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Consider us twice charmed, once for the musical endorphin rush this Aussie group provides, and second for the love generation it creates when the house party vibes build into collective transcendence. 2 & Charm, collectively 2charm had us hitting pause on life when their first single dropped, and with the release of their debut album, star scum city, they’ve swarmed our senses with the most delightful, inhibition-fleecing, energy-building collection of songs we’ve come across in a long while. Kind enough to wake up earlier than normal to play time zone math with, we dove into their hedonistic sound, source lore, and more:

OnesToWatch: How did 2charm come together? How did you charm each other? 

2: Well, the legend has it that we met in a Discord server for big [––– –––––] at the start of last year.


I love that. 

2: Musically, it came together just by making music for fun. It started with collaborating with ninajirachi when we all had a day off together in LA. 
We made the song “Invisible Wings” in the first session, and there was a mutual feeling that there was something very special and fun happening. So, we kept making songs together whenever we had time off in the same city. There was never really a clear idea of how it would all come together. We'd just play these songs at parties and stuff, and our friends started insisting that we play these demos that we've been making. I was making music with Simon Lamb and 1tbsp, too. I guess the album track listing basically came together just by playing the songs at these parties. It got to the point where it was like, “Okay, this is a whole album that should be shared beyond these little parties.” That's kind of how it came to be. 

Tell me, where is Star Scum City and how do I visit? Can I visit? 

Charm: Absolutely. 

2: Yes, you definitely can. It's kind of a state of mind. 

So I don't even have to travel. 

2: You just travel within. 

Well, then tell me, how do I get there? What do I need to do to embody that metaphysical feeling? 


2: It's about having transcendent euphoric experiences with people that you love to music that makes you feel good. 

Okay. Simply put. You guys mentioned that the track listing is party certified. How many songs were left off the table? 

2: I think there were only three songs that were left unfinished. It wasn't even necessarily that they weren't up to scratch, it was more just a feeling that it was complete with these nine songs. We didn’t intend to make an album, so we didn’t go in making as many songs as we could and then pared it from there. It was just making music for the fun of it, and then almost after the fact, coming to the realization that this is a really strong group of songs that deserves to be an album that's out in the world. 

Well, I've listened to it in its entirety, but I'm already a fan, so maybe that's cheating, but it's excellent. I hope to be at a party at some point where you guys get to just perform it front to back. To get into my Star Scum City mindset, you know? 

2: Yes. You should come to The Roxy. 

When's the show?

2: It's on March 5th. It's the first show of our tour and our first live headline show ever. It's going to be a bit of a spectacle. It's a little bit horny. It's a little bit masc.

Then I'm definitely there. You guys have obviously experienced writing and creating for some time. Is there anything different about the way this project was created? 

2: I think the creation of a lot of these songs has like a new experience. Especially the way that Nina works and the way that a lot of those songs came to be… We made “Invisible Wings” first, and then “Paris (To Get You Out My Head).” And then we ended up sampling those songs to create a lot of the other songs that we made. So I think, “Chateaux” samples “Invisible Wings,” and “Girls” samples “Paris.” “Boyfriend” is sampling something else we made that didn’t end up getting used. We've been making new music together as well, and one of the new songs samples “Boyfriend,” and there’s another new song that samples the song that sampled “Boyfriend.” It's a really fun, fast process with Nina, where she'll drag in the song, chop it up and then add a crazy sample, and it's already unrecognizable from the song that it came from. Every time we work together, I'm so quickly inspired – lyrically and melodically. Nina is an incredible melody writer as well. It’s the first time that I feel like I've been a part of creating such epic songs so quickly.

That sounds like a lot of fun. 

2: Yeah, it is so good. 

If everything goes to plan, where do you end up? 


2: The plan from the inception of 2charm has been to just have fun and make sure that every moment along the way is actually enjoyable and that it's never becoming something that is weighing on us.
And so far we've managed to do that. Even as it's getting busier and touring can be physically grueling at times, we've managed to hold on to that ethos of 2charm is fun and, at the end of the day, easy for us. We see ourselves continuing to have fun, and it feels like tapping into that is a contagious thing. It feels like people are coming to our shows because they can feel that it's fun. So, in that regard, I would have no issue with us blowing up, world domination, but that doesn't have to happen because where we are right now is already so fun. I guess the short answer is world domination. 

I'll take it. That's a great subheader. I think the world needs more fun. I think we need a world domination of fun. So I'm here for that. I'm going to pivot to hopefully some more fun questions for you, too. When you're on the road, who is the better problem solver? 

2: Depends what the problem is…
If it's troubleshooting the technical side of it, like in sound check if something's not working, Charm is the problem solver. I glaze over. But I do think with big picture things, I generally have a very strong intuition creatively. It’s a yin and yang, though. I wouldn't want to be left entirely to my own devices on anything. It requires both 2 and charm. 


I like that. Duality.
If you guys could create a dream concert, with anyone dead or alive, do you ever imagine yourself performing at a certain place with certain people? 

Charm: To perform alongside Britney… 

2: We’ve also always wanted to play at Red Rocks. 


Charm: Maybe later this year. 

2: And we've just been touring in America with ninajirachi and she is our favorite artist. In my Spotify Wrapped last year, I was in the top 0.002% of ninajirachi listeners. So it's actually this insane dream come true that we're making music and touring with someone who we actually stan so hard… it’s like uncomfortable. Except it isn't uncomfortable, but it almost could be. But I think ninajirachi would be on my dream lineup as well, for sure. 

That's awesome. Who between you is the cook? And if you had to create a romantic, wonderful meal, what would it be? 

2: Charm is the cook. 

Charm: Making meals three times a day. 

He's a hardworking cook. 

2: Actually, there's a Bolognese that I have adapted from a restaurant in LA, Crossroads. It has a fennel bolognese which is really good. So maybe something like that. Plus tiramisu.

Charm: The Crossroads kale we've also adopted. 

I love how you guys are referencing Crossroads. For these last couple of questions, I would love two recommendations. First, a non-music recommendation: an activity, something to read or watch, a workout, something that's just good for your mental health, whatever you want to suggest. 

2: One of my favorite books I've read in the last year is called Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson. The whole book is written as a poem. It's extremely beautiful and insightful, and I don't think I've ever read anything like it. 

Wow, beautiful. 


Charm: I also adore that book. Another book we both read is Maurice by E.M. Forster. It's one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It's set in the early 1900s, it's a queer story. I don't want to give too much away, but it's refreshingly not devastating for a story from that time. And am I remembering correctly that it's somewhat self-referential to the point that the author didn't allow it to be published until after he died? I think 50 years after he had written it or something. Then it came out and it was beloved. I's a really, really gorgeous book. 


Love it. Lastly, I’d like a music recommendation from each one of you as well. 

2: Well, ninajirachi’s I Love My Computer is one of the greatest albums that the world has received in decades. 

Charm: Pearly Drops. They released an album last year, The Voices Are Coming Back. It's an awesome album. Beautiful. Hailing from Finland. 

Amazing. To end this out, do you have any farewell words? Advice or affirmation or something positive that you'd want to pass on to the rest of humankind. 

2: The club is bumping. The ladies look good, the alcohol is flowing. There is much pain in the world, but not in this room. There is obviously much pain in the world that we're living in, but it's so important to keep having fun and to have spaces where you don't have to be existing in the pain all the time. 

Charm: I do say every day that we are divinely guided. And I feel like it just becomes more and more true every day. I love that.


2: Claim your own luckiness. 

Incredible. Thank you both so much.