Queensland band Grand Atlantic wowed us with their last album How We Survive, and they’re hoping to do it all again with their newie Constellations. I recently caught up with the band’s frontman Phil Usher to chat about the album, it’s unusual recording studio, and conquering the world.
You’re releasing your new album Constellations next month. What can you tell me about the album?
The album is a collection of 11 new songs that were written over the past year. We actually had about 20 written that we were working on and slowly whittled them down to about 14 which then made it to the recording stage. We have a couple of others that need finishing at some stage which we’ll use for bonus tracks or B-sides. We traveled to Seacliff in New Zealand for the recording sessions. The recording process was like nothing we have experienced before. It was amazing to be able to be away from all distractions and concentrate on making music for a couple of weeks.
I believe you recorded it in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. How did that bizarre location come about?
We were talking to a few producers and we really liked the feedback Dale Cotton came back with after hearing the demos. He’s really into the idea of recording in unusual locations and suggested the old asylum. It had been converted into a backpackers and we decided to hire out the whole site to make the record. It gave us the opportunity to stay on site and concentrate on the recording in a way we haven’t been able to do before. The Asylum is located in a little seaside town called Seacliff just outside of Dunedin with rolling hills, sea breezes and not much else.
I believe you saw and heard some really crazy things during the recording process. Can you tell me a little about that?
There were a lot of things that happened while we there that made an impression. We heard some strange voices on a few takes through our headphones when we had the doors to the old stable building open during a session. On another day we saw a heavy-duty microphone stand move as if it had been knocked by someone. Three of us saw it and no one was within a few metres of the stand. It moved at least a foot from side to side and was definitely locked into position. Mat says he heard his drums being played in the middle of the night and we also had a fire restart itself as well. It was quite a spooky environment, especially as we had done a bit of reading about the site before we arrived. Unfortunately many people passed away on the site during a huge fire, so it has quite a sad history. It felt good to be able to go there and do something positive in a place that has such a heavy past.
Did that experience make your reevaluate your position on ghosts or otherworldly phenomena?
I guess it’s different for all of us. We were pretty well focused on making the album, so it was an interesting aspect of our time there, although there wasn’t really time for chasing ghosts. I think we are all definitely open to the concept of weird stuff happening and there were certainly some unexplained things that we saw. I guess in the end, everyone has their own take on the reasons behind them.
I was excited to hear that you’re releasing this album on vinyl, alongside the traditional CD and digital download formats. What do you love about the old records?
We’re excited as well. It’s our first full album on vinyl, although we’ve done a 7-inch before. There’s definitely a romanticism about vinyl records. It is a different listening experience and also often superior to other formats. It’s quite obvious that the CD is on its way out and also interesting to see the statistics of increasing vinyl sales which goes against what’s happening with the rest of the industry currently. All of us guys in GA have vinyl collections so it was something that we really wanted to do for ourselves as well.
This is your third full-length release. Are you starting to feel like old hands at this at all?
It’s certainly been different every time. We have made a certain amount of decisions to actively change things up and try to progress as a band with this album. Also, we have had a change to the lineup since the last album, which has kept things fresh. I think we feel more comfortable in the studio each time, but working with an outside producer during these sessions was something completely new for us and added a bit of danger into the mix. I don’t think it’s a good idea to become too comfortable or complacent with what you do. I’d like to see us continue to move in slightly different directions and challenge ourselves as a band each time we make an album.
Your last album How We Survive was so well received. Did you feel any pressure following it up?
I think the only pressure we ever feel is self-imposed. My aim is always to write the best damn songs I can and hopefully write better ones than I have on the last album. It’s a very subjective thing, but I guess we always try to improve as a band in everything we do. Obviously it’s nice when people appreciate what you do, but making music we all like to play is definitely our number one goal.
The album features the single “Fresh Ideas in Home Security.” Why did you decide to lead with that track?
To be perfectly honest, it was a decision from one of our publicists. We had a pretty good idea what songs we felt should be singles and this was confirmed when we asked other people for their opinions. When you’re working with people you respect and trust, you have to let them do their job and put your belief in their plans. As soon as the album is mastered, we’ve done our job and it’s time to let others do theirs. We still have our say in what happens with our music of course, but it possible to be too close to your work and sometimes it’s better to have outside opinions from people who know the industry. It’s easy for us to get absorbed in what we do and lose touch with what’s happening around us. I think it’s important for us to concentrate on the music and let other people do what they do best.
You’re touring this album through September and October. Are you looking forward to bringing these songs to fans?
We’re super proud of this album and at the risk of repeating what every artist says about their latest work, we all feel like this is our best album to date. We have played these songs a little bit live lately and we’re having a fantastic time doing it. This is the first album where we can confidently play all of the songs live without hesitation. There were a few songs on other albums that were more studio projects that didn’t necessarily transfer to the live arena. I guess the main thing has been that we’ve been working very hard behind the scenes and we’re itching to get back out on the road again. Playing live is where it’s at.
In the past you’ve toured the United States. Are there any plans to take this album abroad?
Sure. America has been really good to us and we’ve had an amazing response there. We’re actually hoping to head back in October for CMJ Festival and also SXSW in 2012. We also did a Japanese tour last year and we’d love to go back. I guess we’d like to go wherever the doors open up for the band. Spain anyone?
The single “Fresh Ideas in Home Security” is currently available as a free digital download here. If that’s whetted your appetite you can pre-order Constellations through the Grand Atlantic store ahead of its September 2 release. You can also catch the band doing their thing live at the following shows.
30 September 2011 – Northern Star, Newcastle
1 October 2011 – Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney
7 October 2011 – Woodland Bar, Brisbane
8 October 2011 – The Loft, Gold Coast
14 October 2011 – Yah Yah’s, Melbourne
15 October 2011 – National Hotel, Geelong
Image source: Grand Atlantic Facebook page