Bonjah
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

Bonjah

bonjah.jpg

“We’ve always enjoyed playing the more up-tempo numbers live, so we thought, ‘Let’s just make a louder, faster record’,” he says. “I put down the acoustic and upon picking up the electric – that’s just the way I began writing. Everything started coming out gritty, which I really liked, so we’ve continued to build on that energy.”

This year’s two single releases are the first new music Bonjah have let slip since 2011’s Go Go Chaos LP but their third full length album is yet to arrive. Mossop indicates that, despite the delay, songwriting for the forthcoming record has felt more natural and honest than ever before.

“We are really refining a more collective sound for an album than what we have in the past and using a different songwriting process. We’re also a bit older now and choices become more direct and certain. So it is feeling more natural and true to where we’re at musically at the moment.”

Bonjah relocated to Melbourne from New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty in 2006 and, after a couple of years inserting their brand of roots-tinged pop-rock into the live music network, their debut LP Until Dawn shoved them into public view in 2009. A number of years of songwriting and witnessing audience reactions has allowed Bonjah to recognise that, rather than trying to please everyone, following their own impulses and crafting music according to what they like optimally strengthens the quality of the songs.

“Finding what’s best for the band and band members so the music can reach its potential; I think that’s giving more to the people who listen to our music than trying to please anyone purposely. You can see right through any artist – whatever their craft is – that’s not doing it firstly for their own development as a creative individual or group. That’s where magic happens,” Mossop evaluates.

Similarly, over the years the band’s perspective on what they want to achieve has shifted somewhat. Initially the focus was on gaining masses of fans but Mossop says they’re now chiefly driven by writing the best music they can.

“The focus now for us is just writing and recording a record we can be proud of and it’s a bonus if people want to put it on.” Despite this stated quest for artistic sovereignty, Bonjah’s ambitions to cultivate a wider-reaching fanbase haven’t completely subsided and Mossop reveals their plans for a more rigorous approach to cracking the overseas market.

“It’s been over seven years in Oz, we’ve done a fuck load of touring and gathered some amazing fans and friends along the way, which we’re pretty honoured about, but we’re definitely going to head over to Europe sometime in the next year and broaden the horizon,” he says.

Speaking of broadening their horizons, Bonjah recently gathered a lot of attention for covering the hit single Royals by fellow-kiwi Lorde for triple j’s Like A Version. The cover has introduced many people to their music for the first time, which Mossop admits has generated mixed feedback.

“She’s an amazing young artist and we liked the song and yeah I think we’ve gathered a few more fans from it, but not without some haters.” A further case of the band stretching their boundaries is enlisting the help of hyper-busy production-wiz Jan Skubiszewski to record Blue Tone Black Heart. Skubiszewski is known for his recent work under the ‘Way of the Eagle’ moniker, as well as production credits on albums by Cat Empire and Phrase. Mossop enthuses that Skubiszewski’s lively character substantially contributed to the finished product.

“Jan’s such a great guy and a great producer. He gets into it just as much [as], if not more, than you do which creates an amazing energy within the studio and amongst everyone. This is crucial when you’re recording some up-tempo numbers. He and Mike [the recording engineer] really brought the track to life.”

With two singles now out in the open fans are no doubt getting antsy for the new Bonjah record. Mossop serenely states that the album is still a work in progress but assures that it will come out in the early part of next year.

“We’re still continually coming up with new tunes and having a great time writing. We’ve got some pre-production dates set with Jan to hone in on the songs and even write more with him, so we’re all pretty pumped at the way it’s travelling at the moment.”

As for whether the garagey old-school rock sound confidently expressed on Blue Tone Black Heart will be explored further on the album, Mossop covertly suggests the record will canvass a variety of influences.

“We’ve never been set to one certain sound when it comes to writing songs, and we’ve always had a pretty broad range of music we listen to, so we’re influenced by a lot of various artists and bands from all eras.”

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY