'1971': World View take us behind their latest jam

Not even two-minutes. That's how long it takes for Adelaide's World View to strike you down with another solid dosage of hazy, pedal modulated alternative-rock and speedy, riffy hardcore punk in the shape of '1971'.

The SA quintet's latest single comes off of their yet to-be-announced 2019 EP (apparently due out mid-year via Last Ride Records), and this new track's theme pulls directly from the 1973 Sidney Lumet film, Serpico, which starred Al Pacino. Whilst the song itself first debuted back in early January, a new music video just dropped last week; a visual mixture of actual footage from the film as well as footage shot from one of the band members recent Japanese trip then layered over the top. With that in mind, vocalist Jesse Bunce walks us through the song's lyrical conception and the track's musical creation, as well as what we can expect from the band moving forward into the rest of 2019. 

KYS: The cover photo for the single is taken from the press book of the film, Serpico, yes? Why was that chosen as the artwork cover?

Jesse: That was chosen because, as I'll get into soon, that movie is wrapped up with the song for me lyrics wise.

KYS: So that particular movie is about someone going undercover to reveal corruption within the NYPD. Is there a metaphor at play there about finding out about ugly truths about the company that you keep?

Jesse: I think in some sense there is. It's also a movie about feeling very alone, in that you are seeing the world different to those around you, there's something wholly isolating about that knowledge. It's a movie about not fitting in and not wanting to fit in if it means sacrificing your ideals and what you think is right. It's a movie about the frustration that stems from witnessing the content everybody around you has to be a part of a community that is morally bankrupt. I'm not sure if it's even come across lyrically but those thoughts were definitely on my mind when I was writing the song. The line "you'll never see what I see" is evidence to that. I definitely feel that way a lot, although mine and Serpico's environments could not be further apart [laughs].

KYS: Why the title of 1971? Does that play into the life of Frank Serpico or does that relate to someone or something else that the song is wishing to express?

Jesse: 1971 is the year that the real Frank Serpico testified in front of the Knapp Comission. I chose that as the title because I wanted song titles on this new record to only vaguely have something to do with the lyrical content.

KYS: How did '1971', as a song, first start out: was it the lyrics or maybe the song's lead riff or some other element?

Jesse: '1971' started when our guitarists Josh and Pieran came to a writing session with a couple riffs they'd written together. Unlike the others on the record, we had a full song out of those riffs in about two hours I'd say. We added drums, leads, etc. and it all just flowed real nice, and we barely had to change a thing since that original version.

I spent a week trying to add various lines and lyrics I'd had ready to go to the song and none of them worked. After having lyrics to most of the other tracks done and not being happy with what I had for 1971, I decided to write down a line I liked from the movie Serpico and the rest of the lyrics just came out. I originally intended to have the song be from the point of view of the fictional version of Frank Serpico in the movie (some of the other tracks on the record are from the point of view of fictional characters), but it ended up just being a stream of consciousness from my perspective. Lyrically, 1971 is one of the most important tracks on the record for me. The lyrics make a lot of sense in my head, but it's difficult to convey exactly what they mean as they're not exactly linear or coherent. Take from them what you will.

KYS: '1971' is a great example of the chorus-filled alt-rock and hardcore punk roots you guys explored on the last EP. Is that a hard thing to balance out for the sound of World View; from the tones used to the faster, heavier elements?

Jesse: I wouldn't say it's exactly hard at this stage, we know what our sound is and it flows pretty naturally for all of us now. We still try to explore boundaries within the genre though (not that we want to be pigeonholed inside a genre) and try new things that we haven't necessarily heard from other bands. Our idea usually is to write riffs and leads that wouldn't seem out of place on an alt rock, emo or even post punk record, make them a bit more punchy, speed them up and add some drums & vocals that belong in a hardcore band. Our main goal always though is to just try and be different from other bands in the scene, at the end of the day I think we've accomplished that if nothing else.

KYS: Can we expect much of the same of that World View sound on this forth-coming EP or are there a few surprised and changes installed for listeners?

Jesse: I think there will definitely be some surprises for anybody who was a fan of Waking Up. 1971 is the closest song, soundwise, to the previous record out of all of the new tracks.