We Spoke with Public Figures About Their Brilliant EP “Figure It Out!”

The rising Australian band on community, creativity, local scenes, and why no one is free until we all are.

Hailing from Naarm/Melbourne, Public Figures are part of a new generation of Australian bands using music as a vehicle for expression, connection, and challenging the social issues many believe should have been addressed long ago. Their EP, Figure It Out!, pairs modern punk bangers with themes of self-discovery, community, and resilience, while their outspoken commitment to inclusivity and social justice has helped them build a rapidly growing audience. We'd also be remiss not to mention their style. Looking like a 1970s glam gang ready to take on the world, Public Figures have developed a visual identity as compelling as their music. Needless to say, we were excited to catch up with the band to discuss the brilliant Figure It Out EP and the ideas that inform their work both on and off the stage.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. It feels like things have really taken off for Public Figures in the last few weeks. We've seen your Instagram numbers jump and have heard your name come up constantly. Congrats. Was there something that sparked that momentum, or is it simply the right time?

Thank you! It's been a pretty wild couple of weeks in the Public Figures world and we're super stoked with how things are going. We've been working really hard on creating things that we're passionate about, and it's been amazing to see them received so well.

We've been creating music and playing in bands for a long time, and we've learned that you can never really predict how something will be received. That's also not the be-all and end-all of creating. So when something does "work," it's very humbling. It's a great bonus to see positive feedback and know that what you're making is reaching the right people.

Congrats on the release of Figure It Out! this year. It's been on repeat. How long was the journey from writing these songs to finally releasing them?

It's been a long journey, to be honest. Evie and I (Gigi) started writing the songs that would eventually become the EP back in 2022 when we were living together.

At that point, the band didn't even exist as a concept. It was really just two friends writing songs together and seeing what would happen. A lot of the EP is about the mental and personal hurdles it takes to believe in yourself enough to start projects, pursue goals, and continue evolving as a person. It's funny how much of that is still relevant even after releasing the record.

Was there a shared influence—an artist, scene, record, or moment—that helped shape the EP?

Both of us have very similar tastes and influences, which was one of the main reasons we became friends and wanted to make music together.

There were so many different styles and genres that we explored and continue to explore. But our shared love of punk and loud guitars was definitely something we gravitated toward early on. We also share a love for fashion, film, and telling it like it is.

Melbourne feels like it's having a moment right now. Is something happening there creatively, or are the rest of us just finally catching on?

Totally. To us, Naarm/Melbourne has always been such an inspiring creative hub, and we feel very fortunate to have grown up here.

We're lucky to have such a thriving and supportive music community. It's been exciting seeing all of our friends—people we've been playing with and going to see for years—starting to get their flowers around the globe. And there are still so many more artists and bands who deserve that same recognition.

Does Melbourne—its architecture, people, or politics—find its way into your songs? If so, how?

Yeah, for sure. Whatever directly impacts us and whatever we're navigating on a day-to-day basis naturally finds its way into what we create.

Melbourne is such a large and diverse city, and you're constantly exposed to different people, ideas, and experiences. That has definitely shaped a song or two.

What's been the most surprising thing that's happened since Figure It Out! came out?

Honestly, the reception overall has blown us away.

This project started as a passion project between Evie and me, and for about three years the EP sat in a Dropbox folder with only a handful of friends and family hearing it. It wasn't until Christina at Blow Blood Records offered us an opening slot on a bill that we really had to get the wheels turning and make it into a real project.

We're forever grateful for that opportunity. Now, a little over a year later, things we could only dream about have actually happened.

All the videos around the EP have been great. How have those come together? Does anyone in the band have a film background?

Thank you!

The visuals definitely go hand in hand with the music. We've been lucky enough to work with Richard Clifford on almost all of our videos, and together we've been able to bring some pretty wild ideas to life.

I've (Evie) also directed and edited music videos for other bands in the past and have always been obsessed with film. My brain is a constant stream of imagery, and I'm always consuming anything that feels over-the-top.

It's such an honor to build the world of Public Figures in such a hands-on way. I've hand-made tulle boas, created ridiculous amounts of fake blood at home, crafted giant cobwebs out of mesh, and walked through Melbourne's CBD wearing huge angel wings during a heatwave—all for the love of film.

I can't wait to keep coming up with ideas and watching them come to life.

Naarm is the Indigenous name for the area where Melbourne sits, right? Are more people using Naarm today than when you were growing up?

Yes, that's right.

There's a lot of learning—and unlearning—that white Australia still needs to do. Moving away from colonial place names is only one small part of that process.

Hopefully education systems here and around the world continue to expand their truth-telling and teach Indigenous history and language. There is so much knowledge, culture, and history that deserves to be shared and learned.

Are there any classic Australian bands we should know about? We recently got turned on to Coloured Balls.

There are so many iconic Australian bands that don't always get the recognition they deserve.

A few favourites:

• Baby Grande

• No Fixed Address

• Magic Dirt

• Primitive Calculators

• Toys Went Berserk

• GOD

• The Stems

Speaking of Australian rock history, have you ever seen the American cover of AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap? It's completely different from the Australian version.

Yes! We just had a look.

Totally different. Alternate covers always seem to create a little drama.

What's something happening in music—or culture more broadly—that you think people aren't paying enough attention to right now?

The trad-wife phenomenon and the return of heroin-chic aesthetics are genuinely frightening and harmful on so many levels, and people need to pay attention to why those things are happening.

Patriarchy wants women to be as small as possible—to be quiet and to take up less space.

To hell with that.

We want all the angels out there to push back and actively take up space in every aspect of their lives.

It's a scary time to exist, so we need to take care of ourselves and each other.

What's a hill you'll die on?

Fuck white supremacy.

Always lead with kindness and remember that no one is free until we all are.

It's always a Free Palestine.

Did your sound develop during the pandemic years? Melbourne went through some of the longest lockdowns in the world. Was that period important creatively?

This project didn't exist yet during that period, but it was definitely a time spent learning and developing skills around recording and production that would help future projects.

Evie and I spent countless hours on the phone and FaceTime imagining all the things we wanted to do once the lockdowns ended.

Are there any artists—in music or outside of it—you'd love to collaborate with right now?

Kim Gordon is our GOAT. That would be incredible.

We're also obsessed with Lushious Massacr. She's iconic. We think we'd be an absolute hoot on Dragvestigation.

What's the biggest challenge you're navigating as a band right now, and what's helping you push through it?

We're incredibly fortunate that things have been moving quickly, but it's definitely challenging balancing jobs and financial realities with a project that often takes more time than a full-time job while providing very little financial return.

We know that's something so many people are dealing with right now.

That said, we love what we do, and the connections we've made—especially with all the incredible young divas we meet at shows—keep us motivated to keep going.

In a world that can feel increasingly artificial, what's feeling real to you right now?

Playing live.

Being in a room with real people and experiencing all the imperfections of a live show—bad monitor mixes, false starts, extended outros—those are the things that make performances memorable for both audiences and artists.

Keep it raw. Keep it real.

What's something you've done recently that you're genuinely proud of?

We're proud of each other and everything we've accomplished over the last few months.

It's all been such a blur and truly feels like a dream come true.

Playing three sold-out hometown shows in Melbourne/Naarm was incredibly special. Connecting with fans who genuinely understand what we're doing has been amazing.

Our first tour also made us realize we've attracted like-minded angels who really get it.

There's a lot of love, catharsis, and joy at a Public Figures show.

Are there any lyrics—your own or someone else's—that best represent where your head is at right now?

We've been writing a lot recently, so there are definitely some new lyrics constantly running through our heads that feel very relevant.

But you'll have to wait and hear them.

Any plans to make it over to the U.S. for shows?

Touring the U.S. would absolutely be a dream.

It seems like there are a lot of like-minded angels who want to see us play in the States, which is incredibly exciting.

PS: If anyone has a good money spell for visa expenses, please send it our way.

Finally, what's your current Good Call? Something you'd recommend everyone check out. Go see a local show.

Find out what's happening at your local venue and get out there.

Local scenes are the reason your favourite bands exist, and we can't afford to lose the venues that give new artists a place to develop, experiment, and build an audience.

Check Out the FIGURE IT OUT EP here

Follow Public Figures on Instagram at @publicfigures4eva

Public Figures - “Cut It Out”

Public Figures - “How I’m Feeling”