With his new album, 'Francis Trouble', Albert Hammond Jr says he has created the defining record of his solo career.
“I feel like the other records have great things in them and I still play those songs live, and they've taken on an even better shape over time.
“But as a record I feel like I've found myself and the performer I want to be in this record,” Albert says.
'Francis Trouble' is Albert's fourth album outside of his acclaimed work with The Strokes and sees him fully come into his own as a solo musician and performer, stepping away from pre-conceived expectations attached to his work by virtue of his name and reputation.
“I'm labelled as a guitar player and I'm put into the history that is music and what guitar players can do, and this record is there to break those definitions,” he says.
“When I fell in love with music I liked singing, writing songs and playing guitar so it always felt like who I was.
“Then in the media it was told to the masses that I was 'this' person and when you get really successful at something it sticks with you; that's who you are, which is a plus and a minus.
“This is a record I felt wold break those moulds, so it would incorporate all the things I thought I was and still am.”
The album is also Albert's most personal so far, exploring the stillborn death of his brother. Only two years ago, he learned a part of his twin had survived within the womb – a fingernail – and was born alongside him.
Wondering how this torn pre-natal connection impacted his own musical direction, Albert built 'Francis Trouble' as a characterisation of a comic book origin story rather than a strictly autobiographical piece.
Click here to read our review of Albert's 2016 Brisbane show.
“I just loved the idea that not only would I be able to use this tool of an alter ego while creating, but that I could actually have it have a comic book, Marvel-esque birth story; like he came to fruition in this way.
“That's why it's all kind of drawn out on the cover and on the inside because it almost seems make-believe, but it's a great way to jump away from my name in a way.
“That's where that part fits, it wasn't like I found out about that and wrote a record about it or anything; I just got to have a genesis to this alter ego that was just a true story.”
Albert brings 'Francis Trouble' to Australia this July for Splendour In The Grass plus two side shows in Sydney and Melbourne, marking another significant milestone in the expansion of his presence as a solo performer.
“It is beyond exciting,” he says of the upcoming shows. “To be able to get down there on a record cycle is not something you take for granted; it's a lot of hard work hustling people, pushing people.
“[Australia's] one of my favourite places to go so I always try really hard, but it came together last-minute and I didn't even know if we were going to be able to do the shows.
“So I'm really excited to be able to do solo shows besides Splendour In The Grass.”
Albert Hammond Jr Tour Dates
Sun 22 Jul - Splendour In The Grass (Byron Bay)Tue 24 Jul - The Factory Theatre (Sydney)
Wed 25 Jul - The Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
