City Calm Down’s lead singer Jack Bourke has been itchy to release the band’s visceral new record, 'Echoes In Blue', since it was finalised in September.
“I’ll be glad to have it out [it was released 6 April]. We’ve been working on it for such a long time, it feels really old to us,” he says.
The Melbourne rockers will then head off for a slew of headline and festival sets in Europe and the UK in May before they return home for a national tour in June.
The band have already had the chance to test some of the new tracks from 'Echoes In Blue' at shows in Manchester and Glasgow late last year. “Manchester is the birthplace of many bands that have influenced us, so it was really exciting going there,” Jack says.
“Touring in Europe is a lot easier than touring in Australia, because you can get in a car or a tour van and drive three or four hours to the next city, whereas in Australia… you always have to get up so early to get on the plane, and you’re booking flights for seven, eight or nine people.”
Despite the challenges that come with putting on an Australian tour, the intensity and energy of the band’s live show redeem the ordeal for Jack. “That, and we get to see the music with a whole lot of lights.”
The rock outfit escaped to the Victorian countryside to record large chunks of their second full-length album, expanding on their old sound with longer, experimental songs that “don’t have as much of a pop-hook focus”.
While playing for 10 or 12 hours straight “kept the ball rolling” and somehow made for a less tiring process than the stop-start of tracking at home.
Parts of 'Echoes In Blue' have been in the works since the band was writing their debut record 'In A Restless House', although they didn’t know it at the time.
When Jack started to write the verse and chorus for 'Pride', they “dragged in” part of a song that didn’t quite fit on the first album. “It’s funny how that happens. You have these ideas that are floating around and have never really found a place, and they just sort of lock in all of a sudden,” he says.
The band has been playing together in various iterations for a decade, and 'Echoes In Blue' reflects their maturity, grappling with the trials of the modern age.
But Jack insists his lyrics are “more of a gripe, rather than a solution” to the challenges of social media saturation and a ‘workaholic’ lifestyle. “It’s difficult a lot of the time. I think it’s in some ways just the reality of being a musician in the 21st century.
“On the outside, things appear to be going really well, but what you’re really trying to do is balance a job with being in a band with seeing your family and your friends,” he says.
“It’s not well-balanced, but everything is still rolling along, which is good.”
True to form, the guys couldn’t stay away from work for long and have already started on fresh material. For Jack, this is the most enjoyable part of making music. “You hear it as potential, and the potential of something is what’s always really exciting.”
'Echoes In Blue' is available now.
City Calm Down Tour Dates
Fri 8 Jun - The Tivoli Theatre (Brisbane)Sat 9 Jun - The Gov (Adelaide)
Fri 15 Jun - Forum Melbourne
Sat 16 Jun - Metropolis (Fremantle)
Thu 21 Jun - Bar On The Hill (Newcastle)
Fri 22 Jun - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
Sat 30 Jun - Odeon Theatre (Hobart)
