Count friendship and fun among the range of influences in the unpretentious and infectious garage-pop of Dunedin band Males, writes Shane Gilchrist.
That makes it difficult for him to write about anything his Dunedin band, Males, has done or is planning to do, for obvious reasons.
I feel for him. Having been in various Dunedin bands (all of which shall remain anonymous) as well as holding down a journalistic career, I, too, have had to sit on my hands and let various gigs and/or releases be covered by others or, worse, ignored over the years.
Yet it would be patently unfair not to dedicate more than a few column centimetres to Males, Valentine's musical collaboration with old friend Richard Ley-Hamilton. Why? Well, this duo (they incorporate a drummer when playing live) are rather good at what they do.
And what they do is make unpretentious and infectious (and often rather short) pop songs.
The proof can be found in the group's just-released mini-album Run Run Run/Males Males Males.
Put out by Dunedin independent label Fishrider Records in digital and limited-run vinyl formats, it comprises four new songs, recent single So High and four songs released on the band's debut EP, Males Males Males, in winter last year (the digital option also features seven live recordings).
Speaking from the back of record shop Portil in Dunedin's Harvest Court Mall, where Ley-Hamilton has recently taken over as manager, the pair say that though the combined release does provide an accurate encapsulation of Males' songwriting ethos, which began to take form when the pair started jamming at the start of last year, they hadn't planned it that way.
''We never intended for this stuff to go together. We released Males Males Males then [single] So High and were getting ready to put out a new EP when Ian Henderson from Fishrider suggested the idea of releasing them as a combination,'' Ley-Hamilton says, adding he's relishing the prospect of a vinyl pressing, due to be completed at the end of this month.
''I like to imagine it's like the Dunedin Double or something,'' he says, name-checking the seminal Flying Nun album that featured The Chills, The Verlaines, The Stones and Sneaky Feelings.
Though Ley-Hamilton's reference has more to do with the tactile nature of that 1982 vinyl record, there is a back-to-the-future echo in Run Run Run/Males Males Males, on which he, Valentine and drummer Ben Madden, combine elements of Dunedin's alternative pop-rock heritage while adding their own fresh, highly energetic flourishes.
''Sam and I push out in different directions in terms of influences, but we share a mutual love for garage and surf-pop music. So it has grown out of that. Then we bring in various other influences.
''My favourite bands at the moment are probably Sonic Youth and Radiohead and I listen to a lot of electronic music as well. I like the idea of listening to lots of diverse music and trying to incorporate that into my own two- to three-minute pop formula.''
Valentine: ''Richard and I have been involved musically for a long time, but this seemed like the first band where we had specific ideas. Richard had been writing certain kinds of songs and though we didn't want to replicate other bands, we did have reference points from the past.
''I think it is more about our approach than the actual content. Richard is writing pop songs but he'll use jazz chords.''
Having grown up in Dunedin, Ley-Hamilton (22) and Valentine (21) attended Otago Boys' High School then the University of Otago; now, they are flatmates. The fact they are good friends imparts a celebratory element to their music, Valentine believes.
''A lot of bands take themselves really seriously but we set out to not do that. It's not that we don't take our music seriously, but I'm a dork and I'm not afraid to come across as a dork.''
However, though many of the songs on Males' mini-album, from the sing-along Lucky Too, Madeline and standout So High reveal a penchant for high harmonies and ''a kind of glossy, happy, carefree vibe'', there is also a muscular depth to the music.
''If people are willing to delve, there are more serious undertones,'' Ley-Hamilton agrees.
''After I've written a song it has to survive the gauntlet of me playing it every day for two months without me getting sick of it and it remaining it in my head. I don't record anything for those initial two months.''
The key songwriter in the group, Ley-Hamilton has both an ear for a good melody but also a voice that is capable of reaching a register that allows his lyrics to sit above his chiming yet sometimes angular guitar playing.
''I used to sing in a few bands before Males and listened to bands like Muse and Coldplay and, though I might not have loved that music, I was interested in how they used the voice and words as another instrument,'' he explains.
''Also, I have quite a harsh normal singing voice, so I get a sweeter tone and more clarity when I sing higher, in falsetto.''
The pair have more studio time booked for the start of next month, when they hope to record two new singles. As for Males' next live performance in Dunedin, that's not likely until the new year as the pair busy themselves in other Dunedin bands, including Trick Mammoth and Kilmog.
Given he both performs in and comments on Dunedin's original music scene, Valentine is in a good position to evaluate its current state. His verdict: ''It's really healthy. I love being part of it. A lot of bands happen to be my friends. I think they are great. The Astro Children album came out today and I think it's fantastic.''
Lastly, I offer Valentine a challenge: If he could write something about Males, how would he best describe the band?
''Wow. That's a difficult one,'' he says, pausing.
''I'd really want to get across how much joy the band brings me.
''I love playing live more than anything and my favourite part of being in a band and playing live is when we hit a moment in a song where part of my brain can just tune out and just listen to us.
''I might be listening to Richard sing or zeroing in on a melody and I'll be thinking: 'Oh, I love this song'.
''I just enjoy the pure, emotional experience of it.''
Play it
Males' mini-album Run Run Run/Males Males Males is out now on Fishrider Records.
