Forever The Optimist are finally ready to tour their long-awaited debut album – in fact, you could say it was 40 years in the making.
'Arecibo', Forever The Optimist's debut album, pays homage to the 1974 'Arecibo Message' that was broadcast across the galaxy to contact other life forms, and not just in name; the album was the band's first chance to reach out and connect with others on a large scale.
Being such a significant opportunity, Forever The Optimist spent two whole years crafting a message worth sending. “We went to [Tall Poppy Studios, Brisbane] with the idea of doing an EP and they came back and said, 'Let's do an album and spend as long as we want to try and get it right’,” frontman Jamie Page says. “We just wanted to make sure we crossed all our Ts and dotted our Is, so that's why it took such a long time.”
While the Brisbane rockers are relative newcomers to the music industry, they managed to keep their cool throughout the recording process to produce a quality album. “We were pretty realistic, that's part of the reason why we took our time,” Page says. “Gareth David, who was the producer we were working with, is fantastic, very patient. He knew we would like to spend some time to make sure we got everything right.”
According to Page, the highlight of the album is the track 'End Of Antics'. “It didn't fully take shape until the last day of mixing in the studio,” he recalls. “I was starting to lose hope that it was actually going to be included on the album, but on the last day it came together nicely. It was my baby in a way, I have a spot in my heart for that one.”
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'Arecibo' will be celebrated with an east coast tour throughout June, and with all of the production and marketing work out of the way, Forever The Optimist can focus purely on putting on a good show. “We're just trying to ramp up the production a bit, especially since we'll be a bit closer to home, Brisbane,” Page says regarding their stage presence. “Make it a tighter set, really think about the setlist, and how it all flows together. Go out there guns blazing.”
‘Arecibo’ is available now.
Forever The Optimist Tour Dates
Fri Jun 13 - The Crown And Anchor (Adelaide)Sat Jun 14 - The Espy (Melbourne)
Sat Jun 21 - New Globe Theatre (Brisbane)
Fri Jun 27 - O’Dowd’s Irish Pub (Rockhampton)
Sat Jun 28 - McGuire’s CBD Hotel (Mackay)
