INTERVIEW W/ BIIG TIME: "It’s cool to be able to pursue something so personal with my brother"!

Best known as one-third of the Aussie Indie Rock outfit DMA’S, Johnny Took is stepping into a fresh creative chapter with his new project BIIG TIME , joining forces with his brother Matty Took - who has carved out his distinct identity in the Australian music scene as frontman for Indie Rock band Planet.

Blending gritty, anthemic songwriting with a touch of nostalgic swagger, the duo channels both their shared musical roots and a renewed sense of artistic freedom on their debut album '200K' (Out May 2nd). It’s a sound that feels both familiar and excitingly new - something fans of Johnny and Matty’s past work will recognize, but also a bold move into uncharted territory. With years of individual success behind them, Johnny and Matty are now stepping into the spotlight together, uniting their distinct musical voices into something entirely their own.

Ahead of their first UK tour, we spoke with Johnny to dive into the origins of BIIG TIME, the unique dynamic of working together as siblings and the elation that comes alongside sharing a nostalgic, sonic diary of brotherhood.

Q. What is the meaning behind both the project name ‘BIIG TIME’ and your debut album name “200k”?

A. “The reason the band’s called that is because we always thought it was a funny expression, when someone says ‘Oh yeah, big time!’  In general conversation, I’ve always been drawn to little expressions that people like to use in everyday conversation. We spell it with a double ‘i’ because it distinguishes it from other things when you google it - and it looks cool! The reason our album is called ‘200k’ is because when my brother and I were younger, we used to play cover shows in Sydney three or four times a week as our way of making money, and we used to play as ‘200k’ back in the day so it’s a little tip of the hat to that. We also decided on ‘200k’ because it kind of looks like ‘Took’, so we thought that was an appropriate name for us.”

Q. How are you feeling about kicking off your first UK Tour with BIIG TIME in May?

A. “Yeah, good! It’s taking a little bit to organise the live shows but we’ve just done a couple of shows with Jamie Webster in Australia, and a couple with Courteeners over there as well. That’s been really great because firstly, they’re friends of mine from touring in the UK with DMA’s, so it was nice to see them. Secondly, the venues they were playing were awesome so it was nice to be able to, basically play this set for the first time in nicer conditions - a big stage and proper PAs so we were able to hear the full capabilities of the show. And thirdly, it’s given us the confidence that we’re feeling good about the show now…we’ve ironed out any problems and I’m sure there'll be more to come but we’re feeling quietly confident!”

“We love the songs, we love the album, and it was really important to us to get this album out. You know, the UK is our main focus even though we’re from Australia, and one of the main things that Matty and I wanted to do was to play these songs live - so this is our first ever tour and it’s in the UK!”

Q. How is it to compose with your brother as opposed to your own original bands, you with ‘DMA’s’ and Matty with ‘Planet’, do you find it’s different in any way?

A. “Oh, yeah it is very different. Firstly for me, I’m singing in it and I feel as though I have a very easy job in DMA’s because I’m mainly just playing guitar and it’s pretty chill for me, but now I actually have to sing and I’m playing electric, changing pedals, so it’s definitely a little more demanding for me…but pressure makes diamonds so it’s good for the soul.”

Q. How are you going to incorporate your two different sounds into this project - do you feel like each of your styles individually focus on specific areas of your tracks or do they completely merge?

A. “Yeah, I think they kind of blend together! Growing up together, there’s been a lot of similarities to the music we like, obviously, through our own bands, that expresses itself differently because DMA’s is a collaboration - it isn’t just me…it’s equally Mason and Tommy - so that’s its own beast. With me and Matty, we’ve always loved bands like The Jesus And Mary Chain, Stone Roses, Oasis, and all that kind of stuff - we also love a lot of Country music as that’s what we grew up on. In terms of how BIIG TIME sounds, the three main things would be: we like noisy guitars, we like traditional songwriting with catchy melodies, and one of our main features is Matty and I singing in harmonies. In something like DMA’s, it’s Tommy who is the main singer, but in BIIG TIME, it’s more the both of us; I’ll sing the melody but sonically it’s the harmonisation. And, you know, we know through history that people love seeing brothers singing in harmony so I think it’s a cool thing to lean into.”

Q. Has this project impacted your relationship with your brother, do you find that it’s helped you two grow closer over the course of the writing process?

A. “It has actually! We were living in Melbourne when we made the album, we did it all ourselves in the studio I had there. We kind of nathered through the songs, made sure all the lyrics were right and then we just started recording it ourselves - through that we were spending heaps of time together. We recorded the drums ourselves as well, we did that last with our mate Liam Hoskins, who’s the drummer in DMA’s, and he’s going to be coming out and playing live with us as well which is awesome. But this has definitely brought me and Matty closer together and it’s really nice to be able to do something that you’re passionate about with your family. It’s cool to be able to pursue something so personal with my brother, who is essentially one of my best friends.”

Q. If you could describe your new album in a couple of words, what would they be?

A. “Noisy. Harmonising. Pop.”

Q. Will fans of your other projects hear echoes of either DMA’s or Planet in BIIG TIME, or is it a total departure?

A. “Yes, I think so. A lot of the songs that have made the album were demoed as either DMA’s or Planet songs at one point. The reason that they didn’t make those albums wasn’t because they weren’t good enough, there are just a lot of variables as to whether a song makes a certain project - especially for something like DMA’s which is a pure collaboration. I feel like for Matty and I, we both write so many songs so, just because a song doesn’t make it into a DMA’s or Planet album, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t share it because they all hold such a special place in my heart and I want people to hear them. BIIG TIME is definitely a really great vessel for Matty and I to have a collaboration as brothers, but also for the songs that we both feel so passionate about to have a platform.”

Q. What do you hope your fans feel when they listen to BIIG TIME?

A. “I hope that they can hear the sincerity and honesty in the songs. I hope that they can hear that the songs come from the heart. Some of these songs have been around for a long time, some newer, but they’re songs that are special to us individually in certain ways. I’ve listened to this album hundreds of times, through mixing and recording, what can sometimes feel like a hideous process, but when I go for a run, I can still put the album on and I get excited about it so if I’m feeling that way, I trust that other people will feel that way too. I’m so proud that my brother and I have a vehicle that allows us to release songs that mean a lot to us and get them out to the world.”

Q. Was there a defining moment that inspired you both to start this project?

A. “I think it’s just an accumulation of life. We played as kids, we played music together in our teens to make money, we’re really close mates and then all of a sudden we were like “Wow, we’ve got enough songs to make an album”. In Covid, we released “It’s you” which was a stand alone single and I’m glad we did that at the time even though we didn’t do anything afterwards because it made the project real. “It’s you” set up a world where it wasn’t a shock when we both came out with the project. We couldn’t be happier with this album, we love every song on it and we can’t wait to get it out to people.”

Q. Were there any creative differences that you both struggled to manage?

A. “There were definitely a few moments here and there. Sonically, we were on the same page most of the time but the hardest thing for me was wrapping my head around the melodies that Matty had written and adjusting to singing them properly. I don’t consider myself the greatest singer in the world - especially comparing myself to Tommy O’Dell - but we made the songs appropriate for my lower voice. There are two songs on the album, one called “Save sold” and the other called “No way”, and they were originally Planet songs, so I had to transpose them down just as I would a DMA’s song but they were songs that Matty had written. It took me a while to be able to sing along with the melodies because it’s different if you’ve written the song yourself, you really know the melody well and there’s something that’s quite natural about it. All in all, I think having challenges like that makes you a better musician in a holistic sense.”

Q. What’s next for BIIG TIIME following the release of your debut album and your UK Tour?

A. “The main thing is that I just want to give the album the best chance possible. We want to keep doing it, to be honest, I’ve already been thinking about a second album but we’ll see how people go with this first one before I get too excited about that. I think the songs are great, the live shows are going to be awesome but the main goal is to get to the UK as much as we can. I love the UK fans and their appreciation for music, they’ve been so generous to me in terms of performing with DMA’s. I just want as many people to hear the songs as possible. I want to put on the best tour for this tour in May and then I’d love to get over there and possibly play some UK festivals, that would be the dream.”