Mere weeks after the release of their latest single, Scotland-born and Melbourne-based indie-soul rocker Millar Jukes is back with his latest release, teaming up with his band The Muscle to unleash the ferocious Gittinit. The first taste from forthcoming EP GIT IT, it’s a blistering piece of blues rock, bolstered by catchy vocals, an irresistible groove, and a sense of power that few other artists could even come close to matching. Check out our quick Q+A

Hi, thanks for taking the time to chat with Hear 2 Zen, what have you been up to today?

All good! I’ve been working my day job at Swinburne Uni. I’m a big data geek during the day haha. And now I’m getting this regional tour budget sorted

Tell us about yourself, how long have you been performing/creating music for? 

I grew up in Scotland but lived in Melbourne for 10 years and released my debut album last year. It was very indie soul and got me hanging about with some great musos. This new EP (out on the 26th August) is our first as Millar Jukes & the Muscle and follows a more blues rock direction. I’m really lucky to have so many amazing musos behind me. We’ve recruited Bumpy, Emma Volard, Shannen Wick (Fulton Street) for backing vocals and Jake Amy on keys so blown out to having a 12 piece band for this EP. 

Who are your greatest inspirations?  Why?

Have to say my brothers Saint PHNX or my mate Bumpy. Watching them create and get bigger and bigger is amazing to see. They have incredible work ethic and that’s something I really admire. They have shown that hard work and grind really pays off. Just be patient and good things will come. 

How do you create music?  Are you lyrics/story driven, or does the music/melody come first?  Explain your process.

I’ve written this new EP with our guitarist Reece. We sat down and got these new 6 songs together and took them to the band. They were mostly skeletons of songs so each member writes their own part and makes it their own. I usually have an idea of a melody or have lyrics and then Reece will come over and we’ll see what we can come up with. All my songs are written from experiences about past relationships which makes it easier for me to sing and feel the music. 

What has been your greatest challenge so far in performing/creating music?

I think money is the hardest in creating music. Doesn’t matter how cheap you want to make it, you always go over budget a bit. Just be prepared for that haha. That’s been my experience anyway. 

Tell us about your new single Gittinit, how did it come about?

 It’s all about having a good time with your mates and leaving it all out on the dance floor. I head the phrase when we were watching a gig in the Nightcat and this dude was just having the best time dancing on his own and our drummer Benny said “oh he gittinit!” so i wrote a song about it. I wanted to write a big rock stomper and thought this would be fun for everyone to get around! 

What advice do you have to artists who are just starting out?

Always keep going! If you’re passionate enough the things you want will come. Just be patient.

Tell us your favourite Zen practice.

Going to therapy. Best investment I’ve ever made. Being able to talk to an unbiased person about my anxiety and how to cope better has been amazing.