Now, nearly three years on from his debut EP, Gorman is ready to unveil his first full length, Slow Gum;out this weekend via Barnett’s Milk! Records imprint. “The record was finished recording about a year and a half ago, but it was mixed and mastered maybe a year ago,” Gorman says. “In between that time, I got a permanent touring band, I got the management team that I wanted to work with and picked up an overseas label. I took my time and now I’m in a position where I’m going to put out this album and, for better or for worse, a handful of people might listen to it.”
Comprising ten tracks and clocking in at just over 35 minutes, a significant portion Slow Gum will be familiar to those who’ve eagerly followed Gorman’s progress over the past three years. His four most recent singles are all on there, stretching as far back as Dark Eyes, which landed in early 2013.
“Because making the record took such a long time, I was like ‘Fuck, I’ve got to do something,’ so I decided to slowly leak singles,” he says. “It sort of worked to my advantage, because I think that music these days, especially when you’re a new artist, is a singles game. It’s a good way to keep people updated with what you’re doing.”
It’s somewhat incongruous to hear Gorman discuss music from a strategic, business-minded point of view. See, while he doesn’t strictly make country music, he’s long presented a down-home, workman-like image. Slow Gum showcases the unique identity he’s cultivated out of existing tools and methods. But it wasn’t always a confident ride.
“I constantly have doubts about whether I’m qualified to do anything, really,” he says. “But my philosophy in life is, whatever you do, give it a crack, don’t be scared. In taking that on board, I really like songwriters, and that tends to lean me towards a lot of country artists, like Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clark, or newer purveyors of country-esque music, like Justin Townes Earle or Wilco or Cass McCombs. So I don’t know whether I’m qualified to do it, but I don’t think you get qualified to do it without just doing it.”
Above all else, the songs on Slow Gum are distinguished by Gorman’s vocals. The tone and character of his voice – immediate and conversational, if a little gruff and not entirely nimble – has played a crucial role in converting casual listeners into avid fans. It isn’t a classically beautiful voice, so it would also have caused some listeners to turn away. That might seem like an odd paradox, but the same applies to the likes of Bob Dylan, Bill Callahan, Arthur Russell and Lou Reed – artists whose key distinction is a make or break issue.
“I definitely learnt a lot about my voice making Slow Gum,” Gorman says,“just because I’ve never done that much recording and there’s a lot of different styles of songs on the record. You can only roll with what you’ve got and when you try to make something that you’ve got not what it is, people can usually see through that. So I guess I just try to make do with what I’ve got. The way you sing is your style. If people don’t like it then whatever.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
