Upstart Newcastle band Sitting Down has developed a loyal following with its lush grooves

"COVID definitely had an impact on our music because we were able to practice almost a whole year, practising all the time, so we got past being shit," chuckles singer and guitarist Josef Milan.

Since their first gig in December last year, the young Newcastle four-piece has garnered an avid word-of-mouth fanbase.

Their brief set at the recent West Best Bloc Fest event saw an eager audience pack out the Star Hotel, riding every luscious note of their halcyon melodies.

Now that the quartet has seen the impact their deceptively intricate songs have on an audience, they're upping the tempo.

"We wrote the faster, higher-energy songs as a response to our slower, more chilled-out songs," Milan says. "I remember once I was like, 'We need to write a fast song.' People not really moving and just standing there [at gigs] influenced us to write faster songs."

The genesis of Sitting Down can be traced back to Milan's bedroom demos, which the songwriter describes as "programmed drums and very lo-fi", a reduced version of the layered wall of sound the band weaves on stage.

Milan played the demos to fellow Merewether High student and guitarist Lewis Nickel, inviting him to add his own guitar parts.

Bassist Elias Flamiatos was brought into the fold and, along with their previous drummer, Sitting Down commenced their lockdown jam sessions.

When drummer Cat Hoscher joined the band in May last year, their music went to another level.

Her three fellow members describe Hoscher as "amazing", with Milan enthusing: "She's the most talented out of all of us".

It is indeed evident during a Sitting Down show that they have one of the more formidable rhythm sections in Newcastle.

"They hold our sound together," says Nickel of Hoscher and Flamiatos. "Then Joey and I can play out of time and do weird stuff and we've still got that super-tight rhythm."

Flamiatos adds: "Pretty much every show we play someone says, 'Your drummer's amazing, bro, she's crazy.' It's really cool seeing so many people comment that the rhythms are so tight."

This week Sitting Down released a double A-side single featuring tracks All the Time and Lullaby, two kindred compositions designed to be played back-to-back.

The new songs follow their five-track debut EP, Pilot, with its summery, shoegazey single Teasy, released in May this year.

All the Time and Lullaby hint at something darker, a preview of where the band wants to travel.

All the Time has a propulsive, waltzing groove awash in production effects reminiscent of Tame Impala or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, before bleeding into the slower but equally atmospheric dreamworld of Lullaby.

"They use the same two chords and the same riff just played a little differently," Milan says. "Lullaby started as an interlude at the end of All the Time."

Flamiatos adds: "Lullaby evolved into its own song and at a certain point we were like, 'That's really cool' and fleshed it out more."

For these recordings Sitting Down worked with producer Gareth Hudson, whose bounty of recording gear allowed the band to explore. "Having access to all that equipment was a massive influence on our sound," Milan says.

Nickel adds: "We tried out different synths. Our producer's amazing, he's got so much gear. A lot of the bands we listen to use a lot of effects as well. We're inspired by bands that experiment. And my next-door neighbour is a gear nerd. He has hundreds of guitar pedals and he's always bringing stuff over. Now we're always trying to find little things to add to our sound."

Sitting Down are so at home in the studio that Milan concedes they've come to love recording over performing live.

"Recording's one of our favourite things," the songwriter says. "I would rather record every day than play every day. It's the coolest thing, seeing it all come together. We just want a record label so we can record and not fork out so much money. That's a long-term dream."

Aside from seeking representation, it's evident that Milan seeks to define himself as a lyricist. Rather than placing poetic importance on his words, the singer simply views his voice as another aspect of the sound.

"I like to think of the lyrics as another instrument that fits in with the layers," Milan says. "If we had another guitarist to play my vocal lines it would be the same result."

But the songwriter is happy to evolve.

"Now I put more effort into writing the lyrics," he says. "I've been listening to Cate Le Bon, who's this cool artist that's more folky. But her lyrics are both abstract and poetic. So I'd like to mix those two things."

Sitting Down's plans for next year are simple, but they're aiming high.

"We just want to keep building our presence," Nickel says. "I guess our dream is to be able to record music and have the band pay for itself - to keep doing what we're doing right now."

Milan adds with a smile: "And maybe afford a couple of beers off band money too."