What made this feel like the right moment to revisit B-Grade University, rather than waiting for a rounder anniversary number?
I really wanted to do something to celebrate not just 10 years of this record, but also 10 years of me as an artist. When you’re doing this job you find that a lot of milestones and big moments pass you by when you’re in it in real time. I very much felt an acute sense of achievement upon realising that I have been a working musician for a decade, largely thanks to B-Grade University kicking things off for me. I’m so grateful to be here and I wanted to celebrate that not just for myself, but for the fans and people who have made these songs their own over the years.
The reissue includes a reworked version of “You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me” with Tegan and Sara. How did that collaboration come together, and what did it feel like to sing it with them after they’d watched you perform it from the side of the stage years ago?
I have been a Tegan and Sara fan since I was a kid and getting to meet them and tour with them in 2017 was a dream come true. I say, “never meet your heroes…..unless they’re Tegan and Sara”. When the concept for this special edition of B-Grade came about, the idea of having them feature on it was a no-brainer. They championed YDTYLPLM when it came out and it felt right to have them feature on the new version of the track. When I received their vocal takes it felt surreal – dream come true type of stuff.
Looking back, how do you hear your own songwriting differently now compared to when you first wrote these tracks?
Of course my approach to songwriting has morphed and developed since writing B-Grade University, but I do feel like the essence of what I do is pretty consistent. If anything, listening back to these songs reminds me not to lose the fun and humour in what I do. When things get too serious, it can be easy to lose the thread and message. It also reminds me to just write for the sake of writing, not because you have a record to write.
You’ve talked about writing the EP in your childhood bedroom and selling your car to afford studio time. What does it feel like to revisit that period of your life through this reissue?
It has been a privilege to look back on that time with such fondness and gratitude – I would do it all again in a heartbeat. If anything, it reminds me that even if the EP never found its audience in the way it did that I would still be making music today in some shape or form. It’s a part of who I am.
The tracklist mixes original songs with alternate and live versions, including a triple j Like A Version recording. How did you decide what belonged on this edition versus what to leave out?
Since the original EP came out, there have been many versions of these songs put out into the ether. It was really cool to collate some of these and pick a handful to put on this edition. I deliberately picked versions that I felt gave a different approach to the original recordings.
Early reviewers picked up on themes like the messiness of modern romance and the comedy in heartbreak. Do those songs still resonate the same way with you now?
I think that’s probably a question for those reviewers! As far as I’m concerned, these songs were like journal entries from my early-20’s talking about navigating relationships, pushing boundaries and figuring out where I belong. Listening back to them now, I feel like I am able to reflect on that time with more clarity than if I didn’t write those songs, which is pretty cool. Records are called records for a reason – they’re amazing documents of time and place – and I feel so lucky to have moments of my own life captured in that format.
What was it like re-recording “Let’s Go Out” with Slowly Slowly, and what did that pairing bring out of the song?
I love Slowly Slowly so much. Ben Stewart and I are both born and raised Melburnians of a similar age who play rock music, have heaps of mutual friends and had somehow never met until a couple of years ago. I just cold DM’d him one day and just said “it’s so weird we don’t know each other. Let’s get coffee”. From there a friendship that I hold very dear blossomed. When Ben and I decided to do a version of Let’s Go Out together, my only instruction was for him to just do “the Slowly Slowly thing” and he bloody did it. I admire Ben’s sense of artistry, work ethic and raw talent. Slowly Slowly have generated an amazing community of fans for good reason – they are a band that cares about their people and I am so honoured to be one of them.
How do you think the response to this EP shaped the direction of your career, in ways you maybe didn’t expect at the time?
Absolutely. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect these songs to have the reach that they have had and continue to have. They opened so many doors for me and took me to some crazy places. More importantly, they enabled me to make the next thing, which is the greatest gift of all. With time I have deduced that songwriting and artistry is an act of humility – you are making something that takes on a life of its own and you just have to roll with it. I am proud of the lives these songs have made for themselves and I am more than happy to be their mouthpiece for as long as they’ll have me.
You’re heading out on a run of Australian shows for the reunion tour. How are you approaching performing these older songs live now, compared to a decade ago?
With gratitude and excitement. I’m pumped to play these songs to people who love them and have attached their own memories and associations with them. My band and I are gagging to get on stage.
For fans who’ve grown up with this EP, what do you hope they take away from hearing it again in this new form?
I hope they find joy in the way they still connect or even reconnect to this EP in its reunion edition. One of the biggest privileges of doing what I do is growing up with the people who have supported the music from the jump – it’s like we’re all on the journey together.
ALEX LAHEY B-GRADE UNIVERSITY REUNION TOUR
THU 20 AUG – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE
FRI 21 AUG – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE
SAT 22 AUG – MANNING BAR, SYDNEY
FRI 28 AUG – THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL, PERTH
SAT 29 AUG – JIVE, ADELAIDE
All tickets at www.alexlahey.com.au Threekingstouring.com.au
