Features

Kirin J Callinan

Introduction by Roxy Merrell
Photography by Gavriel Maynard in Sydney, Australia

Armed with bags of charisma and an outfit for every occasion, Kirin J Callinan aka ‘Pop Oddity’ or ‘Space Cowboy’ has been pushing parameters far beyond and back again since 2008. Now it’s time for The Comeback. The Sydney-based artist abrasively takes on the realm of indie pop, deconstructing its prejudices using everything from euro trash to country and a mob of some of our most beloved artists. If we had to say that recent EP Bravado is any one thing, it would be meta. It’s post-everything. Kirin’s having a blast anno 2017, and he’s not afraid to show it. Embracing bad taste, fucking with your ideas of cool, watching you eat it up like there’s no tomorrow, as he swings, nude, from the ceiling.

If we had to say that recent EP Bravado is any one thing, it would be meta. It’s post-everything

We wanted to know more about the eclectic, epic storytelling that makes up his recently released album. Like, how did Kirin and Sean Nicholas Savage end up making a techno track? What did he get up to in the offline years? What moment sparked his friendship with Weyes Blood? How elaborate is his collection of cowboy hats? We wanted to pry into sentimental songwriting with Alex Cameron, and shooting a music video with Connan Mockasin riding a shark. We’d love to have gotten tales and rumours off Callinan himself, but staying true to his mind-boggling appeal, we didn’t manage to catch him as he posted Instagram stories from Wellington, Sydney, Los Angeles and Texas all in the same week. But maybe that’s exactly how he should be introduced. See for yourself. Get a load of these striking photos and try wrap your mind around the many sides of The Man, The Legend, Kirin J Callinan.