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Music

Grab Some Spare Change and Join Mod Con at the Fun Arcade

Watch the Melbourne three-piece ride SnoCross on the video for "Do It Right Margo".

Palm Springs is/was a solo musical project that Erica Dunn started five years ago. But after Raquel Solier joined on drums and Sara Retallick took over bass duties, it became clear that the musical project needed to be split into two. So while the more minimal folk inspired Palm Springs is on the shelf for now (an album will be due soon), Mod Con is blasting off with a faster and louder sound with dual vocals, tough bass and badass drums.

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This Friday, Mod Con release a good old-fashioned split 7" with Fair Maiden on Poison City Records. Today they drop the video for the track "Do It Right Margo". Filmed in a suburban video game arcade it features Erica, Sara and Raquel riding SnoCross, bashing on JungleDrum and winning some luxe looking perfume.

Watch the video for "Do It Right Margo" as well as Fair Maiden's "Coal" (below) and read a chat we had with Erica.

Noisey: So how did the band change come about?
Erica Dunn: When we became a three-piece it became two writing styles. There was more scope to write in a different way with having a bass player. My wannabe Karen Dalton thing is still going with Palm Springs but after we recorded the album it was just so different and we thought that if ever we were to change the name we should do it now. There was a while there when I didn't know which kind of direction to go in which was bloody annoying. Now it's a lot clearer which is a relief.

So there is an album on the way?
Yeah, We've got an album ready. We recorded with Gaz (Gareth Liddiard of the Drones) in Nagambie earlier this year.

I like how your release is a 7-inch split too.
I was talking to Steph Crase [from Fair Maiden] and both groups have musicians who have played for a really long time but this is both our debut record which is really weird. Fair Maiden have released stuff but this it the first thing that's come out on vinyl. It's the same for us.

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And who is Margo?
For a long time I've worked with newly arrived communities and people seeking asylum and I was writing about a lot of it at the time. The lyrics are a call and response about having to find a way to fit in. It's not a particular name of someone that I knew but I'm thinking of a particular person when I'm writing it. A person who was going to all lengths to gain some acceptance in our community. People coming here and changing their names and sometimes their identities to fit into this version of mainstream. A lot of sacrifice for what gain?

Which arcade was the video filmed at?
It's funny, it's where I grew up. Forest Hill Chase is a shit hole near Ringwood. There is a video arcade on the top level. It wasn't there when I was growing up. There was just a guy who'd play piano in the food court on a Thursday night. I remember eating potato gems, watching him and thinking it was quite fancy.

Do It Right Margo/Coal" is available digitally Oct 27 and on vinyl Nov 10 on Poison City.

Mod Con and Fair Maiden launch their split in Melbourne Nov 10 at the Tote.