What We’ve Been Listening To: Turpentine Babycino

After a little bit of a hiatus, Eat This Music’s “What/I’ve Been Listening To” series has made its return, and what better way to make a comeback than with Newcastle-based indie-punk band, Turpentine Babycino giving an insight into the types of music they are currently consuming.

I first came across Turpentine Babycino back in 2022 when the band released their single “Write A Song Sounds Shit“. However, the band have kicked off 2023 with their newest offering ‘Calamity‘, a song that quickly showcases the band’s definitive sound with punk-esq guitars and smoothly-rottated drum beats, as the band’s prominent punk aestehtics deliver through their lead singer Georgie’s delicate vocal range.

“Gabe, our drummer, wrote the music for this song and it was my job to create a story with the lyrics and melody,” Georgie states on the sound of the band’s newest single. “The music was very energetic and kinda agro which spurred a sleeping monster – memories of my days at college university.”

TURPENTINE BABYCINO | ‘CALAMITY’ TOUR DATES

SAT 28 JAN | PRINCE HOTEL | NEWCASTLE NSW
FRI 3 FEB | TOWRADGI BEACH HOTEL | WOLLONGONG NSW
THU 9 FEB | THE RETREAT HOTEL | MELBOURNE VIC
SAT 11 FEB | TRANSIT BAR | CANBERRA ACT
FRI 17 FEB | LASS O’GOWRIE | NEWCASTLE NSW
THU 23 FEB | THE RAILS | BYRON BAY NSW
FRI 24 FEB | TOMCAT | BRISBANE QLD
SAT 25 FEB | WAVE BOWL | PORT MACQUARIE NSW
THU 2 MAR | EDDIE’S GRUB HOUSE | COOLANGATTA QLD
FRI 3 MAR | LAST RITES | YAMBA NSW
SUN 5 MAR | THE GRAND JUNCTION | MAITLAND NSW
SAT 8 APR | THE BEATTY HOTEL | GRESFORD NSW
SAT 29 APR | HOEY MOEY | COFFS HARBOUR NSW

Who is Turpentine Babycino and how did the namesake come about?

Gabe: I worked in a coffee shop for 12 years and made me realise how toxic coffee shop behaviour is passed onto young children through babycinos.

What artists or bands are on your must-listen to list lately and why?

Gabe: blink-182 because they are my favourite band of all time since I was 6 years old and always will be.

Cormac: Big Thief – I like it because it sounds like they don’t give a fuck.

Georgie: Australian Crawl – the song ‘Reckless’ as I am learning it for a duet I’ve got coming up with Adam Newling.

Manu: The Delta Riggs – I like their sound.

Which guilty pleasure songs are reluctant to admit to listening to?

Gabe: ‘Torn’ by Natalie Imbruglia.

Georgie: ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem – we always say before we go on stage “this is our one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime”

Cormac: ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac.

Manu: Any Kerser songs.

Which song of someone else’s (artist or band) would you have liked to feature on and why?

Gabe: Chillinit because he’s sick.

Georgie: Bikini Kill because they are so inspirational to millions of women around the world, urging women to get on stage and for them be heard.

Manu: Manu Chao because I grew up listening to his music.

Which song, or songs, of yours, would you recommend to a first-time listener and why?

Gabe: ‘Calamity’ because it’s our sound.

Georgie: ‘Calamity’ – because it’s the funnest banger ever.

Cormac: ‘Worth It’ – because I think it sums the band up perfectly, it’s quick, its leaving you wanting more, fun but melancholy at the same time, best showcases the band itself playing as a unit.
Manu: ‘Calamity’ because (all our songs are good but) this is my personal favourite.

What led you into using music as your creative outlet, and keeps you making music?

Gabe: I’ve been playing drums since I was 3 years old and I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t playing music.

Georgie: Being a politician was too depressing (prior to being a muso, I completed a politics degree at Melbourne University).

Cormac: It’s a tool to help me understand the inner workings of life, humanity, and the world at large. Nothing seems to really make sense and I think music is the one constant that seems to ease a troubled mind.

Manu: It gives me purpose in life.