Make Me a Mixtape: Eggy's Outlandish Gig of Covers

Make Me a Mixtape is a segment where we interview artists and have them make a mixtape of seven songs based around a particular scenario, explaining why they chose each song. This week, we chat with the Melbourne outfit Eggy who share with us a setlist of covers for a reimagined gig where they can't perform with any traditional rock instrument.

Photo by James Morris

With their debut album, Bravo!, released in late 2020, the surrealist-pop quintet Eggy showcase the fluidity of their sound, jumping around a myriad of styles and drawing from a slew of influences. Recorded by Fabian Hunter and mixed and mastered by DIY demigod, Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control, the latest LP expands on the off-kilter stylings of the band's previous EP Billy and debut single "52 AFLW Players," both released in 2019. Eggy's use of bizarre production techniques and unconventional instruments gives them the appeal of a mad scientist who revels in peculiar experimentation — think those quirky avant-pop records that was tapering off in the late-sixties.

Consisting of vocalist/keyboardist Lucy Packham, drummer Charlie Wolstenholme, vocalist/guitarist Zoe Monk, bassist Dom Moore, and guitarist/saxophonist Sam Lyons, the quintet's latest release pulls together all corners of their jagged pop style with each providing more pieces of a greater, wonderfully abstract picture. The fuzzed-out "IN" pairs a frantic drum beat with an erratic bassline and ear-worm keyboard riff alongside whooshes of synths. The spiky "Absentia" swings with sudden tempo changes and descending post-punk chord progressions. Moore takes the lead on the standout "HAL 9000" and unloads a pop-culture heavy monologue on the internet age with the drained refrain "Pop culture's killing me." For their mixtape scenario, we played on the band's diverse range of instruments and surplus of creative energy. In a hypothetical predicament, Eggy are to play a set of seven cover songs at a venue which has effectively banned all traditional rock instruments. No guitars, bass, or standard drum kits whatsoever. Given these "restrictions," the band came up with a setlist of out-of-the-box versions of songs that we can only dream of hearing.

Are You Not Entertained?

Faust — "The Sad Skinhead"

"Sung acapella in four part harmony, with the exception of Choz (our drummer) joining in the chorus on Kazoo."

The Beatles — "A Day in the Life"

"Played instrumentally on ten synths, all of us using double tier keyboard stands."

Cate Le Bon — "Aside from Growing Old"

"We don't mess with the queen — same as the perfect original. Every rule needs an exception."

The Munchkins — "Munchkinland Musical Sequence" (The Wizard of Oz)

"Performed spoken word by Sam. Every band should have a munchkin."

The Slits — "FM"

"We've messed around with the vibraphone and xylophone a bit and here's a rendition of this song using just those instruments, which would probably be so bad that it's mildly entertaining."

John Cale — "Barracuda"

"Performed on ukulele with a CHAS stomp box."

St. Vincent — "Psychopath"

"A 15-minute orchestral version of this to finish off the set would maybe be just enough to make the crowd forget everything that preceded it."

Stream Eggy's mixtape below.