," says Daniels.
And the duo, who conjure up a lush, dancey electro-synth pop sound, are happy wearing their influences on their sleeve for all to hear.
"I just think it sounds really disingenuous when someone says they are unique. And I'm like, well, 'You've got unique elements but you are not totally completely unique," smiles Daniels.
If anything though, it's the pair's shared love of 80s pop music that comes through most on songs like new single Letters & Numbers, and the band's debut hit, Circles, from 2009. Both songs appear on their self-titled debut EP released earlier this month.
While Circles is catchy, it's also an example of how these industrial and noise elements subtly soak into their songs, with its eerie minimal opening and slightly distorted beats a la Trent Reznor, before giving way to bouncy electronic pop whimsy.
While Harvey admits the song was inspired by Madonna and Michael Jackson he reckons the most important thing for them is having fun.
"That's what makes a lot of what we do quite poppy," he says. "We got a comment on our Facebook page, and it was a diss, but we were so happy with it because it said, 'You guys sound like Trent Reznor on E'. That's exactly right, we want to be like Nine Inch Nails making party tunes."
The self-confessed music geeks both studied music and audio engineering and over the years have accumulated a large amount of recording gear and instruments which now litter the lounge of the house they live in.
"Some guys talk about cars, we talk about synths," smiles Daniels.
They used to work together and got talking about music at their office Christmas party a few years back because Harvey was wearing a Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. And before the night was through they were out in his car listening to demo recordings he'd done.
"What do you call that? Synth at first sight," jokes Daniels.
They started making music together almost immediately, which was initially a little more "grimy" than the dance pop sound of today.
"But that pop seedling grew and we were like, 'Oh, that's cool. Let's do that'. And we came from writing dark music in bands so it was a relief to embrace pop music," says Harvey.
"It's cathartic and quite cool to shamelessly embrace what you enjoy," adds Daniels, who says the music they are coming up with now is a little more hard-edged.
Which means the upcoming album out later this year could have a few more down and dirty moments while still keeping the all-important dance pop side.
And just to make sure their songs are danceable enough, Harvey gives them the "dance test" to see if they inspire him to shake it.
The band have played big festivals, including Rhythm and Vines and the Big Day Out, as well as supporting 30 Seconds To Mars last year, but since there is only two of them performing live has taken a little getting used to.
"We had a little bit of a hard time accepting just having two guys on stage using synths ands sequencers because we felt like it was cheating," laughs Daniels.
But they have slowly come round to the thinking that two guys can go nuts and pull off a live show. It helps they are both natural performers - Daniels admits he's an exhibitionist and grew up "singing in choirs and being the lead in the school musical" while Harvey loves playing in front of a crowd - and they are currently working on incorporating visuals into their set.
They're both in their late 20s ("Old by pop music standards," they laugh) but they plan to tour and even live overseas if necessary. However, they'll both be happy if they can do what they love and have fun while they're at it. "And doing it the way we want to do it - otherwise you may as well write jingles for The Warehouse," laughs Daniels.
LOWDOWN
Who: Computers Want Me Dead
What: Computers Want Me Dead EP, out now
Playing: Orams Marine Village, Auckland, tonight, 8.15pm; San Francisco Bath House, Wellington, May 27
-TimeOut
