'Everything Is Beautiful' for Australian blues and roots duo Busby Marou right now – as the closing song on the band's fifth studio album 'Blood Red' reaffirms.
The follow-up to 2019's critically acclaimed 'The Great Divide', 'Blood Red' was the band's response to the COVID situation Jeremy Marou jokes – after he and bandmate Thomas Busby found themselves at home after extensive touring."We didn't realise how busy we were until we weren't – the kids were like, 'Oh, are you still home? When are you leaving?'" he laughs.
"We were like, 'well, COVID's hit, everything has locked down – we might as well go in the studio'."
With many southern studios also in lockdown, the pair took over Airbnb properties across Queensland, turning them into makeshift studios – with certain other advantages.
"They were very big houses, so there was enough room for both of our families to join us for a few days, or our partners to come up and spend the night with us while we were in the studio – or if mates were driving past they could come and have a beer," Marou says. "We made it so that we were very comfortable."
After tracking guitar parts in Cairns, demos in Maleny, and even doing some recording on Keppel Island, near Marou's home town in Central Queensland, the band wound up in Byron Bay's Rockinghorse Studios to put the finishing touches on the album.
Jeremy says the entire process has been stripped of the pressure and ego that often comes with inexperience in the music industry. "The process has been a lot different compared to other albums," he says.
"Maybe because it's our fifth time around the moon with albums, so we're just taking it all in our stride. We're a lot more mature compared to our first couple of releases. . . we did it the smart way around this time."
Marou and Busby also co-produced the record, which is something Jeremy says he never would have considered doing before he had four studio albums under his belt.
"I think when you're younger you tend to want to have more control, or you're like, 'no, I want to write songs by myself, and I just want to use one producer'. But yeah, we're just at the stage now where we're like, 'Oh, you want to write a song with us? Yeah, cool, let's do it.' It's very relaxed," he laughs.
"We did it with [Brisbane-based producer] Tom Eggert, among others. Tom's a young fella coming through, he's really good, very talented. But we'd be crazy not to utilise our experience in the studio, and that's kind of what we wanted to do."
One of Marou's favourite tracks on 'Blood Red' is one which was destined for the band's previous album, but never made the cut.
"I think we were over in Nashville at the time, and we get a call saying, 'Hey, Darius Rucker wants to write a song with you', and we were like, 'oh wow, that's huge'. Hootie & The Blowfish, you know?" Marou explains.
"We went in, and we were very, very nervous, because he's a superstar obviously and we're not, and he made us feel very comfortable: 'Grab a beer, boys, sit down.'"
The collaboration was a breeze, Jeremy says, and it was all over in less than two hours.
"He was like, 'Righto boys, we're done – I've made a booking for you at my favourite restaurant'. And, like, wow, that was actually the best part of the whole experience – the restaurant," he laughs. "But that song, 'Someone', is a band favourite, too, which makes it fun for everyone onstage."
Busby Marou will head out on their 'Blood Red' album tour in August, which Marou says is the fun part of the album-release cycle.
"Yeah it means travel, but that's what we love," he says. "Our live performance is what makes us us, really."
'Blood Red' is available.
Busby Marou 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 18 Aug - Harvey Rd Tavern (Glastone)Sat 19 Aug - Moncrieff Theatre (Bundaberg)
Sat 26 Aug - Yamba Bowls Club (Northern Rivers)
Sun 27 Aug - Miami Marketta (Gold Coast)
Fri 1 Sep - The Gov (Adelaide)
Sat 2 Sep - The Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
Sat 9 Sep - Brisbane Festival @ The Princess Theatre
Sun 10 Sep - Moonee Beach Hotel (Coffs Harbour)
Thu 14 Sep - Anita's Theatre (Wollongong)
Fri 15 Sep - The Factory Theatre (Sydney)
Sat 16 Sep - King Street (Newcastle)
Fri 13 Oct - Rockhampton River Precinct
Sat 14 Oct - Harrup Park (Mackay)
Fri 20 Oct - Tanks Arts Centre (Cairns)
Sat 21 Oct - The Mansfield (Townsville)
