‘New Album’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release. Up next is Robin from Wellington-by-way-of-Dunedin indie-folk band Grawlixes.
When/where was the new album recorded?
The album was recorded a couple of years ago in our stuffy old spare bedroom which we converted into a pro studio by filling it with instruments/amps and hooking emerald curtains to the walls. It took about 8 months to record the whole thing, mostly because the interfaces we used kept malfunctioning! We used 5 (!!!) different Apogee Duets by the end. Astounding. And I swear we weren’t pouring water over them out of spite.
Who produced/engineered the album? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
We produced and engineering it ourselves, which I really enjoyed. The engineering process was basically me trying every microphone combination with every instrument and using whatever sounded best. Then we’d do an ridiculous amount of takes before accepting we’d actually got it last month. The joys of home-recording!
How did the songwriting happen? Are there any overall themes within the songs/album?
The songs were written in the year or so leading up to recording, with most of them happening while I sat on a broken couch in our old lounge covered in cheap guitars and no work that particular day. They detail the course of our past romantic relationship, beginning with the initial joy and excitement which gave way to dissatisfaction and despair. Classic Hollywood story. However, sadly, we didn’t write a comic-relief sidekick into the narrative.
Were you going for a different sound/approach on this album?
We wanted the album to be intimate affair, which honoured what we were doing live at the time, but I felt I had to flesh the arrangements out to keep the ear engaged, and also because I’m a maximalist at heart ha. So quite often you’ll hear electric guitar, bass, keyboards and even violin popping up. Hopefully each of the tunes sounds sufficiently different but also totally congruous.
Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
We used exactly what we could scrounge from friends: three different condenser microphones, and a dynamic mic. They were all highly affordable pieces of equipment. Ideally we would’ve used flasher gear but that just means our next album will sound impressive by comparison! I did use a cool technique to achieve the acoustic guitar sound though: along with a close-in condenser, I ran a lead from the guitar through a reverb pedal to a speaker at the other end of the room which was positioned nearby a stick condenser. The combination seemed to create a more natural reverb sound so we didn’t have to rely so much on effects down the line.
Is there a particular single/track that you feel captures the essence of the album?
My favourite is Set Free, it seems to me to be the wisest song on the album, and Penelope’s vocal is beautiful.
Is there a physical copy available? If not which digital platforms is it available on?
We have CDs which will be available in record stores dotted around the country (thanks to Southbound Distribution), but we’ll also be selling them throughout our National Tour so come along and get your mitts full! Visit utr.co.nz for more details. The album will also be available on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify. All the friendly giants.
Are you working on a video/videos for any of the songs?
We’ve released a video for Set Free, which had amassed a few hundred views on YouTube thus far. We will be sure to have a celebratory cup of loose-leaf tea once it reaches 1000. A video for ‘Lover Boy’ will be released over the coming weeks and we have video plans for ‘Been in Bed’ too.
Cover used with permission.