Three years removed from their breakthrough, ARIA-nominated album 'Stay', Tassie rockers Luca Brasi are ready to unveil their latest music chapter, 'Everything Is Tenuous'.
The quartet of Tyler Richardson, Thomas Busby, Patrick Marshall and Danny Flood have explored their creative limits further by buying a stack of studio gear to record and produce 'Everything Is Tenuous' themselves.Danny, the group's drummer, sat down for a quick chat about the new record, life after the success of 'Stay' and the group's eagerness to return to the stage.
Three years between your last record 'Stay' and 'Everything Is Tenuous'; how has the band evolved in that time?
Since 'Stay' was released, EIT is an honest representation of our growth as musicians and a band. I think each album has progressed and we've found "our sound". I don't think we've ever stopped evolving.
Being your fifth studio album but first that you've self-produced and recorded, what have you learnt from previous recording sessions that you were able to apply to this album?
We have been lucky to work with some really talented people in the past, which has given us a great understanding of what each song actually needs.
The tone or part doesn't have to be perfect on its own, but it needs to have its place in the whole mix or song. Previously we always relied on other people to pull the tone or sound for us, but this time we just backed ourselves in to be able to make those decisions ourselves. We've made enough records now that we figured we should know what we are doing, and I think it has really paid off.
Was it daunting approaching this record without a producer, sound engineer to fall back on?
We actually sat down (before the pandemic) and discussed how we wanted to go about recording a new album, and as it turned out it wasn't far from what eventuated.
In saying that, we've had a lot of help during the process of recording and we wouldn't have the finished product without them.
Our great mate Dicko (Nic White) who is our touring FOH engineer – who produced 'Extended Family' [Luca Brasi's debut album] and co-produced our albums since – jumped in the seat to help track drums and vocals. He knows us back to front and has been there since the start, so it was great to keep the team working together.
You did receive a little help with the album from Darren Cordeux (Kisschasy), with Grammy-nominated engineer Andrei Eremin mixing it. What did each add to the overall project?
Both Darren and Andrei were unreal in what they brought to the table, they're such professionals. We had previously worked with both guys (Darren on 'Stay'; Andrei on singles 'Tangled; Content' and 'This Selfish Love').
Andrei really took on the role of producer and was an essential piece of the puzzle. We would send Andrei songs that we had demoed and he would look at arrangement and structure. He had some great ideas, which often trimmed the excess music and emphasised the 'best bits'.
Lyrically, Darren would give us some alternative melodies and hooks that gave those songs that little bit of special sauce and lift. That guy has a bloody gift!
Lyrically, it's been mentioned by Tyler that the album covers a lot about the fragility of life and looking at the bigger picture stuff that often gets over-looked; was it important to tackle such heavy subject matter, particularly given the current pandemic situation?
The record was partially written before the pandemic hit, but I think we've always tried to tackle topics that are heavy in their content.
Our fans often relate very closely with the subject matter of our songs and we've heard many a story of our music getting them through the tough times and to open up about the issues they may be having.
No doubt there's been plenty of life moments since you released 'Stay' and were nominated for Best Rock Album at the ARIAs – what were a couple of things that surprised you/ the band as the group's success and recognition grew from 2018 onwards?
We've only ever played music because we enjoy it and I guess we're okay at it. But to have fans speak to you and genuinely express what your music means to them is what really makes me happy and is extremely rewarding above personal achievements. I'm sure we'll take an ARIA home one day.
Anytime I see someone wearing Brasi merch I'll always have a little smile, but can't resist commenting, "gee, pretty ordinary shirt you've got there", continue walking and see if the penny drops. Quite often they're none the wiser, so the jokes on me I guess haha.
The band performed their first show in almost a year earlier last month; what were the feels like to be back on a stage in front of people IRL?
In particular for myself, it was just getting back on stage as a full band; we had done some intimate acoustic shows during 2020 but you can't beat the feeling of being back on stage with your three best mates. Thirty seconds into the first song, it felt just like home.
The pandemic is going to keep things relatively uncertain for a little time to come; but is the group looking to plan mainland shows in 2021?
Mate! As soon as it's safe to do so and we aren't posing a risk to anyone we'll be there in an instant. We are booked for Full Tilt Festival in Brisbane (June) and Melbourne (July); we can't wait to get back to Queensland.
Out of the carnage that COVID has generated, have you been able to draw any positives from the past 10 months that may otherwise not have occurred if everything remained pre-COVID normal?
I think as most have probably experienced, it's connecting with your friends and family, really feeling what is important and how adaptable we can be. We get so caught up it's easy to forget what and who is important.
The band has just dropped some dope-looking cord hats; with a dearth of live shows thanks to COVID, has the band looked to up its march game with more unique offerings?
We're so lucky to have Artist First who handle our merch needs and our online store. Richo and Caz (at Artist First) are a dream team, Caz absolutely rips!
Some fun questions: What's your favourite app at the moment?
Very boring, but I spend a lot of time on SugarWOD, which is an app my gym uses for our training programmes and for getting around other members as well as mates from other gyms. The new GIF function was a game changer.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band?
George Bailey (Tassie cricketer and past Australian Captain) is local royalty and Busby would actually get down on his knees and swear fealty to him.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us?
I reckon I'd have to cook you up a laksa, more so because I love eating it. If you didn't like laska I could also eat yours. . .
What's the one chore you dislike the most?
I'd probably say all of them as 'chores' by definition aren't much fun, but I can't stand changing the sheets on a bed. Can't they make it less awkward?!
'Everything Is Tenuous' is released 12 February. Pre-order it.
Luca Brasi play The Good Yard (Hobart) 12 February as well as an in-store signing and acoustic performance at Avenue Records (Launceston) 13 February (x2 shows). They also play Full Tilt Festival at Eatons Hill Outdoor (Brisbane) 12 June and Coburg Velodrome (Melbourne) 3 July.
