Our new album is titled ‘Vol. 3’, so I guess as the name probably suggests it’s the 3rd one we’ve recorded since starting the band back in 2012. The album is actually released in a few days so as I’m writing this it’s still not out in the world yet! Looking forward to finally having it out, we’ve released a handful of singles over the last year in the build up to it and the response from peers and fans has been great, industry not so much, haha. I’ve never worried too much about the industry though, you gotta just make the music you want to make and hope for the best, can’t let the machine dictate how you create.
What have you learned through the creation and release of this album?
One thing that always drives me nuts is taking too long to release something, I think a lot of artists suffer this plight. The time from conception to birth is way longer than 9 months, I wanna try and avoid that as the years go by. In the creation process we made solid draft copies of everything before taking it to our producer Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear band member and producer, excellent cook and motorbike enthusiast), I like that method but I want to always change things so next time I would want to get the producer in earlier so they can have a bit more say early on in how the songs should go.
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creative process?
Most challenging is getting everything recorded in the small window of time you have that the budget can afford. There is not a lot of time for experimenting hence the aforementioned draft copies, we needed a solid script before the ad libs came in. It is rewarding though after 5 days of mania to listen back and feel that sense of pride of creating something that only a week ago was silence.
It’s a hard one to answer, but are there any tracks that stand out to you most? If so which and why?
I think for me (Joshua Moriarty) it’s the song Waste. Lyrically it has the most potent lines, I think the story is cohesive (if I do say so myself, ha..) and gels perfectly with the music, it has the apocalyptic melancholy I wanted to lock down for that song.
How was the music written?
I wrote a lot of the music myself on the acoustic guitar while in LA across the course of a year. When I got back to Melbourne we amplified everything and then the other boys brought their songs to the table and we nutted it out in the jam room. We had also done a few writing trips through the year to different locations in Victoria where we would setup the computer and record a bunch of jams etc, sift through the best bits.
How were the lyrics written?
I took the most care I’ve ever taken on this record to get the lyrics right!! Took me months and months, I figure if you are gonna say something you may as well say it right and make it compelling, I didn’t settle on any phrase until it was perfect. The chorus of Tear It Down took me months, I tweaked it over and over and over until I had it exactly right. I would demo things on Ableton then go for a bike ride and listen and make notes and repeat the process until it was perfect. I don’t think their is one lyric on the record I would change, very happy with the message
How do you usually go about writing music and was anything new or different with your approach to writing for this album?
I’ll write a lot of stuff just sitting around with an acoustic guitar, I have a wee one and I’ll watch the telly with it in my hands twiddling away, something about that unconscious way of playing can lead to cool ideas. You gotta keep fishing, casting the line out. Then we bring those small ideas into the rehearsal rooms and see what feels good and if they stick after 6 months then we know it’s a keeper.
What are your plans for the album?
Put it on the internet and hope for the best, what the fuck else does anyone do??
Any advice for less experienced musicians who are wanting to make a living in the music industry?
Get lots of followers on tik tok.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Kashmir from Denmark are a band favourite. I missed that most recent Father John Misty record so getting into that currently. The Phoenix Foundation from New Zealand are one of my fave bands ever so I’m always listening to them. Ainslie Wills is a bad ass, Lee Hazelwood, The Karen O and Danger Mouse record is sick too.
What’s planned for 2020?
Play, make more music, write, record, play, make more music, rest, perform, record, basically all I’ve been doing the last 15 years so can’t see it changing, it’s either that or become a pool boy or go back in time and get good at cricket.
