Pain Gain – Turning Point

Pain Gain, a new collaborative project of Chloe Kaul (Kllo), Hamish Lefevre (SWIM), and Samuel Cooke (CRUSH3d), unveil their debut single “Turning Point” today via Play It Again Sam.

Pain Gain began as a deliberate departure from the members’ established electronic identities. They loaded a car with guitars, modular synths, and a tape recorder before retreating into the beachside forests of southern Australia. Over the course of a week-long isolation, what started as an escape became something far more profound: a complete recalibration of sound and process.

“Turning Point” was the first track completed during those formative sessions, standing as the project’s emotional and sonic cornerstone. Built on eerie, swirling synths and a steady, metronomic pulse, the track frames Kaul’s captivating vocals as she confronts rock bottom. The accompanying video was conceived by the band in two parts, directed by filmmakers Joey Clough and Angie Kilsby, reflecting the divergent paths of a decision: to fight or to fly. Shot over two days in southern Australia, the video is an honest, raw first sight of Pain Gain’s visual storytelling and brings to full-bodied life the ethereal, almost ghostly sound of this debut single. It’s a song about rupture, but also about clarity as the band explain:

“‘Turning Point’ is about facing a moment where everything shifts. For us it was a discovery of a new way of working, a new sound and a new feeling. When we first made this song, the three of us listened to it for hours and hours on repeat. We always knew we wanted it to be our first offering to the world.”

That philosophy, that pain can be instructive and even transformative, runs throughout Pain Gain’s work. Embracing a tactile, imperfect process, the band favoured single takes, analogue experimentation, and the accidental beauty of mistakes. Songs emerged organically: melodies drifting through kitchen conversations, lyrics shaped by late-night reflections, and ideas bleeding across rooms in a house that became a living, breathing studio.

Moving fluidly between indie rock intensity and expansive pop balladry, the trio reject genre constraints in favour of emotional truth. Across the project, vocalist Chloe Kaul delivers lyrics that cut deep, exploring personal upheaval with unflinching honesty, while the band’s collaborative dynamic ensures no single voice dominates and each member shapes the music with equal weight and intent. It’s three distinct voices finding unity in vulnerability and shared experience.

Individually, the members of Pain Gain arrive with established global reputations. Chloe Kaul has achieved global acclaim as one half of Kllo, amassing millions of streams, touring extensively across the US, UK, Europe and Asia, and earning praise from outlets including Pitchfork alongside support from BBC Radio 1, while continuing to expand her sonic world through a growing body of solo work. Hamish Lefevre has carved out a global reputation as SWIM, an independent force in electronic music whose releases have topped the ARIA Dance and Vinyl charts, selling out iconic venues from Melbourne’s Forum Theatre to KOKO in London and building a devoted international following through relentless touring and a prolific catalogue. Samuel Cooke, as CRUSH3d, has emerged as a defining voice in the new wave of Australian club music, known for his unmistakable productions, sold-out tours across Australia, Asia and Europe, and a cult reputation built on high-impact releases and unpredictable, must-see live sets.

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