An abridged Hideous Sun Demon take their new album 'Fame, Erotic, Dream' on tour in August, following the departure of Lee Napper earlier this year.
“We'll be touring as a three-piece, which will be interesting,” bassist Jake Suriano says.
“At the start of the year we had some things happen as they do with bands, people and relationships, but we're all on good terms with Lee; he's credited in the album and he definitely helped write a lot of the songs.
“We're trying it as a three-piece; me, Vince and Blake have been playing together since the first EP, which was 2013 – a million years ago – so we're a strong unit and I'm really excited to get on the road.”
Last Friday, Hideous Sun Demon released their third full-length album 'Fame, Erotic, Dream', which satirises the youthful naivete of dreaming about being a rock star.
“'Fame, Erotic, Dream' is sort of self-referencing towards ourselves and the music industry in general, like rock & roll romanticism, that sort of thing,” Jake explains.
“It's taking the piss a little bit out of when you're 18-years-old and want to start a band, go on tour and go around the world; then you get older and realise maybe it's a little less realistic.
“You also realise [that] how you view success changes as you get older and you realise the actual realities of being in a band and creating art in general.”
Jake says the new album reflects a balanced compromise of the production styles adopted on their two previous albums, 'Industry Connections' (2016) and 'Sweat' (2014). “I'm pretty happy with the album, I think it combines the strength of the last two,” he says.
“The last one was a little bit noisy production-wise, which some people like some people don't, so this one has a real clarity to it. I think the songs get to the point a lot more; they're still kind of jammy, occasionally with, dare I say, a psychedelic vibe to it, but it's a bit more concise and maybe a little bit more of a punk influence.
"The songs are a little bit shorter but we're still playing with a lot of our influences so I'm really happy with it.”
The songs on 'Fame, Erotic, Dream' are more melodic than previous releases, with Jake saying they don't feel confined by sounds or styles established on their other albums. “Definitely not.
"We've always had an emphasis on energy and intensity and in our songs, that's been a constant [but] we've released the energy a little but smarter. There's a few more breathers on this album; we always had quieter moments, but there's a little bit more control.”
Proudly hailing from Perth, Hideous Sun Demon are preparing to relocate their base of operations to Melbourne in preparation for more frequent touring and recording.
Jake assures us all they'll always be a WA band at heart and they're looking forward to shaking things up as outsiders in the south. “I think we're a little bit exotic, I think it helps,” he says.
“People see us for the first time and we're having fun and rocking out and think that's entertaining; maybe we're different.
"I think we've had a lot of time to stew in our own juices over in Perth, so hopefully we sound [unique] and have a unique performance. I feel like not too many people know us, which is great… I think we're a bit of an outsider here.”
'Fame, Erotic, Dream' is available now.
Hideous Sun Demon Tour Dates
Thu 2 Aug - Ed Castle (Adelaide)Fri 3 Aug - The Curtin (Melbourne)
Sat 4 Aug - Barwon Club (Geelong)
Thu 9 Aug - The Basement (Canberra)
Fri 10 Aug - Rad Bar (Wollongong)
Sat 11 Aug - The Chippo Hotel (Sydney)
Wed 15 Aug - Sosueme (Sydney)
Fri 17 Aug - Miami Shark Bar (Gold Coast)
Sat 18 Aug - The Bearded Lady (Brisbane)
Thu 23 Aug - Greenwood Bar (Launceston)
Fri 24 Aug - The Brisbane Hotel (Hobart)
Sat 25 Aug - The Eastern (Ballarat)
Fri 28 Sep - Settlers Tavern (Margaret River)
Sat 29 Sep - Mojos Bar (Fremantle)
