Two years can seem like an eternity in the music scene, and for Melbourne-based musician Geoff Roberts – better known as Edward R. – it sure feels that way.
After releasing a string of singles in 2015 and 2016 to universal acclaim – including ‘Wolves and the Water’ which has amassed nearly four million streams on its own – and his debut EP Agrabah, everything was looking set to explode for Edward R. And it was at that point that he disappeared.
“It’s a dream, but I wasn’t prepared for anything else to come after. I wrote those songs in my bedroom while I was working on other projects, and it took off and I was like, ‘Oh wow, okay, I’ve got to catch up’,” Roberts says. “And that’s one of the reasons it all fell apart. It was all too much, too soon. Not that it was crazy success or anything like that, but I wasn’t prepared for it, and I crumbled. I had to come back and be more prepared and that’s what I’m working on now.”
Although we haven’t heard from him in the last two years, Roberts has definitely not remained idle – and the Edward R. we meet today is proof of that.
“When I first started Edward R., it was an extension of who I was. It wasn’t me trying to be an alter ego – [Edward’s] my middle name, so it was easy done. That was on the first record.
“Then on the second one, I had a bit of downtime for a couple of years. I wanted to delve a little bit deeper into who Edward R. is – is it a person, or is it just a band name? I wanted to make it more of an alter ego. Ed is a bit more of a character, you get away with a bit more onstage.”
As well as changing the way he saw Edward R., the last two years also taught Roberts a lot about himself as a person, better preparing him for what’s to come.
“In those couple of years a lot of stuff happened. After that first release, going on tour with The Temper Trap, rubbing shoulders with some bigger bands, all that stuff was really cool. Then it all fell apart and I was left with nothing, at square one or so it felt, so I had to pick myself back up again and give it another crack.
“It taught me how to be resilient. Everything fell apart and I lost everything – at my own doing, I kicked everyone out and got a bit protective over it – and I’ve come back and it’s all fallen into place. If anything, the last couple of years have taught me how to be, or try and be, a bit more resilient.”
Now Edward R. is back with a new collection of songs – an EP called Body Corporate. Gone are the sweet, folk-pop sounds of Agrabah, instead replaced by smooth, electro-rock. It’s unexpected, but it’s still Edward R.
“With Agrabah, those songs weren’t intended for anyone to hear apart from just experimenting with writing and trying a different approach to arrangement and sound – that real folky, but more produced sound was what I was wanting. I’ve always been a band person – a drumkit, bass guitar, and guitar, that’s been my formula forever,” Roberts says.
“With this record, I wanted to bring the two worlds together. That folky-soul influence, I still wanted that, but over more crooner-style melodies. I wanted to push myself. That’s what it came down to. I didn’t want to be pigeonholed as the folk guy.”
With such a huge change in direction – especially when compared to his breakout single ‘Wolves and the Water’ – fear wouldn’t be seen as weakness. But for Roberts, he’s wiping the slate clean.
“I have a theory that most people haven’t even heard the rest of Agrabah, so I feel like in a way I’m starting from scratch again. It’s a natural evolution, a natural progression. I’m always trying to update and keep people moving. You’re always going to lose some people, but you’re going to win more people, and that’s just the way it is.”
And with the Edward R. we now meet on Body Corporate, it sure does seem Roberts is winning a whole host of new people over. Even if that self-doubt still creeps in.
“You show your friends music and they’re like, ‘This is great, it will be amazing’, but then it goes out there and people who owe you nothing, they’re receptive. It blows my mind because I don’t see it that way,” he says.
“The songs are never perfect for me. I always want to change them. I wouldn’t have released the EP if I had more time. Perfectionism is the biggest killer for me. I would’ve sat on it for years and probably never released it.”
But we sure are glad he did. Because above all else it’s Roberts’ ingrained passion for creating that links both his records together. That’s the part of Edward R. that will never change.
“I can’t help it, I can’t help myself but write a song. It’s an outlet for me. Even if it all fell apart tomorrow and everyone hates the record and it was like, ‘Give up music’, I’d go work a normal job and still play music and write for my own enjoyment,” he says.
“It’s been innate in me since I picked up an instrument at 14 or 15 years old. That’s what keeps driving me. I connect with myself and a higher power and it feels good to express myself in that way.”
By Gloria Brancatisano
