Made in Japan are a Sydney band on the rise. They gave us a taste of their unique sound with the breakout single “Oxford Décor,” the first track from their debut album Sights and Sounds. With that record hitting stores later this month I caught up with founding member James Cooney to chat about the LP, the band’s upcoming tour dates, and what comes next.
You’re a Sydney band, so where did the name Made in Japan come from?
We were just throwing names around one afternoon, and Made in Japan just seemed to catch on. It sounds some what technological and advanced; precise. I think it lends itself to our sound in that way.
I’ve heard your music described in different ways by so many critics. How would you sum it up?
I’ve heard it described in so many different ways too! From my perspective I think our music is quite dreamy and melancholic with nostalgic flashes of the best Australian summer you ever had. We take a lot from the mood of shoegaze bands such as Slowdive and Lush but our take on it is a bit more symphonic with some added pop sensibilites. As for genre umbrellas: dream-pop sounds right to me. Indie’s too broad.
You were one of the first acts discovered through General Pants Co.’s Major Label initiative, which seems like such a great program for unearthing new talent. What did it do for you?
All the usual stuff like some Triple J play, lots of FBi love and some new clothes. Apart from that it’s only a single release so it doesn’t have a whole lot of longevity. That’s up to you.
And now fast-forward and bit and you’re preparing to release your debut album Sights and Sounds. How would you describe it?
An album lover’s album. It will take a few spins to get a feel for the thing but we wanted to make a grower of a record and I think that’s what we’ve done. It’s structured in two movements like a vinyl so hopefully we’ll get to put a vinyl copy out at some stage. In terms of how it sounds, refer to question two.
After spending so many years honing your craft on stage it must be interesting to step inside a studio. What was the recording process like for you?
It was fast at points and long-winded in others. We recorded the whole thing broken up over the course of six months but most of the instrumentation was laid down in two days playing all the songs live to tape. It was a really rewarding way to work and it makes the album feel really honest to what we’re like live. We went to Melbourne a few months later to track vocals and mix it.
I hear that after you worked with producer Paul “Woody” Annison on your single “Oxford Décor” you knew he was the man to work on your album. What does he bring to your sound?
He just brings an unflinchingly honest outside opinion to all our music and he’s really committed to making every song the best it can be. He did that with “Oxford Décor” and improved it massively so we knew we wanted to run the album past him before we put it on there.
On the same day the album hits stores you’re playing a launch gig in your hometown. How important was it for you to start the album tour there?
I guess the Sydney fans have been there for us from the beginning. We haven’t done a huge amount of touring as of yet so we’re still working on the other states. We’re just really happy that the record will finally be out there and we wanted to celebrate with the people that helped make it happen first.
You spent so much time on stage last year, and you’re starting 2012 the same way. What do you love most about playing live?
Simply just seeing the audience connect with our music. Whether that’s having a marathon dance or standing up the back being contemplative is dependent on the individual, but if we manage to captivate them, that’s more than I could ever ask for.
Only a few tour dates have been announced so far, but I hear there’ll be more to come. If you could play anywhere in Australia, where would it be?
I’m going to go hometown on you and say The Enmore Theatre, Sydney. Saw my first gig there, worked there for a little while and saw heaps of bands. It’s a great sounding room and it has a great atmosphere and a great history. Would love to play there.
After this album tour wraps up, what’s next on the agenda for Made in Japan?
Finish writing our second record, which is well underway, do another tour and then head into the studio. We’ve just hit a roll, so why stop now? There’ll be a new MIJ record by the time 2013 comes around. Promise.
Sights and Sounds hits stores on February 25. They’ll play shows at Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory on February 25, Melbourne’s Horse Bazaar on March 17, and Brisbane’s Beetle Bar on April 6, with more dates to come.
Image used with permission from Footstomp Music