Perth's own folk-punk artist Peter Bibby has released his new album, 'Drama King'.
The night prior to our interview, a couple proposed onstage at a show during the band's Buffalo Club residency in Fremantle. "I was told the whole story beforehand, by the woman who was doing the proposing. She wanted to propose when I was doing my song 'The One'," shares Peter."Apparently these guys got engaged like a year ago, broke up, and got back together a few months ago, and now she’s goin' for it again! Best of luck to them, I say. Love's a hell of a thing."
As the song goes:
I always get attached, and I always come undone /
I should really use some tact, and stop thinking she's the one /
She hates it when I'm gone, and she loves it when I'm wrong /
But she makes me feel so special - she makes me feel like I'm the one
It isn't hard to see why rekindling lovers are drawn to the tune. 'The One' is plucked from Peter's 'Drama King', an album brimming with his extraordinary blend of raw soul and hilarity.
While 'The One' simmers with Springsteen-level, power-pop energy, 'Drama King' is packed with stylistic twists and flirtations. Elsewhere on the album, his Dylan-esque single 'The Arsehole' showcases some of Peter's most endearing lyrics.
"I remember when I wrote it, it was, as it says in the song, 'round about midnight. I was by myself in my house. I was drunk, and had been having a fight with my housemate! And yeah, I think I finished writing it at about 3am, as stated in that last verse.
"I guess lyrically it was inspired by exactly what was happening at the time, and a bit of reflection. Musically and that sort of thing, it's very sort of Bob Dylan-fuelled. I've been listening to Dylan since I was a kid, I think it's in my songwriting veins, whether I like it or not.
"I kind of struggle to talk about musical inspirations, because I don't really think about it when I'm writing. I'm always listening to all sorts of different sh.t, so I can never pinpoint exactly what it was I was listening to at the time.
"It could have been any number of things! A lot of Townes Van Zandt and that sort of thing. Sad country music! I like to take the sad country, and put a fast beat behind it, ya know?"
'Drama King' is one of Bibby's most sonically diverse works yet. Songs like 'Fun Guy' dive into drum machine-drive, new-wave-punk territory, while 'Bin Boy' shares DNA with a '70s The Kinks-backed, slice of life ballad – from the perspective of a bin.
"I love The Kinks, and I've never been likened to The Kinks, as far as I know! So that's a massive compliment. . . I love that song. Yeah, I just wrote a song about being a bin. . . (laughs). I managed to make it seem kind of profound and beautiful, somehow. Relating the human experience to that of a bin, which I've definitely experienced, myself!
"Really, it was a bit of a joke to begin with. Eventually, it was like. . . that's actually not a bad song. It's found a higher meaning."
Each of the 12 'Drama King' tracks are dripping with slick, lush instrumentation, much of which is provided courtesy of the album's producer, the illustrious Dan Luscombe.
"We had Gus Agars doing all the drums, and then Dan Luscombe, who was the producer, he played the majority of the bass. He played all the keys. He played all the slide guitars. He played a bit of extra guitar.
"He's all over it! It's close to being a Dan Luscombe record featuring Peter Bibby! If they weren't my compositions, ya know; and then, my dear friend Carla Geneve – she did all of the vocal harmonies.
"And my buddy Myles Anderson, he did all the violin playing that pops up on a few tracks, and that was it! I did the rest, a bit of bass, the majority of the guitar work, and I did the singing."
At just over five minutes, 'Baby Squid' is a tearjerker of a shanty. The song features one of Peter's most heart-rending vocal performances, and an astounding mid-way gear shift. The track's finale is preceded by searing guitar leads and haunting, gut-punching lyrics.
In every respect 'Drama King' is a triumph, being Peter's first album record with a producer. The pair are brilliantly complementary to each other, with remarkable lyrics elevated by incredible instrumental arrangements and tones.
Several tracks, including the graceful 'Old DC', feature gorgeous use of slide guitar and organ. "We went to the tone zone! Deep in the tone zone, it's a great place to be. We did a few days in Soundpark [Studio] in Northcote. That's where we tracked all of the drums, and we did a bit of the bass and live sort of sounds. . . I lived in Northcote for a stretch.
"But yeah, we did three or four days at Soundpark, and then another two and a half weeks over at Dan's studio, just layering up everything else. Once we had all of the drums and stuff, we were good to go."
While Luscombe handled production duties, it was Josh Block of White Denim who took on the mix, a contribution which gives 'Drama King' a healthy coat of the gritty, analog textures that colour White Denim's albums.
"Yeah, that was great, all of the mixing with Josh. That guy, you know. . . Me and Dan went to the tone zone, but Josh. . . he took our tones to a whole other. . . zone (laughs), which I didn't even know existed!
"It was wild. It already sounded great, and he made it sound way better. I was blown away by what that man could do with analog compressors and sh.t. He definitely has a nice appreciation for [both] the pretty and the ugly. He got right into both ends of the spectrum, and everything in-between.
"He'd always been pulling this face when he was twisting knobs – screwing his face up in tasty appreciation. It made me feel like I was in safe hands (laughs)! You want full stank face!
"We weren't sure who we'd get to mix the record. So, we sent one track to six different engineers, and everyone sent back the same track – a little 'spec mix'. We just picked and chose from that, and Josh was the winner.
"The track was 'The One'. It's a pretty bass-driven song, and he just did something to make that bass sound f...en incredible. Everyone else did a great mix, but there was some secret spice in Josh's stuff. He lived right by my manager, Jodie [Regan] in LA. So, I just went and stayed at her house, and went to the studio every day."
Jodie is the founder of Spinning Top Music, the nexus of Fremantle and Perth's ever-blooming status on the global music map. Host to the likes of POND, Gum, and Haiku Hands, the label features many frequent collaborators, including visual artist Sam Kristofski, who directed the glorious video for 'The One'.
"Yeah, it was all pretty 'in' the Spinning Top family. That was like, he was in LA, I was in LA. . . let's make a video with Kristofski! That man is hilarious."
With the album launch well underway, Peter Bibby and co are ready to take the show on the road in June, with venues including Melbourne's Howler and Mary's Underground in Sydney.
"The Horse Band is coming along for the east-coast stretch! We've been playing every Thursday night this month [May] at the Buffalo Club in Fremantle. We're getting super tight! We can't wait to head over east and play.
"We've got Mitch McDonald on drums. He's the frontman of The Love Junkies. Then we've got Edo Ekic playing bass. He's a really good guitar player, but I've put him on bass (laughs). And then we've got Billup, who's playing keys – also known as Shaun Jennings, but we call him Billup for some reason – and that's The Horse Band.
"It's been a pretty strenuous few months, so I'm kind of looking forward to chilling for a little bit. But I'm definitely keen to keep the ball rolling."
With that, Peter's adorable dog Almond came to say hello – and it was time to go. Fans across the east coast will be able to get a salubrious dose of the live band, and the phenomenal new record, on the 'Drama King' tour throughout June.
Peter Bibby 2024 Tour Dates
Thu 20 Jun - The Valley Loft (Brisbane)Fri 21 Jun - Mary's Underground (Sydney)
Sat 22 Jun - Howler (Melbourne)
Sat 29 Jun - Jive (Adelaide)
