Perth new-wave post-punks Ah Trees are branching out with a new single 'How Long Must We Wait', which they'll be showing off at WAMFest Live in November.
Ah Trees have grown quickly since sprouting up in late 2016 with their self-titled debut EP. They followed-up the first record with a series of singles, most recently their seven-minute spacey synth epic 'Nomads & Pilgrims', which RTRFM added to their RTR Selections.
Ah Trees will be performing at WAMFest prior to the official launch of 'How Long Must We Wait' in late November.
Ahead of their WAMFest shows, we catch up with the band to discuss new music.
Tell us about the new single 'How Long Must We Wait'?
'How Long...' sees us going back to our new-wave roots when we first started Ah Trees. It is a low-fi, fuzzy, washed-out track that we feel is our most 'us' tune to date.
It's a little rougher and heavier than what people might be expecting and that excites us. We recorded and produced it ourselves with additional mixing by our close friend Cameron Parkin.
The track is aptly named referring to a year where as a band we've been plagued with illness, injury, bad news and separation.
The song delves into the anxieties from being isolated from the community we love for so long, the fear of fading away to nothing and realising at the end of it all, it doesn't matter, all that matters is we're content and happy doing what we do. A message, if not the context, I think we can all relate to.
Is the song taking Ah Trees in a different musical direction?
Each track is a new experimentation on what we've been vibing on or listening to, or in some cases what we've been watching. Though with each new song we are starting to understand ourselves more and more, without being to self-aware of it happening.
We feel the track is a nice example of what is to come from Ah Trees, as being away from the music scene for some months we've had a lot of time to work on our sound, understand what we love and what we want to let go; we're excited to see what people think of what comes next.
How has the band's style and sound evolved since your self-titled debut EP?
I think we've become more sure of ourselves creatively, we know what we want to be, we've learnt who to listen to and whose opinions to take with a grain of salt.
Since our EP we've been experimenting with different sound palettes; we've had a couple of new members too, which always shakes things up. When you have to teach a new member the songs you've been playing for some time you quickly start to realise what you enjoy about your own music and what you've grown out of.
So overall I think it's been a very natural evolution that comes with time, tinkering and new blood.
What do you have planned for the band's shows at WAMFest?
We can't wait to showcase what we've been working on over the last year, we have a new member (Germaine) who we're all excited to show to audiences, she's absolutely killer.
It will be a high-energy set, playing at 9.30pm on WAMFest Saturday; we understand where people's head, shoulders, knees and groove boots will be at. Not ones who like to disappoint, we'll make sure that punters have something special to remember from the show.
How will you make the most of these performances in terms of getting noticed by industry representatives?
Self-managed since we started (enquiries welcome), we'll be doing the grassroots approach. We got no big-wigs who we can hit up, no industry reps who can send out the fluff, so we'll be doing all the fluffing ourselves haha.
Simply being real, making contact with people personally by sending emails with our tunes and a little history and asking: “Hey, if you like what you hear, come check us out!” Hopefully the message doesn't get sent to junk!
Will we get to hear some more new stuff from you guys at WAMFest?
Abso-lutley! We have a bunch of new tunes we've been working on, some we've played at a secret gig a little while ago, some that haven't been heard by anyone outside of the band yet. So if you've been wondering what the hell we've been up to, there is no better way to find out than at WAMFest.
Are there any other bands you want to see live at WAMFest?
Big Orange, Butter, Dulcie, Candy Guts, Didion's Bible, Feels, Great Gable, Hyclass, Jamilla, KOPANO, Leopard Lake, Lucy Peach, Mal de Mer, Pat Chow, Shy Panther, Yomi Ship and pretty much every act appearing. Spoilt for choice? You know it.
What are your hopes for picking up a WAMAwards nomination next year?
When we first got nominated for a WAMAward I think we collectively wet ourselves, we had no idea it was coming.
Awards are not something expected when making music, I mean being paid is a bonus a lot of the time. So hopes, well you got to have hope right? Expectations however, non-existent. We'll do what we do and if that tickles one of the decision-makers at WAM, dope! If not, well, that's quite alright with us too.
The best thing about being a WA musician is?
Our community is big, yet everyone knows everyone, so it's a pretty weird and wild eclectic family on the west coast. If you're in one band, you're probably in two bands, if in two, maybe three... You get me.
Being able to play alongside or jam with most of the other WA musicians is something truly special. I think it comes from the isolation and an incredibly supportive community.
How does WAM support the development of bands like Ah Trees?
WAM is incredible in their support for the development of WA musicians. From educating to providing once-in-a-life-time experiences (playing the opening day of Optus Stadium comes to mind), WAM open doors that you wouldn't even know had a door handle.
They've been big in helping us be the band we are today and I know I'm not alone in saying that.
What's coming next for Ah Trees?
Once we shake the dust off from our WAMFest showcase we'll be going full swing into the launch party for the new single on 30 Nov at our home away from home aka The Bird.
We're also putting the finishing touches on another new tune that should be coming out before year's end and a couple of other surprises we'll keep to ourselves for now. We have a whole lot of tricks ready to roll out, making up for our time apart from you all.
