Mt. Nadir‘s debut EP “Growing Pain” has finally come to fruition after an extensive two-year creative process.
Growing Pain masterfully balances elements of fragility and raw intensity. It weaves a narrative of heartbreak, solitude and eventual renewal within the realms of alt-rock.
Mt. Nadir burst onto the live scene last year, packing out their debut show and never looking back. They’ve shared stages with Holy Holy, Tia Gostelow and Beddy Rays to name a few. With editorial adds on Spotify, Apple Music, and multiple features on Triple J, Mt. Nadir continues to rise as an exciting act in the Australian music scene.
To celebrate the release of Growing Pain, Mt. Nadir’s Jake and Frankie have put together a track-by-track breakdown for us.
Mt. Nadir – Growing Pain – Track by track
Jake: “Growing” is the opening track of the EP and also was actually the last song that came to life. Composed by our producer Emily, we wanted to create something to really set the tone & really tie together the themes in which this project touches on. While there are a lot of sadder & heartfelt moments throughout Growing Pain, there’s also a sense of overcoming all of this hurt. I guess Growing Pain also funnily enough ties in to our name as well, to mount the nadir is to overcome the lowest possible point of any given situation – the reach the bottom in pain and to grow from that darkness.
Frankie: I wrote “You & Me” when I was crushing really hard on a close friend. We’d be on my bed hanging out and I would want to kiss them really bad, but I knew I couldn’t. And I knew our love could only exist ‘…in make believe’. I sent a rough acoustic demo to the band and jake in particular really liked it. He immediately had a vision for a big build at the end. We workshopped it with our producer Emily Hopley, and she helped make the build happen, adding in some synth too. It’s a really special song for us. The first song we recorded that made us feel like alright, we’ve got some magic in us. I think it made us really believe.
Frankie: “December 1st” was one of the first songs we wrote. I remember we were jamming on some darker, rockier sounds, but I was really in the mood for a love song. So I stuck my capo on 7th and played some bright, warm chords. Jaina almost immediately came up with a beautiful lead line, Conor found this lovely beat, and it was later that Jake figured out a really fun bass line. I spat out some lyrics about falling in love, and pretty quickly we had a song. For me, it’s an ode to my first love – falling in love with my ex and her family. But I know it also carries some big meaning for Jaina in a totally different way, and I imagine it carries different meaning for Jake and Conor too. It took a couple of goes in the studio to get it right, but thanks of course to Emily, it came to life.
Frankie: We wrote “I still care” at the end of 2022. Similar to “December 1st”, I played some simple chords and jaina laid down this wild lead part. Jake and Conor came in and it was like this big ferocious storm of a song. I was going through a break up at the time and I started belting the words ‘I still care’, and then built the lyrics around that. It wasn’t until we were in the studio that Em changed up my chords to make the song feel a bit darker, and very importantly, helped us add in the breakdown. We only had a few hours to write the breakdown. Time was tight. I whipped up some lyrics (‘…and I wonder if you feel…’), Jake and Conor came in together with this powerful bass line, and jaina finished off the song absolutely shredding with this wild lead part. I think it’s Jake and Conor on bass and drums that really drive this song. Shoutout to Emily again who spent a very long time mixing to get this one right.
Frankie: We started writing “It’s Not a Home” in the same session as “December 1st”. Jaina and Jake worked together to find a bass & lead line that worked, then Conor came in with drums, and soon I joined in with the chorus ‘It’s not a home’, and some other vague lyrics that were later moulded into the verses. For me, the song is about being in a relationship – a really lovely relationship – but realising several months in that I’d conformed to a gender stereotype that felt deeply uncomfortable. Similar to “I Still Care”, we brought it to the studio and Emily helped us add in the breakdown. But, again, time was tight. Jake and Con figured out their parts, Jaina and Emily worked on a lead line, and I, with the help of Jake, ran off to figure out lyrics, (‘a feeling dies, deep inside…’). It’s hard to pinpoint what the breakdown is about, but I think it’s related to feeling powerless and tired as my identity is constantly shaken, and the world crumbles around me. For me, it’s verbalising the feeling, ‘I can barely figure myself out, and any effort I put into improving society seems futile, so why try?’. It’s cynical, and it’s not a thought I believe is true, but it’s something I can’t help but feel sometimes.
Jake: The poem for “Emily’s Interlude” was surprisingly very close to the example draft I wrote to show the band my concept. I’d kind of free flown something together to give the others an idea of what I was thinking but we actually ended up really loving what was written. The poem is based around change and for me specifically it’s an ode to my hometown of Mackay. Often when you leave somewhere/something it’s very easy to feel disconnected as if you don’t belong there anymore. Perhaps maybe you don’t, but wherever you are needed to be you will belong. The track’s name is dedicated to all the amazing work Emily gave to this project. Emily also composed and spoke the poem and really brought my words to life.
Frankie: Surprise, surprise, “Pain” is also about a break up. I remember I was in a really dark place in the days after my partner and I split, and I started singing these words ‘take away, take away all the pain…’. I started crying as I sang, but I just kept spitting out lyrics. I think the song describes the confusing feelings you experience when a relationship is breaking down – wanting to hold them so friggin’ tight, but also being sick of them. It wasn’t until the studio that this one really came to life. We didn’t have super high hopes that it would work as a band, but again, with the help of Emily, everyone figured out their parts and we pulled it together nicely. It was our first release, and I think for that reason, it will always be our most special song.
Tour Dates and Tickets
With the recent addition of two new members, Mt. Nadir is embarking on the interstate Growing Pain EP Tour. The tour will take them through performances in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Ipswich, Sydney, Wollongong, and Melbourne. Joining them on this musical journey will be the wonderfully talented Ellen Soffe from Eora/Sydney.
Mt. Nadir – Growing Pain EP Tour with Ellen And The Ooroos
June 28 | Vinnies Dive Bar | Gold Coast, QLD HERE
July 1 | The Bearded Lady | Brisbane, QLD HERE
July 2 | Banshees Bar & Artspace | Ipswich, QLD HERE
July 8 | Bootlegeers (Kelly’s Upstairs) | Sydney, NSW HERE
July 9 | North Gong Hotel | Wollongong, NSW HERE
August 11 | The Gaso (Upstairs) | Melbourne, VIC HERE
You can show the band some support by following them on Facebook and Instagram
