What’s new, right now? ‘Lifetime’ by The Money War.

From the opening moments of Lifetime, it’s clear The Money War’s Dylan and Carmen Ollivierre, have expanded the scope of their infectious dreamy indie pop sound. It’s the Perth duo’s first outing after a successful 2019 which saw them release their debut album Home (along with their Life Is Better In Dreams EP). Last year I caught up with Dylan to talk about their debut album, this week I caught up with him again to take a look at their romantic new single Lifetime. Here is some of what we talked about.

The Money War have been gearing up to release new music for a while now. How’s it all been going at the moment?

It’s been good! Covid has definitely changed the game a little bit but we are powering forward now. We really want to release an album every year and  I can guarantee we will do that 2 years in a row. Woo! Covid has obviously changed the live music scene a lot but TMW has always been firstly a studio project so it actually means we can go inwards a bit more and work on the writing and recording craft more.

Your new single Lifetime feels very much in the present but also part nostalgic at the same time. Where were you when the idea struck you about writing it?

We had the chorus around for a few years but could never make it fit. I even wrote on it with other artists and there were a few different versions going around but none really felt right. We found out we were having a baby and suddenly I knew how to finish the song. The song is about the present as well as the past so I’m glad it feels “now” as well as nostalgic. I’m fascinated by the feeling of nostalgia – right now I think it just means connecting with a deeper part of yourself.

What lessons might you hope listeners will take away from its message?

I haven’t really thought about that to be honest but I hope our audience can relate to the stories we tell because we are just like everyone else trying to figure this weird life out. If anyone is wondering about whether they can have a child or have the right to, then I guess this song might be relatable.

The Money War’s music always features unique sonic arrangements. Where did the inspiration come from to find the vibe for Lifetime?

Thanks! That’s definitely something we strive for. I think our approach is just to keep working until the song is found. I definitely wanted the song to be cleaner and a bit more hifi than our previous releases to make sure the pop nature of the song came across.

Tell us about the artistic approach to film the music video in B&W?

I think we both just had B & W visuals from the song. Maybe it was a subconscious reference to the nineties which we were born into – The Cranberries, Mazzy Star etc. And a nod to the nostalgic feeling you mentioned earlier.

Now before I let you go, I guess it’s safe to assume you’re looking forward to giving the song a proper live debut hopefully later this year? In the meantime, any plans of playing an online show for fans? 

Definitely hanging out to play live! We’ve got a baby due anytime now so once things settle in on that front we definitely will be getting a live show together. I think we probably do some more live acoustic videos too.

Lifetime is out now via Ditto Music. Follow The Money War on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.  Listen on Spotify. Watch them on You Tube.

Photo credit: The header image is courtesy of Dan Heard. I am not the uploader of the You Tube video embedded here.