Brisbane alternative rock outfit Pilot Crisis are carving out their own path, blending a wide range of influences with a sound that’s as unpredictable as the ups and downs of figuring life out. Their latest single, Dreams in Disguise, explores the darker side of chasing fulfillment, where ambition, addiction and ego can leave you trapped in the very things you thought would make you happy.
With a knack for pairing hefty riffs with thought-provoking songwriting, the band are building a name for themselves in Brisbane’s alternative scene, having landed shows alongside The Smith Street Band, Beddy Rays and Hellions. We caught up with Pilot Crisis to talk about the meaning behind their name, the stories and sounds that shape their music, and what’s next for the band…
HEAVY: For anyone discovering Pilot Crisis for the first time, how would you introduce the band in just one sentence?
Evie: Pilot Crisis is about losing yourself in the chaos of life, knowing nothing but trying to find meaning, and steering yourself in the direction that makes sense to you – not just because you were told which way to go.
Where would you suggest new listeners start – what song best encapsulates Pilot Crisis?
Evie: I would definitely start with our newest single Dreams in Disguise. I think it’s important to keep following new music from bands because you are going to be seeing the purest example of where they are in life and what matters the most in the present time.
What initially brought the band together, how has the project evolved since those early days? And what keeps you together now? (shared influences, friendships, opportunities etc…)
Evie: I met Mitch through the Brisbane musicians page, after I had posted looking for a guitarist to write music with. Eventually he invited me to join a different band with him. Once things ended there Mitch, Tim and I created Pilot Crisis. In time Eliot came along and joined us, followed by Nick. Since those early days we have become a lot more serious about what we do, trying to get our music out there and experience incredible moments with crowds while playing on stage. We keep going because the passion for music is growing every day. Every time we write a new song we’re excited about, every chance we get to hang out as friends, every opportunity that makes us feel like we’re getting somewhere, it all pays off in the end.
The name Pilot Crisis is pretty intriguing – where did it come from, and is there a particular meaning behind it?
Evie: The name originally came up when we were standing around after band practice one night, throwing around options. At the time due to covid there was difficulty with the band meeting up since I was living in Melbourne – the news dubbed that there was a “pilot crisis” because there weren’t enough Pilots available to fly. We liked the contradiction. A pilot is supposed to know where they’re going, but a crisis is when everything goes wrong. It came to be that Pilot Crisis is about being young, trying to navigate your life, relationships and the world around you while secretly feeling like you’re flying blind.
You’ve just released Dreams in Disguise – what can you tell us about the song?
Evie: Dreams in Disguise was my take on the human tendency to surrender ourselves to things that promise fulfillment, and being trapped by the consequences. We start where the dream has turned sour. Our protagonist is failing and everyone knows it, though they put themself in that position for glory – surrendering dignity to the master of addiction, money, career, ego. Sold themself out for something pathetic, unworthy of their downfall and ultimately fleeting. But they keep on going, falling deeper into this misery, a self-fulfilling prophecy that clings to the mild pleasures that once seemed so desperately important.
What were you listening to or drawing inspiration from while writing Dreams in Disguise?
Mitch: The song was written instrumentally first where I flipped a riff I had from a major key to a minor and then was stuck trying to think of a chorus. I was playing a lot of Red Dead 2 and wanted something with a cowboy feeling which later developed to what it is now. It was a time I was listening to the Red Dead 2 soundtrack while also revisiting The Smashing Pumpkins and Avenged Sevenfold. Once I had a draft together, I sent it to Evie who came up with some of her best work yet.
Evie: Lyrically it was really clinging to the spooky feeling of the song, and trying to bring that feeling into the real world, thinking of what plagues people in real life.
What are some of the bands, artists or records that have influenced the way you approach music, either individually or as a band?
Mitch: I grew up on classic rock with bands like ACDC, Van Halen and Guns and Roses. When Guitar Hero 3 dropped I was hooked on wanting to play these songs for real. When I was good enough to play in a high school band I was introduced to punk bands blink 182, The Offspring and My Chemical Romance which further influenced how I approach playing a guitar and how to come up with the riff or hook. When I met Evie she showed me bands like Marmozets and Avatar and I returned the favour with bands like Waax and PUP. All these blends of bands smashed together help shape our sound where we can pull references from these bands during songwriting and easily understand what the other is trying to do.
What has been the biggest learning curve for you as a band so far?
Mitch: When we dropped our first single we didn’t have kids, a lot more free time and from what I remember we all had similar lives – working, relationships and bands. As we’ve grown older, two of us had kids, jobs have become careers and two of us go to uni while we all still play in a band. The challenge to lock five people into a room and create crept up on us at times due to everyone’s day to day lives. It can create tension and frustrating moments though with everyone having the same goal to create, you learn to make things work often at times with sacrifice. The love we all have for music plays a huge part in our lives so with better communication between us, we’ve learnt to make this band work.
Brisbane is a growing alternative music hub. How has being part of that scene shaped Pilot Crisis?
Mitch: It’s been a lot of fun just finding community through playing local shows. It’s the little messages that pop through our DMs saying they loved particular songs from our set or loved hearing Evie sing. Other times it’s the classic message of ‘I found you guys through a playlist/band/friends can we play a show together?’ We actually found our bassist, Eliot, through one of his mates saying he should check us out which greatly worked in our favour.
Looking back at everything you’ve done with Pilot Crisis so far, what have been some of your favourite or proudest moments?
Mitch: One of the earliest feelings of accomplishment was getting an out of the blue email from the Beddy Rays management team asking us to be on the bill for a home Redlands show. We didn’t have that many songs out at the time but felt like maybe we were doing something right to be asked to join the lineup for a band we loved. It was a similar feeling when our new guitarist, Nick, saw The Smith Street Band was touring and said we should pitch for them. The morning after there was a reply asking us to open their Brisbane show. It was exciting enough where I called everyone to make sure we could do it and to top it off, Will asked us to jump on stage with them for their closure to end the night. We didn’t think we’d ever play a venue that big for ages however, Hellions management asked us to open their show after someone caught our Smithies opening set which made us feel like rockstars to be back on a large stage.
What’s next for you?
Mitch: We have been working very hard on our next batch of singles to record where we have already started introducing them into our live set which have gained praise from Pitpass and Wall of Sound. We have one more single to put out and then we plan to get started recording and releasing new songs in 2027.
