Words by Keane Fletcher

It's screaming season folks. Don't agree with me, then pick your poison: between the various lockdowns, nationwide protests, worldwide vaccination hesitancy, and the dire state of the planet you must have something to scream about, right? And what better accompaniment is there to your existential caterwauling than some A-level rock goodness. Thats where Melbourne-based rock outfit INSTYNKT comes in.

Featuring lead vocalist Charlie Lane, Michael Uberti on guitar, his twin brother Shilo Uberti on bass, and Mac Nicholson on drums, INSTYNKT is the kind of band that makes you actually yearn for all the sweaty, stranger-touching realness of a good mosh pit (remember those?!). In the meantime however, music streaming will have to do. INSTYNKT already have two killer singles to their name, 'Flower' and 'Dominatrix', and hopefully it won't be too long before we get a full length release from the band (check out a live preview of a potential new single below). Says Lane:

In terms of a full length LP, an album has to count and be remembered, so we’d have to filter through our catalogue to narrow down the songs that roar and speak something.

Better get roaring then boys because we want more!

We recently sat down with INSYTNKT lead vocalist Charlie Lane to talk all things music, inspo, and what being 'on top of the world' looks like to him. Check it out below!

1- Where in the world are you based? 

South East Suburbs of Melbourne.

2- How would you describe INSTYNKT's sound? What are your musical influences?

Oasis, INXS, Screaming Jets, Foo Fighters, Guns N Roses, Led Zeppelin, and Jet

3- Can you tell us a bit about how the band came together?

3 of us were already playing together in a band called Black Temple. Charlie bombarded our Instagram for a while keen for an audition regardless of the fact we had a singer. When he came into the room, it was clear he didn’t give a shit, he knew what he wanted and came to steal the job. And then it clicked. Everything came together. There’s no amount of trial and error that can skew our vision that we’ve had from the start: “if you don’t want to be as big as the Beatles” what’s the point?

4- I want to talk about your writing process: how does the band usually go about developing a song? Does one person take the reins or is it more of a communal effort?  

All our roles make one, it can come from Michael jamming in the studio, Shilo in his room, Charlie exploring and indulging in the finer things in life, or Mac drawing from that mind of his that none of us can seem to grasp.

5- What inspires you at the moment?

Dividing and conquering what we set out to achieve, being the biggest band on the planet, bringing rock n roll back into kids headphones, rock n roll that’s honest and unapologetic, but accessible and inviting at the same time. We’re not going to be young forever.

6- Any plans for a full length release sometime in the near future?

We don’t project that far ahead yet, at the moment we’ve been working on 2 singles at a time. When restrictions allow, the next 2 will be tracked and released very shortly after. In terms of a full length LP, an album has to count and be remembered, so we’d have to filter through our catalogue to narrow down the songs that roar and speak something.

7- Obviously we’re living through a particularly tricky time for artists; in what ways has the band been affected by the pandemic? Has it been useful in terms of having more time to create, or are you dying for things to open up again?

The pit fall has been not so much the not playing live, but the false starts and interruptions. We used a lot of this time to write and hone in on who we are as a collective and our material, but we’re jumping out of our skin to get back on stage.

8- What's next for you? Where do you hope to see the band in a year’s time?

Above a sea of people jumping in unison… on top of the world.

Thanks for stopping by Hipland!