Looking Out The Window - A Q&A with Gregor Kompar

Credit: Ellen Fairbairn

Every now and then, you wake up in the morning and while you’re waiting for the percolator to boil on the stove you find yourself staring vacantly out the window. You gaze into the garden, across the neighbourhood rooftops, at the trees swaying in the wind, further even, at the clouds, near where the sun is rising, or past that perhaps, back over your life. 

You think about everything in your life that's led up to that moment. You think about where you're going next. But it’s only for a brief moment before the percolator whistles and the coffee boils over.

It’s self-reflective and vulnerable moments like these that Melbourne-based artist Gregor Kompar invites with his second album from Chapter Music. 

The multi-instrumentalist who has made a name for himself writing and producing post-punk bedroom pop, is back with a refined and evolved sound capable of triggering a quarter life crisis.  

Towards the end of 2020, Gregor was popping up everywhere. The star of Peaky Blinders Cillian Murphy played Gregor’s “A Song About Holding Hands” on his BBC radio show. Around that time, Destiny was broadcasting on the radio waves as Triple R’s album of the week. You could also find Gregor modelling in a full page ad on the inside cover of The Monthly’s December issue.  

After the success of Silver Drop in 2018, a much-loved album which was preceded by a collection of catchy home recordings called Thoughts and Faults, Gregor was nominated for Best Album and Best Solo Artist at the Music Victoria awards. 

With his live band, Gregor sold out every headline show between 2018 - 19 and he has played a number of festivals including Golden Plains, Dark Mofo, and Boogie Festival. 

With Destiny, Gregor ascends into a new realm with a concept album exploring ideas of love, in its many forms, and weaves together all the happy and sad feelings associated with it into eight thoughtful songs.

Credit: Matthew Shaw

You’re often cast as a “bedroom producer”, is your bedroom somewhere you spend a lot of time and is that actually where you make most of your music? 

For the better part of between fifteen and now it's been in the bedroom. Having moved out of home, I have now upgraded to spare room/home studio producer. Doing it at home, I think, will always be my preferred way.

Were you musical and creative growing up or was this something that came later in life? 

My mum noticed a point when my messing around on the toy keyboard stopped sounding like a racket and began to resemble something melodic, they got me lessons at school. After the release of School of Rock, I asked for drum lessons. I did three or four before my parents told me, "look, we're never going to buy you a drum kit, so why don't you take up guitar instead?", we lived in a flat. It was around fifteen or sixteen, after four or five years of lessons that my guitar teacher moved to Canada, and I realised I could plug the guitar and the keyboard into the computer and record tracks. From that point it's been a fairly consistent pastime that quickly became my favourite thing to do.

Credit: Parents / Ellen Fairbairn

What are some of the personal and life events which have influenced your most recent album Destiny? 

Around the time I was working on some of the (more positive) songs on Destiny I was quite happy in life. I can tell you that looking out the window and seeing the sunlight hit the tree leaves is a big influence and, at times, is sufficient to "tick the boxes" of what I require to be happy. At other times even the glorious things in life don't tick the boxes. I can't really work on music if the boxes are largely unticked, but I can reflect on/write about those times later. Along with some other personal goings on, that's the inner world stuff - but on this album, and for me in the last few years - inner and outer, (big and small, light and dark) cannot be thought or spoken about without being closely stitched together by an omnipresent feeling of universal connectedness. That could be labeled as psychedlia or spirituality or actually science, regardless, it is difficult to not reference at every turn. Trying not to come off as too esoteric here, I can't help but express that the light shining through my window contains within it as much energy and information as is necessary for any kind of inspiration... forever.

Destiny has been described as a “lovesick epic”, featuring lyrics with what feel like very sentimental and idealistic views on love. How much do your own romantic experiences influence your lyrics and could you be considered a bit of a hopeless romantic? 

Hopeless I think not. At least not in reality. I can paint the most simplistic, idealistic picture of love within a four minute song, and that song has no obligation to be a factual chronicle. That being said, I would argue that the lyrics on love in my songs are more grounded in reality than any of the others. While song is a gratifying medium in which I can create these fantasies, I am not a fiction writer - I could never write a song about a made up event or story that's irrelevant to me. Important to note, there are three kinds of love in Destiny - romantic, familial, and universal.

Last year, you were nominated for Best Album and Best Solo Artist at the Music Victoria awards. Ultimately these awards went to household names like The Teskey Brothers and Courtney Barnett but how did it feel to receive this kind of recognition for your music, up against some of the biggest names in the Australian music industry?  

It felt like it came out of nowhere, and was a nice feeling to be recognised. I sat in the crowd with proverbial crossed fingers; I think it's important to have a glimmer of hope even when the odds are against you.

Credit: Matthew Shaw

You’ve been described by many as eccentric. Some of your music videos and songs have an ironic and satirical quality to them. Is the on stage Gregor the same person as Gregor Kompar?

I don't see me getting around with an anteater on a leash. I'm usually pretty earnest, to be frank, with a bit of playfulness because - what's the point otherwise? The on stage Gregor is a subdued, self-conscious, focusing on not making mistakes, Gregor Kompar. When you're finally given the platform to be the performer, it's like you're in a deep pool - moving around is harder, staying afloat is the main focus. It does get easier, however, and I hope in times to come I will be a bit more "synchronised swimmer".

Five years on from Thoughts & Faults, how do you feel when you look back at that album now? Does it represent a particular time, place or feeling in your life? 

I regret to admit that a lot of that material makes me pretty uncomfortable. I do understand that this is my subjective experience, and that it's very common for any kind of artist. When other people listen to those songs, they will hear the songs, but me, I hear everything else - my young mind and its witless thoughts, my impatience and my lack of understanding. Perhaps this is only because it wasn't actually that long ago and I want to pretend I'm a different person now. Maybe (hopefully) in a few years time I'll shake that cringey feeling and appreciate the songs as a souvenir of a time of learning.

As a solo artist, it sounds like you write and produce your music by yourself. When you play live, you introduce a bunch of band members into what has been quite a personal process so far. Can you tell us a bit about what it’s like working with your band and rehearsing for live performances? 

It's a great feeling bringing the songs to life with other (wonderful) people all playing at the same time. It means the energy can be more dynamic and can be different every time. On day one I have to remind myself to be an active leader, and to direct the shaping of us as a band learning the songs. From different experiences in life and in music, I've learned the importance of being a positive leader, especially when it comes to having people putting in labour for your own project. I'm excited to put the band together and start rehearsing the Destiny songs. Shout out to members present and past, and contributors to the album, Liam Barton, David Pesavento, Andrew Huhtanen McEwan, Emily Bennett, Zac Millner-Cretney, Sienna Thornton, Ellah Blake, Reuben Bloxham, Hank Clifton-Williamson, Ellen Fairbairn.

Credit: Matthew Shaw

What’s next for you? Are you working on any other musical projects, collaborations, albums or other?

As being in the music room and making songs is my number one favourite thing, I intend to spend a lot more time in the near future focusing on that, and I feel that working towards another album is what I want to do. In the meantime I intend to put the band together and work towards a live show. Thanks for the questions! 

<3 Gregor

Credit: Rose Hartley