You’ve collaborated with talented artists like Tom Spall. What’s the creative process like when you’re in the studio together? It’s a lot of fun, laughs and natural wine to tell you the truth. Tom and I have worked together on so many different projects over the years and we’re also close personal friends. We communicate big ideas and concepts openly and trust each other’s judgement. Leather Trim is a complex album but it was recorded remarkably efficiently in hindsight. Generally I would take a song to Tom’s studio after dinner and we would create it entirely overnight, listen back to it after breakfast the next morning and ‘add to cart’. Vic Conrad was almost always present and contributed heavily – as did all the guests who passed through. It’s special making things with your friends.
Your lyrics are quite surreal and evocative. Where do you find your inspiration when writing? I had to read the Christian bible a lot when I was a child and I possibly developed a bit of a knack for telling simple stories in grandiose ways through that experience. I’ve been quite fond of literature during my adult life and I consumed a good number of the classics throughout my 20s and early 30s. Words are cool and powerful and if you put the right ones together, you can make your feelings sound clever.
You mentioned the sound being like “a slightly malfunctioning vintage robot.” Can you elaborate on that concept? Well, the sound of Leather Trim is quite seriously lopsided but still somehow reconcilable. The rhythms are consistently wonky, the tones aren’t available “off-the-shelf” and the overall aesthetic is flawed, difficult to locate and impossible to recreate. These types of qualities are generally rejected by the mainstream but pursued by the relevant enthusiast.
In what ways do you think your previous projects, like Wireheads and Dom & the Wizards, have influenced your work as Dom Sensitive? I guess it’s like anything: the more you do it, the more you learn about it. I’ve written, recorded and released 92 songs under the various names and I’d like to think that each one has informed the next in some way or another. I’ve also been heavily influenced by the other members and collaborators of both Wireheads and Dom & The Wizards over the years. They’re a tasteful and stylish bunch of people.
Can you share some insight into one of your favorite tracks on Leather Trim and what it means to you? I admire the spirit and ambition of The Second Day of Spring. I knew when I was writing it that it wouldn’t be a short song, but I wasn’t thinking it would go for 11 odd minutes. Guitars out, saxophones in – and a psychedelic amble up and down the coast! I hope to start writing a novel someday soon and I hope it’s as lively and adventurous as this song. Fun fact: The Second Day of Spring features samples from two (2) different Wireheads songs – along with a number of other samples I made/collected in my travels.
Do you have any exciting plans or surprises for your Naarm/Melbourne launch? We’re looking forward to it! You bet! I’ll be announcing this soon. The show will be in November and I believe I have secured the support of my favourite contemporary song-maker. Wild!