Husky’s new album, ‘Ruckers Hill’, was over a year and a half in the making.
Frontman Husky Gawenda explains why slow and steady wins the race. “The writing of the songs and the making of the record just needed time to evolve, and that's just the way we work; we don't work fast; we like to have time and space. I probably wrote five times the number of songs that actually made the record, so there was a process of just getting stuff out and letting it happen and slowly refining it down to the album we wanted it to be and felt like we were going to be proud of.”
The album follows Husky's widely acclaimed debut, 2012's 'Forever So'. “I think that albums are hard to make in general whether it's your first, second or fifth. I think most of the time anyone who tells you any different isn't telling the truth.
“There are perhaps some expectations from people who already know and like your music. Then there are also the industry expectations of what your progress should be or what a second album should be. I think we tried more than anything to not worry about those things and not to let them have too much of an impact on what we were doing. I don't think they are going to help the creative process. You are much more likely to be writing good songs and making good records if you're not thinking about that so we tried to put it out of our minds.”
Husky have adapted their sound to address what they felt were gaps in their live performances. “'Ruckers Hill' is a little more upbeat and direct at times. After all the touring that we did, in certain contexts on certain stages we didn't have some of the dynamics that we would have liked, so that was in the back of our minds when we were writing and recording this album. I think that has resulted in a better album and a more dynamic album and I think it will make for a more dynamic show as well.”
The band's music evolves as their inspiration and environment changes. “Time has passed since the writing and recording of 'Forever So', so the album's about different things. Life changes, you read different books, you listen to different music; the things that are influencing and inspiring you are different.”
The album is influenced greatly by the city in which it was written. “There’s no doubt that parts of Melbourne pop-up throughout the album. I don't know that our music has a particularly Australian or Melburnian flavour, but I like that the place we live influences the music we make.”
As well as writing and recording in Melbourne, the band found it helpful to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, creating some tracks in a studio in Christmas Hills overlooking the Yarra Valley. “While you do have to take into account expectations, what your team are saying and market forces and so on, it’s also important to block that out at times and I think taking ourselves away from the city to a place like that that felt very isolated probably helped to block out all that noise when we needed to just focus on creating the songs and the album.”
Having played several successful preview gigs, Husky are excited to unleash 'Rucker's Hill' during their Australian tour commencing in November. “The show's coming together really well. We've got a lot more in our arsenal in a live sense and the show has a much more dynamic range so we are really excited to hit the road and play lots of gigs.”
'Ruckers Hill' is out now. Husky will play Woodford Folk Festival, which takes place from 27th Dec until 1st Jan.
Written by Nicholas Atkins
Husky Tour Dates
Fri 7 Nov - Bridge Hotel (Castlemaine)Sat 8 Nov - Karova Lounge (Ballarat)
Thu 13 Nov - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)
Fri 14 Nov - Small Ballroom (Newcastle)
Sat 15 Nov - Transit Bar (Canberra)
Sun 16 Nov - Brass Monkey (Cronulla)
Fri 21 Nov - Spotted Cow (Toowoomba)
Sat 22 Nov - The Zoo (Brisbane)
Sun 23 Nov - Mullum Music Fest (Mullumbimby)
Wed 26 Nov - Hotel New York (Launceston)
Thu 27 Nov - Republic Bar (Hobart)
Fri 28 Nov - Adelaide Uni Bar
Sat 29 Nov - The Hi-Fi (Melbourne)
Sun 30 Nov - Queenscliff Music Fest
Thu 4 Dec - Dunsborough Hotel
Fri 5 Dec - The Bakery (Perth)
Sat 6 Dec - Prince Of Wales (Bunbury)
Sat 13 Dec - Studio Theatre (Darwin)
Tues 30 Dec - Beyond The Valley (Phillip Island)
Wed 31 Dec - Beyond The Valley (Phillip Island)
