When UCSA event, the Tea Party was cancelled due to Covid in 2021, four close mates decided to put on their own show at a party in Ōtautahi. Unexpectedly hundreds of people showed up, and it was the genesis of a special relationship that few bands get to experience. Since then Pool House have developed a close writing bond with each other, releasing an EP and numerous singles, the latest of which is Another Day. Jasper West dove into the track with them. Made with support from NZ On Air Music.
When they met up while studying engineering at University of Canterbury, Will Georgeson (vocals, rhythm guitar), Harry Van Der Gulik (lead guitar), Samuel Crisp (bass), and Flynn Fierro (drums) started to play music and write together for all the right reasons. Will explains.
“It helps when we’re living together and are really good mates. It can be a bit awkward when you start out and have to write down your feelings to someone you don’t know so well. Becoming really close and having a connection helps with the honesty in our lyrics.”
That genuine enjoyment of creating together is what gives Pool House an aura of authenticity. It is also really the whole crux of their latest single Another Day. It’s about not wasting your time, and doing the things that make you happy for that reason alone.
“Another Day started out as a set of lyrics months ago with a different melody,” Samuel recalls. “We were jamming as a band and decided to try these lyrics to something else we were working on. Originally it was about a girl but after playing the song differently, we started reworking the message into what it is now, to seize every day and just enjoy what you’re doing in the moment. We prefer that message much more.”
“We’re quite prolific songwriters, so there’s a lot that we jam together and don’t end up feeling,” Will points out. “I am always sitting around playing the guitar, so I come up with lots of riffs and things. I’d say the one issue is that we write way more music than we do lyrics.”
Off the back of numerous well-received singles, Pool House applied for NZ On Air funding to bring this song into reality.
“NZOA were super easy to work with. It was such a breeze. We just kept our receipts and in three payments, it was all done and dusted,” smiles Will.
With the benefit of some funding, Pool House were able to explore their sound and hone their craft working with Josh Strand (Wax Mustang, Daily J) at Auckland’s Parachute Studios. Samuel gleefully reminisces.
“It was like nerd paradise for gear heads. Working with Josh was a really great learning experience. He had a wealth of knowledge to bring to the track, which he pitched in a really constructive way. It was more like, ‘You could try this to get a better sound’, a suggestion, as opposed to, ‘This is what we should do.’”
“We also booked out enough time so it didn’t have to be done in one day. We could go home and have a sleep on it to come back to the studio fresh. We’re really happy with the progression the song has taken,” adds Will.
With a perfect summer hit up their sleeves, Pool House found an interesting choice in sports videographer Hamish Johns to make their music video. It proved a good move, Johns’ experimental style pairing seamlessly with the indie sound of Another Day. The video follows Will as he runs away from the Christchurch rat race and into Castle Hill, letting go of all the mundane that is holding his life back. Samuel was amused by the out-of-the-box ideas used.
“We set up a camera facing outside of the car. Hamish would shout ‘action’ and I’d have to match the car’s pace with Will as he’d sprint past barefoot! In another shot we had a camera rig attached to the bike which was pretty sketchy but worked a charm!”
Pool House are live action proof of the ’60s hit TV band The Monkees. Living and writing together as a family of friends, they even enjoy sharing their lives together outside music as Samuel explains.
“A lot of our friends and family warned us that we have to find our own outlets outside the group to stay sane, but we’ve actually really enjoyed living together. We have become closer and do even more activities together. For example, I am the only one who plays squash so when we moved in together, we all started playing squash! We also all enjoy surfing.”
Will chimes in, “Often we’ll hear each other working on something and run down from our rooms to listen or jam.” “Or we shut the door if we hate it,” Samuel embellishes.
Pool House doesn’t exist because any of any want for fame or craving for the musicians’ lifestyle, they’re literally just doing what makes them happy, and the acclaim they’ve earned is a by-product of this. It’s the perfect formula and that’s what new single Another Day is all about. Guitarist and co-writer Harry sums their unusual balance up perfectly when he says, “If it wasn’t for the other members of the band, I probably wouldn’t want to do this again.”
