Mitch is an animator and illustrator based in Adelaide, South Australia.
Hey Mitch. Can you tell us a little bit about your tape and your song selections?
When I was finishing up high school in 2009, my music tastes were maturing beyond my parents’ love of Fleetwood Mac and my rebellious pop punk phase. As I was entering uni, I became obsessed with music blogs during the height of Bloghaus - the music genre that shaped my late teen years. While a lot of it was bootleg remixes and unofficial reworks, these are some of my favourite tracks that are still on streaming services. They’re definitely dancefloor songs - but that dancefloor could be at a wild late night house party, or at 3pm in your lounge room by yourself, having a secret solo boogie.
What direction did you take with your cover art, and what was your process?
I wanted to capture the vibe of the late 2000s party and music scene, going down memory lane to look at festival posters and cover art of that era to work out what imagery and colours to use.
I did a bunch of initial scribbles and thumbnails and landed on the idea of a “Bloghaus University”. I started with a rough sketch, refined it and pushed the poses ‘til I was happy with the composition, and then did all the line art and colours in Procreate.
I also included some subtle nods to Bloghaus legends on the cover too; a Bloody Beetroots necklace on the cloud, a bootleg Flat Eric throwing up a peace sign, Boys Noize smiley face graffiti, the CSS lightning and Justice cross on the rooftop, and the clock face referencing the Justice song “One Minute to Midnight”.
I looove the old Ed Banger Records compilation covers, especially Ed Rec, Vol. 3 which I still have on CD.
Ed Rec Vol III – Various artists
2008, Because Music / Ed Banger Records
Artwork: So Me / Félipé
Airbrushed – Anamanaguchi
2010, self-released
Artwork: Paul Robertson
Yesteryear – Cosmo’s Midnight
2020, Sony Music
Artwork: Charlotte Mei
Big Grief – Waax
2019, Dew Process
Artwork: Charlotte Mei
Freeze, Melt – Cut Copy
2020, Cutters Records
Photography: Asako Narahashi
Design: Dan Whitford / Rick Milovanovic
I also love awesome and ridiculous heavy metal album artwork too. The covers for Judas Priest’s Defenders of the Faith by Doug Johnson and Rainbow’s Rising by Ken Kelly are both super rad.
Defenders of the Faith – Judas Priest
1984, CBS
Artwork: Doug Johnson
Rising – Rainbow
1976, Oyster / Polydor
Artwork: Ken Kelly
As a kid my music taste was heavily influenced from my parents’ taste. There was a lot of Talking Heads, Hoodoo Gurus, Fleetwood Mac and Midnight Oil. I distinctly remember rocking up to school one day with my parent’s George Michael best of
compilation, which I absolutely loved, until I found out George Michael was very uncool for 9-year-old kids to be into (I still love you though George).
I had a pretty big pop punk phase when I left primary school, but then at the end of high school I discovered the absolute goldmine of undiscovered tunes on music blogs with some friends - and my music taste was never the same after that!
And what’s on heavy rotation for you at the moment?
A bit of a genre change from this tape, but I’m loving the new Kelela record, and Isabella Manfredi’s debut album izzi. Also a bit of Soccer Mommy, New Order, Miiesha, Carly Rae Jepsen and Yves Tumor.
What’s happening in your creative world at the moment?
I wrapped up some animation work for Adult Swim last year, currently finishing a poster for this year’s Papercuts Comics Festival, and gearing up for teaching animation at the University of South Australia. Always up to work on something new too!
Where can we find you?
mitchhearn.com
instagram.com/mitchographer
Cheers Mitch 👋🏽
TRACKLISTcompilation, which I absolutely loved, until I found out George Michael was very uncool for 9-year-old kids to be into (I still love you though George).
I had a pretty big pop punk phase when I left primary school, but then at the end of high school I discovered the absolute goldmine of undiscovered tunes on music blogs with some friends - and my music taste was never the same after that!
And what’s on heavy rotation for you at the moment?
A bit of a genre change from this tape, but I’m loving the new Kelela record, and Isabella Manfredi’s debut album izzi. Also a bit of Soccer Mommy, New Order, Miiesha, Carly Rae Jepsen and Yves Tumor.
What’s happening in your creative world at the moment?
I wrapped up some animation work for Adult Swim last year, currently finishing a poster for this year’s Papercuts Comics Festival, and gearing up for teaching animation at the University of South Australia. Always up to work on something new too!
mitchhearn.com
instagram.com/mitchographer
Cheers Mitch 👋🏽
TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY - Justice / Banquet (Boys Noize Vox Mix) - Bloc Party / Idea Of Happiness (Sebastian Remix) - Van She / Standing in the Way of Control (Soulwax Nite Version) - Gossip / Electric Feel (Justice Remix) - MGMT / Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix) - Metric / Hustler - Simian Mobile Disco / Deceptacon (DFA Rmx) - Le Tigre / Pogo - Digitalism / Swoon (Boys Noize Summer Remix) - The Chemical Brothers / Love Ave - Para One / Neutron Wireless Crystal (Trenchurian Remix) - Swimming / Far Away - Cut Copy / Embrace (Fred Falke & Miami Horror Remix) - PNAU / Sometimes - Miami Horror / Climbing Walls - Strange Talk / You Can Dance (Robotaki Remix) - Chilly Gonzales / Never Known Love - Thieves Like Us / Signatune (Thomas Bangalter Edit) - DJ Mehdi / Garden Friends (The Aston Shuffle Remix) - Kissy Sell Out / FFA 1985 - The Bloody Beetroots / Black History Month (Alan Braxe And Fred Falke Remix) - Death From Above 1979 / Epic Last Song (Lifelike Remix) - Does It Offend You, Yeah? ︎