With their second album ‘Love Of Cartography’ set for release this Friday July 4, sleepmakeswaves are ready to hit the roads of Australia once more to promote it.
Guitarist Otto Wicks-Green answered the following questions.
How does ‘Love Of Cartography’ follow-up from your ARIA-nominated debut album ‘…And So We Destroyed Everything’?
Since releasing ‘ASWDE’ we have spent the majority of our time as a band on the road, either in Australia, Europe or the US. We met a lot of great bands, played a lot of shows, and got in touch with this aspect of being in a band that we loved. We wanted to write and produce a record that reflected this, packed with energy and optimism.
Three years between albums... how much, if any, has the band morphed, changed, evolved, dare I say it, matured in that time?
It certainly hasn't been without its setbacks, but we've also been lucky to get some amazing opportunities in this time — touring with Karnivool and Dead Letter Circus in Australia, 65daysofstatic in the UK and Europe, the ARIA nomination... all of these things let us take steps forward in our confidence and our expertise. We've also played around 150 shows since then and we've gotten stronger as performers and as 'tourers'. We have a solid understanding of the attitude and perseverance that's required to do what we're doing. We definitely feel older! Of course Tim Adderley our drummer joined just after ‘ASWDE’ was released, so he’s been with us the whole time and really developed as part of the unit we are today.
The recording process for ‘Love Of Cartography’; was it a smooth project? Or were there the usual issues with making an album?
We're fairly obsessive with recording and nailing everything down in pre-production before we set foot in the studio. This was an approach that Nick DiDia was most comfortable with too. We got invited onto an amazing tour with Karnivool and DLC in early 2014, right when we were going to rehearse the shit out of the tracks in preparation for a much more 'live' recording session than we'd previously experienced. After the tour, we had some fairly intense rehearsals leading up to the recording. But we got there in the end.
The end result; how does it showcase the band in 2014 form?
I think we're all proud of the result. Our musicianship and songwriting has sharpened since 2011 and we wanted the record to evoke the energy of a live show (and the chops of our new drummer). It's all there and the songs follow a nice trajectory of dynamics and tone colours.
What did producer Nick DiDia bring to the project?
The dynamics and tone colours were definitely enhanced and accentuated through Nick's combination of expertise and access to amazing vintage gear. He brought a point of view to the tracks which we appreciated. He also brings a great sense of fun and joy to the whole process which made the whole experience really positive.
The band have been together for eight years now; is it like family between the different members?
Haha — that is a long time. I joined five years ago and Tim came along about three years ago so it's not as bad as you might think. Alex and Kid on the other hand are like an old married couple!
In the past three years you’ve been on over a dozen tours. How hectic has it been while on the road?
We're not a big band so tours have been put together to make sense financially rather than logistically... this usually means big, big drives (the last Euro tour kicked off with four all-day van drives between shows) and a big focus on minimising off-days. The combination of these can definitely create a pretty hectic schedule, but we've been through this a few times now so we know what to expect and how to manage our mental and physical condition. Touring highlight, that we can publish, so far?
Personally I loved playing the shows in America (especially our SXSW showcase). It had this amazing DIY vibe and was one of the happiest, intense blurry memories of my life. Other than that, all the shows with Karnivool have been a real unexpected highlight for us – both in terms of the crowds we were able to play to and also meeting and getting to know the Vool guys and crew who have become good mates.
You're back out on the road from early July; what’s sleepmakeswaves key to successful touring?
First and foremost work with good people — in terms of planning, management, FOH, guitar techs etc. Work with people you can rely on and who believe in the project. Secondly, be prepared to work fucking hard, every day. Not just physical exertion of load-ins and performances, but the mental and emotional work of maintaining a positive state of mind on show 10 of 14 in a row is crucial and can be underestimated. Other than that, it's to stay humble, and be grateful for every show that represents a step forward for us. To remind ourselves we're doing this because we love it!
If you could tour with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be?
Hmm... I'd love to do a tour with Deftones (those guys would get up to some shit between shows). Other than them, I'm sure touring with any legendary band like My Bloody Valentine or Slint or Tool would provide an amazing perspective.
What’s the most exciting or surprising thing that has happened to you when performing?
Besides the great moments of recognising unexpected faces of friends or family in the crowds around the world, I guess what's most surprising is how, after all this time, how much we all still love and even rely on the experience of performing our music to people who want to hear it. The chemistry of creating a shared experience with the audience — it's surprising how that has never lost its shine.
This time next year, where do you expect the band to have progressed to? I honestly have no idea. If the last album has taught me anything it's to expect the unexpected, and so far we're off to as good a start as we could have hoped for. I'm excited about what's up next for smw, and to see where this album leads us!
‘Love Of Cartography’ is available from July 4.
SleepMakesWaves Tour Dates
Sat Jul 5 - Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)Sun Jul 6 - Rad Bar (Wollongong)
Sun Jul 13 - Rad Bar (Wollongong)
Fri Jul 18 - The Northern (Byron Bay)
Sat Jul 19 - The Zoo (Brisbane)
Fri Aug 1 - Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
Sat Aug 2 - ANU Bar (Canberra)
Fri Aug 8 - Amplifier (Perth)
Sat Aug 9 - Jive (Adelaide)
Sat Aug 16 - Manning Bar (Sydney)
