The Urban Crowley Collective

Where are you currently based?

S: Belgrave bitches. T: Brunswick East!

How did you first start playing music?

T: Ever since I can remember, Sean has played music. One day as an early teen, he picked up mum’s abandoned acoustic guitar and found after tinkering, he could play pretty much anything… this was the same with any instrument you put in front of him. I, on the other hand, came to it way later. At 28, It was like a light got flicked inside my brain and I couldn’t stop the flow of these strange & archaic songs from pouring out of my brain. Accompanied with a plastic toy tambourine, I recorded everything on the voice memo app of my phone & went for it. I sent every strange and childlike song to Sean, which led to us finally recording this album together.

How did The Urban Crowley Collective first come to be?

T: When we were kids, (children of the 90’s) we’d record ourselves on our tape deck. We’d do covers of Elvis and Beach Boys… and cheesy 90’s commercials- Decore (a shampoo commercial) being a popular favourite of mine. After one particularly banging rendition of Decore, Sean back announced to our millions of imaginary fans… “That was, THE URBAN CROWLEY COLLECTIVE!”

That cassette then just sat in a dusty cupboard for years, and by chance it was found whilst we were making the record. So that’s the genesis of the name. Sean’s now a film composer and I’m an Actor, so we would occasionally work together on other peoples projects. So when out of the blue I decided that I was a musician too, Sean was where I turned … now we have an album.

What’s been happening recently?

T: We’ve just released our first single and music video ‘A God I Can Relate To’, so all my attention has been focused on this. Also a series I acted in at the start of the year named ‘Hard Times To Fall In Love’, has also just premiered online over at hardtimestv.com It’s been awesome celebrating this gem with the world.

Your debut album ‘Born of A Dying Star’ will be released later this year, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

S: I think I was just having one my periodical 60’s/70’s throwback sessions after Bowie died. So I was listening to a bunch of Bowie, Beatles, Beach Boys and even getting into Wings for the first time. So after that I made the conscious decision to write what I call “songy” songs, when Tegan hit me up to start making music together. So timing really.

How did you go about writing the music?

S: I just demoed all the tracks using different toys at different times, and then used the demo’s to arrange for Tegs’ new vocal parts. And then we charted the tracks for a small ensemble, so we could track them using more traditional recording processes, which was super fun.

Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?

S: My go to man for all my work across the last decade has been Luke Postill, who plays a whole bunch of guitars, bass and pedal steel on the record. So he helped track the original band sessions and then we both shared all the Producing and Mixing tasks.

How did you approach the recording process?

S: Luke, Tegan & I performed all the rhythm section parts together with BJ Morrizonkle on piano, who I was already a mega fan of and Daniel Brates on drums, so it def felt like an pretty special band. Everything they did was pitch perfect. And we smashed the spine of the record out in one massive 14hr day in a big empty basketball stadium. All live, spill in mics, the whole shebang. Then we added a few years worth of over dubs. Orchestra’s, percussion, tons of vocals. It’s pretty dense sonically.

What programs/equipment did you use?

S: Luke & I share a portable Pro Tools rig which we use for band sessions. Some very sweet sounding mics and pre’s. It’s nice feeling a little bit pro at this stage in our career.

The first single ‘A God I Can Relate To’ was released on 23 April 2021, what does this track mean to you?

S: All the tracks on this album tend to reflect a perspective on mortality in one way or another. But this is a funny one for us to start with, as lyrically it’s about yearning to be successful and watching others get ahead, and then dealing with that never ending narrative as we age and gain new perspectives. Ya know 🙂

You also have a second single ‘Oh Lord, Please Bestowesth Upon My Son His Daily Dose Of Dimethyltryptamine’ to be released 16 May 2021, how did this track come to be and what is the significance to you?

S: This is an oldy, and has appeared once before on a weird little EP I self-produced years ago, but I’ve always thought it had more life in it. It’s another reflection on what it means to live a life, and plays out a funny little pantomime between someone who has just died and is now standing at the pearly gates reflecting on what was the whole point of it all. I’m not religious myself, but I do like the using these type of archetypal characters in my work. God’s a gas. But there are few gems in the lyrics.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

T: Sappho’s debut single ‘Flex’!!!! Also Lana Del Ray’s new album, and I’m loving Maple Glider’s new tracks.

What do you like to do away from music?

T: Acting always!… taking pics, surfing & hiking with my fella and spending time with my gals!

S: We’re both like writing. We’re both separately working on books at the moment so watch this space. That and raising my three manic humans.

What’s planned for 2021?

T: Same thing we do every year…. try to take over the world!

Favourite food and place to hangout?

T: NYALA Ethiopian on Brunswick St!!! Also… home hahaha. Going back to Mum & Dads for Mums cooking. yum.