Photo by: Jack Fenby
Cram together four perennial over-thinkers into an Adelaide jam room , sprinkle in some love, care, anxiety and affection, and you will get The Tullamarines with their forthright new EP ‘Ugly Cry’. Featuring previous singles ‘Never Do That’ & ‘I’m So’, the 5 track release marks a line in the sand for the emerging indie-upstarts, acting as the “first EP child’ from The Tullamarines.
Focus single ‘Head Roll Back’ is a highlight across the release, accenting the band’s ability to not only explore social zeitgeists such as income disparity (as found on ‘I’m So’), but to also wear their heart on their sleeves in a “once bitten, twice shy” style love song of fear & infatuation.
“Head roll back is about falling in love and just how scary that can be. Falling for someone else is such a rare and wonderful thing. However, when you have been burnt before, the fear of losing that person that’s suddenly occupying your mind can be overwhelming. This song explores these fears, but ultimately focuses on how lovely it is to have someone in your life that can brighten your day just by thinking about them.” Angus Purvis, The Tullamarines
““The Tullamarines is a band of overthinkers so all the songs on the EP have been created through a fair share of love, care, a touch of anxiety and affection. From Taller being the first ever song that was jammed together as a band, but was left on the back burner for over a year, to Head Roll Back which was written only weeks before it was recorded, they’ve all been born from nuggets of each of Josh, Angus, Benny and Cin that mesh into this EP. It’s the first EP child from the Tullamarines, so there have been some happy accidents, exciting moments, quiet moments, tired tears and a whole lot of love, and we can’t wait to see it in the world. “
Lucinda Machin, The Tullamarines
Artwork by: Joshua Herreen
With a knack not only for sharp & relevant songwriting, The Tullamarines recorded ‘Ugly Cry’ themselves, at Forest Range Studios in the Adelaide Hills, before having it mixed by Ben Waltho, Josh Thomas & Michael Cutayar (Amy Macdonald, Orchards), with mastering handled by Filippo Cimatti (Jeff Beck, Bones). Additional post-production elements were added in their own home studios, allowing the personalities of each member to shine, the “Tullies” more than just the sum of their parts, but a brilliant amalgamation of each musician’s talent.
“Once the bones of the songs were written, the fun part began. We all started to tinker away on the production style and sonic elements until we found the way the song that felt best for us and the most “Tullies”. The majority was recorded at the studio over a couple of weekends but we added some extra embellishments in each of our home studio spaces and then the songs were mostly mixed by ourselves too. “
Lucinda Machin, The Tullamarines
With an EP now in their back pocket and a 2023 spent dipping their toes into the water of domestic touring, The Tullamarines are also announcing their debut headline tour, across Australia’s East Coast. Spanning from October to November, the shows will see the Adelaide quartet reach Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne & Wollongong. Alongside the tour announcement is the band’s signing to national booking agency Seismic Talent, joining a roster alongside the likes of Alison Wonderland, Jesswar, The Presets & ShockOne.
“We’re so excited to set off on the Ugly Cry tour and show these songs to new and familiar audiences! We’ve put a lot of careful planning into the sets and these will truly be the best Tullies shows yet!”
Lucinda Machin, The Tullamarines
With ‘Head Roll Back’, the band have also included a music video to accompany the track, consisting of a Super-8 styled video featuring shots of the band performing, spending time together & B-Roll around Adelaide.
WATCH VIDEO
Having already shared stages with icons The VANNS, Teenage Joans, The Buoys & Towns, The Tullamarines have rapidly made a name for themselves as Adelaide’s next rising stars. Support from triple j (Home & Hosed), Spotify (Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds Rock) & triple j Unearthed followed their 2022 & 2023 singles ‘Television’ ‘Said Enough’ & ‘Never Do That’, resulting in an cumulative 60,000+ streams across platforms. Previous single ‘I’m So’ was the band’s break-out, with an immediate addition to triple j & triple J Unearthed rotation, alongside a triple j Unearthed Feature Artist slot.
Top 5 tips for production from making this EP
- Don’t overthink it. When we record and produce ourselves we have an infinite ability to change the tracks as much as we want, but setting a deadline and making a point to leave it if it sounds wicked.
- Leave it be! Akin to the first point, if there is something cool from the demo that we feel like we needed to “do it properly” in the final recording, it often isn’t as cool the second time around and the demo or first edition of the riff/idea is much more honest.
- Use anything and everything. We’re fortunate enough to have access to a few nice plugins and virtual instruments which are really easy to whip up and play something into, but using a random piece of old kit can sometimes add the charm a song needs. In taller for example, we used a PT-50 synth for a pad like chorus and lead stuff in the chorus’.
- Less is often more, a bit of a cliche but it’s the truth, sometimes being in control and having unlimited time…theoretically…to create means it’s easy to add too much stuff. That’s fine to do but if it’s clouding the songs roots, in the end, probably doesn’t need it.
- Jam the demos you make on the laptop. If you put together an amazing song on the laptop as a demo, it might not work very smoothly when playing it live. Live performance is a huge part of being a musician so making sure it feels good and gels live is one of the biggest challenges after making magic on the laptop. Getting in a room and working out the transitions makes the song feel more natural
THE TULLAMARINES ‘UGLY CRY’ TOUR DATES
Friday, November 17th Lion Arts Factory Adelaide w/ Molly Rocket & Sunsick Daisy
Friday, November 24th Felons Barrel Hall Brisbane
Wednesday, December 6th The Gasometer Hotel Melbourne
Friday, December 15th Towradgi Beach Hotel Wollongong supporting Dante Knows
PRAISE FOR THE TULLAMARINES
“I will back this band so hard forever. Fantastic song guys. It’s reminding me of the same feeling I felt when I first fell in love with bands like Ball Park Music, San Cisco, The Jungle Giants… sounding sharper than ever.”
Claire Mooney, triple j
“the tullies perfectly narrate my daily feelings. its a shot of dopamine, with thought provoking lyrics, and packs a punch from start to finish!”
Ash McGregor, triple j
“DYNAMIC is a word that comes to mind: it’s fast, it’s slow; it’s soft, it’s loud, it’s everything I want over a few minutes of indie rock.”
Stacy Gougoulis, triple j
“To fill the gap that the Tillies have left in the country’s collective hearts, along come the Tullies. I love this song”
Abby Butler, triple j
“Just the song to get you through hump day… with a buoyant and jolly feel to it. Fans of Two Door Cinema Club, The Kooks and Ball Park Music are going to love this. The Tullamarines have a gift for making armageddon look bright and rosy.”
The AU Review
‘Ugly Cry’ is out Friday Now
Triple J Unearthed | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube
