“I don’t really listen to them anymore,” Kirin says in regards to Embracism’s songs. “I did before, I did take an interest in my record, somewhat. When you’re making something like that, you can be too close to it. When it’s released, you can start to hear it through everybody else’s ears. As far as my relationship with the songs, I guess with the aid of hindsight, I get more of an idea of what they are, as opposed to what I was going for. Those two things are always different. I kind of see how I could have packaged it better, but I was happy with the record and I’m excited to make a new one.”
While there is still a pertinence about Embracism, Kirin is beginning to lay the mental foundations for his second solo LP. “I’ve written a bunch of new songs; I’ve got a plan in regards to the next record,” he muses. “I’m really anxious to get into it. This record still has a bit of life in it, and there’s more touring to be done, but at first opportunity I’ll be knuckling down and solely focusing on the next one.”
After a fairly subdued few years on the solo front, Kirin was all systems go in the lead-up and aftermath of Embracism’s release, continually bouncing between tours at home and in the USA. “It’s definitely been on my own terms, but it’s definitely been flat out. The record was received well here and in the States, I played a lot of shows and got a small but dedicated following over there. I’d love to go back to Europe and Asia, give that a crack before putting this album to bed.”
Initially experimenting greatly with a revolving roster of guest musicians onstage, Kirin has settled into a live three-piece formation to great effect. “It’s at a place beyond me being happy with it,” Kirin states on the show we’ll see at Laneway. “I feel so grateful for the two guys in my band, they’re incredible. I’ve refined it. I’m excited to bring this show home in Australia. I’m just having a lot of fun now.”
The most recent in a string of disparate yet invariably captivating film clips, Landslide features a spatially disconcerting, inversed portrait of Kirin dangling overwater upside down. “It was torture, absolute torture. Being hung by my ankles during wintertime in Port Melbourne, being dunked into the freezing cold ocean – I’m pretty sure it’s torture. It was fun, but gruelling. I was working with great people, and I always have fun, no matter what I’m doin’,” he grins. “The euphoria you might see on screen is most likely pain-induced. It was brutal, it really was.”
In his musical travels, Kirin has formed a myriad of bonds with likeminded musicians –touring the US with Ariel Pink, or working within Midnight Juggernauts’ Siberia imprint, and putting together ad-hoc onstage collaborations with Dev Hynes and Brian Chase. “I don’t really like to force these things. Things happen. Some people you can hang out with and have a laugh, others you can get deeper and have a relationship that lasts a lifetime. I’ve been lucky to have that with many people. I just went up and stayed with Tim [Rogers of Jack Ladder] for a couple of days, which was great. The Cut Copy guys, and Siberia, they’re guys you get to know over time through playing shows and it develops into something more. It’s very natural.”
Guitarist in Jack Ladder’s Dreamlanders, Kirin reveals we can expect a follow-up to the acclaimed Hurtsville sooner rather than later. “We recorded it, it’s getting mixed at the moment. The songs are great. I’m looking forward to it coming out. Again, I don’t really know what it is. We’ve moved into some strange territory, which is exciting. For us, anyway. It’ll make more sense once it’s released. But that’s where I like to be, treading a line, and Tim’s no different. I’m excited for it to come out, and I’m excited to tour it. That band, with Donny (Benet) and Laurence (Pike), is one of the best bands I’ve ever been involved with. Great guys, incredible musicians, real pleasure to be a part of it. So the idea of touring is really exciting as well.”
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
