“We’re just really happy that it doesn’t all sound the same,” laughs Farthing. “Each track has its nuances and different style. There’s a tune on there our keyboard player wrote which is basically a tango. It’s still a pop song but it bops along and changes and that’s the kind of thing we want people to listen to and then come along and dance when we play it. We’ve gone through ballads, rockier tracks – it’s good. We think people will enjoy listening to it. We hope it won’t be for just the one audience, as there’s something on there for everyone.”’
When I ask Farthing if he has a favourite among the diverse tunes they’re offering up to ears in Melbourne and beyond, he tells me that last week it was the ballad Waiting. “It sort of hits power ballad territory,” he says. “But I think this week it’s Up All Night. I was listening to that last night – it really chops and changes to be honest.
“It’s just an exciting time I think. We’re super keen to work really hard, put it out there and hope that we get a good response. We’ve been getting that so far in the short time we’ve been showing it to people and giving them a bit of a listen. It’s just super exciting. We’re pretty proud about getting it done. It seems like a long time in the making, but we’re finally there which is good.”
Farthing tells me that the band has grown through making the commitment to record the album and following through as professionally as they could. To this end, the band engaged the ARIA-nominated Robin Mai, whose work with Nicky Bomba has been broadly recognised. “We started at Sing Sing then moved over to Woodstock Studios to go over a few of the tracks. We found it a really good process to have Robin pushing the bar, making us a bit more professional going through everything. All the sounds, even the way we’ve constructed songs, asking why we’d done this or why that was there. He took us through the use of microphones inside and out, it was pretty good. At Woodstock with John Butler’s silver record on one wall and the Augie March one on the wall on the other side, it gives you a bit of a buzz.
“There were a couple of times when we had the songs done, then went into the studio and thought that we needed an extra bit tacked on there, or something a little different. It was good to have that bit of freedom and inspiration from Robin.”
The band are launching the album on Valentine’s Day at The Hi-Fi, ahead of an official album release in March. But before they get to do the fun stuff, they’re working hard trying to build on the buzz the album has already generated through the crowd-funding campaign and their strong social media presence. “We’ve already done a heap of the community radio interviews,” Farthing tells me. “They’re always really supportive of independent musicians which is really cool.” The busy times continue as they head up the East Coast to Sydney at the end of March, then off to Adelaide and Byron a little later. “We’ve gotta keep pushing it out there. The internet is a big launching pad for anyone, and we’ve been trying to push through the blogs. Hopefully it continues to roll on.”
BY JOSH FERGEUS
