Going Nowhere Fast tackles breakups, burnout, loneliness and the frustrations of navigating the music industry. What was happening in your lives that shaped the album?
The album was not really something we went into the studio with, saying “we want to record a full length album”. We more so recorded a bunch of demos, some singles, band members went overseas, had a break from playing live, finished uni, had a relationship breakdown, it was a huge huge time of change in every part of life for me (lead singer Ryan Barwick). The one thing that seemed to not change, in probably a frustrating way, was where the band was sitting with external numbers and the wider respect. Having all this change yet seeing not much progression in possibly the most important part of my life was driving me insane.
The album feels like a step forward from your earlier surf-rock influences. How has Loose Goose’s sound evolved since the band first started?
All band members probably have had more influence on the songwriting because we jammed a lot of the songs in the studio rather than sitting and writing them. That brought out our natural tendencies, which isn’t really surf rock. This felt like us making the music we want to make, rather than chasing an Aussie popular sound. There wasn’t a lot of comparison going on in this process.
Was there a particular song on Going Nowhere Fast that pushed the band into new territory or changed the direction of the record?
I feel Sneezy probably being the first song recorded set the tone and a standard for us. We didn’t realise we could make music like that, and so that lead to more tracks like Achilles Heel and Bulls in the Arena leaning more in that direction. I think going forward that is the type of music we’ll continue to push into and experiment with. Bolivian Boogie Sugar also was kind of our first dabble with funk, and it certainly won’t be the last.
You recorded the album at Brooklet Studios in Byron Bay with Cameron Lockwood. What was the recording process like, and what did Cameron bring to the sound of the album?
Cam has seen through our whole journey, and he’s helped us shape out our ‘sound’ a few times now. He brings a calmness and ease to recording, nothing is ever stressful, even if we’ve got an entire song unwritten he just takes it and runs. We all have pretty open minds about recording, but are also quite new still to the song writing process, so his ability to bring different ideas to the table is really important. The fact we were able to record 6 tracks on the album in two days with little stress is a testament to the environment cam brings.
There’s a strong sense of frustration running through the record, but also a lot of energy. How do you turn those more difficult experiences into something creative?
I had struggled with writing in the past, particularly when you’re trying to sound ‘good’ or artsy. You tend to over do it. You sound like you’re trying to make a hit, and that never makes a hit. This album I just wanted to be blunt and write about completely real things that people can understand and relate to. The industry in particular is scared to be critical, and that’s why we continue to see it eat artists up and go nowhere. If we tow the line we’re just like everyone else, and the whole point of loose goose is to embrace difference.
What’s the story behind the album title Going Nowhere Fast?
Max out drummer came up with it. At first it revolved more so around the album cover with the people stuck on the side of the road, but what made it stick was the way it matched the double meaning of the songs. Feeling like you’re not progressing no matter what you do, and being frustrated with it at first, but ultimately realising that maybe it’s right where you need to be.
After spending years building Loose Goose, what have you learned about the realities of trying to make it in the Australian music industry?
I think the more time I spend in the music industry the more comfortable I am with rejecting the ideas of the music industry. You’re told to value streams, to value the ticket sales and the venues and the labels and the managers and the big lineups. The reality is those are all great, but they are nothing without the people who truely care about what you’re building. In my view, we have already made it. We have an amazing fan base of committed goslings, and if that continues to grow we are stoked, but we’re not putting an arbitrary “we made it” ceiling when we’re already succeeding with so many great people.
How do the four of you approach songwriting? Does everyone contribute differently, and has that process changed over time?
I will write the foundation of the song typically on an acoustic, and then we’ll write the music, then I write the lyrics. That was changed a bit for this album, tracks like Bolivian Boogie Sugar, Bulls in the Are a and Stressed were complete jams thrown together, yelling at the mic and seeing what came out. We work much better this way, and having each other throw their input on others instruments has been a learning curve that we’ve really had to improve on. We feel it’s paid off.
If someone has never heard Loose Goose before, which three songs from Going Nowhere Fast would you tell them to start with and why?
I’d say listen to Bolivian Boogie Sugar first, if that throws them off then they be able to handle the bipolar genre switching of the rest. Distance for the softer side, and then a bit of Sneezy for the rockier alt vibes that were going forward with.
What’s next for Loose Goose? What are you hoping to achieve with the album, and where do you want to take the band from here?
Our goal with this album was to reward the fans that had contributed so much to the band in the past three years. To do so we’re playing a series of shows as well so they have an opportunity to sing along to the whole album, but outside that is largely out of our control. We’ll keep rewarding the close fans, and anyone that comes to the party is welcome to join.
25.09.26 — LENNOX HEADS — Lennox Hotel
10.10.26 — GOOSEMANIA PERTH — Indian Ocean Hotel
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