2 minutes and 40 seconds with Bon Chat, Bon Rat

Today I interview electric music duo Bon Chat, Bon Rat — Reece Cooper and Russell Smith — and squeeze in a few questions about their musical influences. The Sydney pair’s latest single Burning Palms is out now, and they have an EP of the same name out soon.

Where did the inspiration for your song “Burning Palms” come from?

The theme for this song is appreciating your surroundings, in lots of different ways. We wanted this song to sound natural and expansive so that inspires the sounds that we use.

If you could collaborate on a song with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

This is such a tough question there are so many artists we would love to write with. I would particularly like to work with PVT or Shellac their songs are so well arranged. Song writing wise maybe Gareth Liddiard or Nile Rodgers. Production wise The Knife or Jaimie XX. Thats a lot more than one person isn’t it!

What is your favourite song at the moment?

Sleeping Ute – Grizzly Bear (Nicolas Jarr Remix)

There is a cockroach on your leg. What do you do?

Shake a leg.

Imagine you are going on a trip in some place you don’t really know. You can pick TWO of the following to take with you for entertainment: a recipe book; a DVD of some B-grade horror film; a broken smartphone; a plastic toy spider; a jar of silly putty; a bag of cotton wool; a Santa hat. What do you choose?

Jar of silly putty for sure, if you can’t make friends with that stuff then there is something strange about the destination. Also the bag of cotton wool would be great for hygiene… It could be a desert island right?

What alcoholic drink would you pour over your cereal if you had to?

VB

If people were dogs, would they stand on all fours or on two legs?

Two legs. They would also wear clothing on their top halves and accessories too like hats, glasses and pipes. No pants though.

You win the lottery. What is your reaction?

Anxiety. Followed by buying waaaayy too many instruments and a recording desk.

There is an old man, a teenage boy and little girl in a room. Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

The old man.

Chicken or fish?

Fish.

Walking, or ride a bicycle?

Walking for me. Rus is an excellent bike rider though, he can even do skids on a fixie.

Hats or caps?

Caps with flaps are back.

Fruits or vegetables?

Veggies unless it is fruit salad.

Glass or mug?

Mug, handles always trumps no handles.

Noel Gallagher or Liam Gallagher?

Noel Gallagher because he admits to ruining guitar music through Oasis in this interview. Haha!

Baked or fried?

Baked, there seems to be more care in baking something. Plus Shapes are baked right?

Do you have more black shirts or white shirts?

Black.

You are on a train. Would you rather accidentally sneeze snot onto someone else, or accidentally fall asleep and drool all over your shirt?

Falls asleep and drool, pretty sure that has already happened to me.

Pick something to dip popcorn in: salsa; cottage cheese; peanut sauce; beef soup.

Tough one, based on the assumption that the peanut sauce is pretty much satay and there is no sweetness on the popcorn I’m going the peanut sauce.

And last but not least, how many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?

Just the one that he has paved for himself.

You can catch Bon Chat, Bon Rat at: