How does one go from being a typical university student to being invited to play at St Jerome's Laneway Festival after releasing just one song?
Being a perfectionist it seems, as Jock Nowell-Usticke can attest to.
The 23-year-old plays under the pseudonym BAYNK - a name chosen from a list of 20 that looked good when written down.
"I wish I had a better story for [it]," he says.
He released his first tropical house-themed single 'Sundae' just seven months ago after experimenting with creating his own music while studying engineering at Canterbury University.
"This time two years ago was probably the first time I got the software and thought 'I'm going to try make some electronic dance-floor bangers'."
Although it took about a year-and-a-half before anything actually sounded remotely good, he says.
And good it is - good enough to catch the eye, or rather ear, of Laneway co-promoter Mark Kneebone, who was sent the link to Jock's SoundCloud by a friend.
"I listened to the tune and was like 'this is great' and I asked around a few people I knew and was like 'anyone know him?' and no one knew him," he says.
BAYNK epitomises what Laneway is about - finding new talent, helping them and promoting the music, Kneebone says.
"Everything he's put out since then has been fantastic. I'm really, really curious to see how [Laneway] goes...He's an amazing talented guy but very, very new and just starting off."
Jock was in the middle of a supermarket in a Budapest when Kneebone's email landed in his inbox extending the invitation.
That was a "pinch-me" moment, he says.
He thought finding a job in chemical engineering awaited but offers from record labels and to play at gigs have steadily taken over.
Jock's music has been well received, with his latest track 'Could You' introduced on Vice's music channel Noisey.
The inspiration for the track came from an unusual source.
"I was struggling writing any decent music and [my friend] Stu Kruger rung me up and was like 'go grab the book on the bookshelf next to you and go to page three and write a song about the first two words on that page', and it was Could You."
The music video for 'Could You' was filmed at a mansion in Nice, France and features his friend Kit, his mother Jules and her friend laying down some serious dance moves.
'Could you wait' are the lyrics in the song, not that listener's will pick up on it.
"I hate writing lyrics because I find them all so cringe," he says.
Instead, Jock chops up his vocals and rearranges the pitch until he likes what he hears and it's deemed "catchy".
He has another friend, Lachie, who DJ's and ultimately decides if the entire track is catchy enough too.
"He's so brutally honest," Jock says.
Jock Nowell-Usticke otherwise known as BAYNK
For now, Jock is still exploring his sound and plans to release more singles until he feels "professional" enough to release an EP or full album.
With songs signed to overseas record labels already, it seems it won't take too long.
"I guess I'll just keep making music till I completely run out of money and then I might have to find an engineering job," he says.
"It will either fall flat or take-off, I have no idea."
BAYNK's Facebook is here.
3 News
