The buzz surrounding Perth rockers Gyroscope is massive at the moment as they prepare to release their third album Breed Obsession next month.
The album’s first single “Snakeskin” recently won WAMI Awards for best single and film clip. Its follow-up “1981” is the most requested song on national radio network Triple J. And the band are whipping crowds into a frenzy on their Pre-Obsession tour.
I recently caught up with Gyroscope’s guitarist Zoran Trivic to chat about Breed Obsession, life on the road, and why Western Australian bands are some of the country’s best.
How would you describe your latest album, Breed Obsession?
We really tried to push the envelope of Gyroscope with this record. We have a feeling that this could possibly be the most important record of our music careers. So we wrote songs like our lives depended on them. This record has a lot of different shades from the super heavy to the really light and I’d like to think it tells a good story from start to finish.
You recorded Breed Obsession in the UK. What made you decide to work so far from home?
We didn’t really decide to travel afar purposely. We loved Dave Eringer’s work [producer on Breed Obsession] for his previous records with Idlewild. His sounds are broad and varied and raw but still precise. He lives in London so we had to travel to work with him. And he was a godsend to tell you the truth. A great experience.
We’ll soon hear “Snakeskin” as Channel Ten’s theme for the AFL season. Are you big Aussie Rules fans?
Yeah you could say that – I’m probably the least ‘sportsman-like’ of the band to tell you the truth but we do love our AFL. And I guess an energetic sound like Snakeskin could work really well with Aussie Rules – let’s hope anyways!
I loved the film clip for “Snakeskin” with those amazing crop circles. What was it like to make?
That was an amazing video experience as well as a life experience. To be in the middle of nowhere and near Stonehenge in the UK – working on a video for an Australian release. We love the uniqueness of the video. And we had a lot of fun doing the shoot!
What music are you listening to at the moment?
Listening to a lot of Bruce Springsteen, Lucero, The Police, Amy Winehouse.
People might have seen you recently at the Big Day Out shows. What was it like being part of such a huge festival?
It was amazing and probably our favourite festival tour to date. The shows were really well received and we felt that we played well. It was so good to have a new record on the way and to have the Big Day Out as a great springboard for the new songs!
You’ve been touring all around Australia for months now. How do you make each show exciting after so long on the road?
We live to play live really. There’s a lot of travel – flights, driving, waiting around, lack of sleep, checking in and checking out. Homesickness creeps in and out at times too. But we have a way of blocking out the ‘not so good things’ with the things we live for. The one hour or so that we’re on stage concentrating on a good performance and having fun while doing so makes everything worth doing.
What do you miss most when you’re away from home?
My fiancée Renae. We recently got engaged so it’s an exciting time for my personal life as well as my band life.
You’re one of a long line of bands to come out of Perth. What do you think makes the Western Australian music scene so strong?
I think the fact that we’re still staying in Perth – doing our own thing and staying away from music trends happening on the East Coast. For better or worse we are a little sheltered over there so we tend to be a little more unique on the West Coast. We love home and Perth is a beautiful city. I don’t think we’ll ever leave.
And finally, do you have a message for your Aussie fans?
Yep. I have a feeling they will be seeing a lot of us this year. I hope that’s okay with them!
If you want to see more of Gyroscope you can check them out on their Pre-Obsession tour. Breed Obsession will hit stores on March 8.