More than a decade on from their last release, Melbourne dream-pop outfit Denim Owl are finally delivering a full-length.
The self-titled debut lands 10 July, ahead of a launch at Cactus Room in Thornbury on 8 August. Lead singer-songwriter Janita Foley isn’t precious about the “debut” tag, either.
“Well, I haven’t released a full-length album before, so I don’t think ‘debut’ is entirely inaccurate,” she says. “It is our debut in so far as full-length LPs are concerned, given that the discography to date consists of three EPs.”
Denim Owl album launch
- Cactus Room, Thornbury
- 8 August, doors 2pm
- Tickets $15
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The record came together over four years at Collarts, following the Blank Face EP (2013) and the Darling/Medicine double single (2015). Foley calls it “a labour of love, and these things take time”. Recent singles Fall Apart and Waiting Inside offered a first taste of what she describes as synthpop decoupage.
“I’ve always liked to think that the vocals, the lyrics, are just another instrument, like anything else,” she says. “That’s always been my methodology.”
The launch doubles as a coming-out for Foley’s brother Joe – aka Extreme Wheeze – who unveils his own album Dreams on the same bill, alongside Geoffrey O’Connor. It makes for about the most sibling-y afternoon going.
“Releasing them side by side makes sense as neither Joe nor myself like to make a fuss but I think both of these records deserve a bit of song and dance,” Foley says. Beyond the shared blood and producer Gus Franklin, she points to “the last zone of confluence is that of Joe being an owl”. As she puts it: “We’re as invested in each other’s albums as we are in our own.”
Denim Owl draw players from Architecture in Helsinki, NO ZU, The Motifs and Ciggie Witch, with guests including Isobel Knowles, Cayn Borthwick and Alex Badham. Wrangling that many hands is no drama – “there’s good energy in the Denim Owl zone,” Foley says – though the chain of command is settled. “Everyone in the band is a valued collaborator towards the music. Except that I am the overrider of all creative decisions, of course.”
Then there are the wig-outs. “The term ‘wig-out’ sort of cropped up in our early rehearsal days, to describe the improvised sections in our songs,” she explains. “Sometimes we’d refer to band practice as wigs, like ‘Great wigs’ and ‘See you at wigs!’.” The album’s humour, meanwhile, is best filed under un-serious. “Maybe un-serious is a better term for the overall tone.”
As for those 2pm doors, the logic is refreshingly low-key. “It’s so that everyone can enjoy an early night,” Foley says.
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