After a massive year of collaborations, Sydney trio PEPTALK returns to their roots. Frontwoman Phoebe Sinclair breaks down the deeply personal rewriting process of their new indie-pop anthem.
PEPTALK wrote the first version of their latest release "Scared To Lose" in Los Angeles, they brought it home to Sydney, and turned it into something that actually belongs to them. We asked Pheobe to share the process with Local Sounds.
“We started this in LA with a couple fantastic co-writers Zoe Giosa Hirsch & Stephen Collins. The three of us each write and produce for other artists as well as the band, and initially this song wasn't going to be for PEPTALK. The lyrics were less personal and more about going into a relationship too fast. When we got home we all loved how the track felt, so we asked our collaborators if we could PEPTALK-ify it! We ended up re-writing lyrics to reflect a personal experience (dating closeted - yikes) and 'Scared To Lose' was born!”
PEPTALK's living situation matters. Bandmates (including Jay-Lee Kwan & Lara Frew) are housemates and best mates. The kind of setup that makes a 1 a.m. kitchen conversation normal. Pheobe says: “We've known each other for almost a decade, so having our friendship as our foundation has definitely made the balance easier!” We have a lot of love and respect for each other, personally and professionally, so setting any boundaries we need has been a fairly organic process. We each moved to Sydney to pursue music and moving in together was a natural progression. We help each other lighten the load but know when to give each other space too. Plus, who doesn't love an impromptu band meeting at 1am in the kitchen.”
We asked about the story behind "Scared To Lose" and the lyrics' meaning. “Dating closeted is such a tricky thing to navigate, and honestly it just made me (Phoebe) avoidant of facing anything. In the first verse there's a line that says 'I'm here hyperventilating, suffocating my temptation, hesitation's got a way of getting in mine' and I think that sums up how it felt. All the external factors reduce your own instincts and wants to hesitations.”
PEPTALK's touring run in 2025 gave way to a short reset. We asked Phoebe if anything sparked their approach to the latest release. “Our headline tour at the end of last year was in celebration of our collaborative mixtape 'Better With Friends Vol 1'. The whole project (and honestly the last couple of years) was spent in constant collaboration, working with 8 different featured artists across 8 songs! Finishing that run and that project was so fulfilling, and as we planned our next steps we decided to go back to our roots a little and do something wholly ourselves. "Scared To Lose" is the first exclusively PEPTALK release since 2024 and we're so proud of it!”
PEPTALK is very hands-on, but not allergic to collaborating. Lara and Phoebe, under the moniker Middleman, write and produce for artists globally. We asked how crucial it was for PEPTALK to maintain total control of the process “We are all hugely collaborative in our approach to music making. Writing and producing with/for other artists has helped us approach creativity with self-awareness, empathy and the ability to set ego aside to create the best product we possibly can. Self-producing the band has been a chance to indulge our own tastes, stories & sounds we want to explore. Despite this we're still so collaborative working with a variety of featured artists, co-writers, mix engineers, & mastering engineers!”
PEPTALK understands the importance of being positive representatives for inclusiveness and diversity. We asked how it feels to see fans finding safety, joy, and themselves in their music? “Our intersectional identities play such a big part in our artistry! Our stories and experiences haven't been a part of the main stream and they're what connect us to our fans. It is so rewarding to look out at shows and see audiences singing our lyrics back and feel them as if they're their own words!”
So what comes next? As PEPTALK's stage gets bigger, how do they want the sound and brand to evolve? “We hope that PEPTALK will always reflect our friendship and our ever-evolving identities & experiences. We have more music coming in 2026 that explores some sensitive topics and formative experiences. It'll be a bit of a different side to PEPTALK but these stories have played a part in shaping us into who we are. We're each others bandmates, housemates & best mates but that joy fuels our music and hopefully, our fans experience too!”
Listen to PEPTALK's "Scared To Lose" on Local Sounds
https://localsounds.com.au/song/peptalk/scared-to-lose
SoundVerge Editorial
Independent music journalism
