Acopia make dream-pop for yearners

The Australian band’s sharply-produced songs are delivered with an icy sigh. Get to know them in this week’s Opener interview.

The Opener is The FADER’s short-form profile series of casual conversations with exciting new artists.

Acopia’s music is full of clean lines and messy feelings. The Melbourne band, Kate Durman, Morgan Wright, and Lachlan McGeehan, dropped their latest album, Blush Response, last month via Scenic Route (Nourished By Time, Thredd). It builds on their early, dreamy and minimalist electronic sound palette with clipped guitars, drums that snap, and songs about developing a strong emotional core through a lifetime of mini crashes.

From the tension of words unspoken (“Talk About It”) and trip-hop admissions of defeat (“Falling”) to “Falter,” a song about moving onto new horizons, the songs on Blush Response map a route through fresh domains while processing the feelings that led them there.

Acopia work speedily and move with intention, releasing three albums in as many years. Their somber 2022 debut Chances was a light into the darkness, while 2023’s anesthetized and self-titled LP tapped into the vibe of their band name, a term for being ill-suited to everyday life.

We asked Acopia for some photos from behind-the-scenes of their time on tour and got their opinions on bad life advice, the best game for long-haul flights, a Martin Scorsese cult fave, and other hot topics.

Describe the first show you ever went to

Kate: Mine was a Nikki Webster concert in the early 2000s. She was so good.
Lachlan: I went to the Foo Fighters with my mum when I was 14.
Morgan: My mum and dad would take me to the Port Fairy folk festival as a kid, I don’t think I appreciated it at the time.

What was the last movie you watched, and give a short review

K: Dark City. It was spooky and dystopian, I loved it. I found it very inspiring.
L: I watched a Gus Van Sant film, He Won’t Get Far On Foot. It was funny, sad and true.
M: After Hours by Martin Scorsese really not what I was expecting.

What’s a motto that you think everyone should live by?

K: Thoughts become perception, perception becomes reality.
L: This Too Shall Pass.
M: Don’t trade your backbone for a wishbone.

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?

L: Be yourself
M: Be yourself

What’s your favorite song to play live right now and why?

K: “See You In Everyone” because it’s more challenging for me to sing than others.
L: “Falter.” It’s nice to see people reacting and singing along.
M: “Talk About It.” The guitar part is relentless and quite fun to play albeit challenging.

What’s the best thing you’ve bought yourself recently and why?

M: Nintendo Switch Lite!
K: Yeah I got a Switch and the Life is Strange games. It’s so easy to pass the time playing that on long flights. It made me cry.

Describe the best show you’ve played this year so far.

M: Paris in May! Little sleep but big energy

What was the last creative idea you had that made you ask, ‘Can we do that’?

L: Packing all our gear into a small station wagon.

Forward us the last meme that made you laugh.