Of all the phrases to pop up in 2020, 'interesting times' is one that's become overused.
Funnily, Brisbane band The Stress Of Leisure have just the song for these times – 'Interesting Times'."That was a single we recorded for our last album [2017's 'Eruption Bounce']. We've released it now because it felt like the right time to release it," laughs singer/ guitarist Ian Powne.
Just like everyone, the art rock quartet have had an interesting year beginning with the recording of their seventh album, 'Faux Wave', which was recorded in February with producer John Lee at Phaedra Studios in Melbourne.
"We recorded the album between 17-21 February. So, if you look at the timelines of the year," Ian says, drifting off.
"We recorded the ten tracks in five days. After recording and we got home it was only a matter of two or three weeks and the whole world changed. We basically got down during one of the last good weekends in Melbourne. It was good timing."
After starting in 2003 as a musical outlet for Ian, the band expanded into a quartet featuring keyboardist Pascalle Burton, bassist Jane Elliott, and drummer Jessica Moore.
On 'Faux Wave', each member has equally contributed to the process. "On the last album, about half the songs we co-wrote," Ian says.
"On this album, basically every song had to have an element of collaboration. They're split equally between the four of us because we've all brought in ideas and all contributed to the character of the album, and that's what really makes the album great for me. This album is probably double the fun of 'Eruption Bounce'."
The album's jittery first single, 'Banker On TV', was constructed with that collaborative spirit in mind. "Jessica brought a drumbeat, Jane married a bassline to it, and Pascalle and I just surf on the top of it," Ian explains.
Ian credits Pascalle's keyboards as a big factor in the writing process, her untrained style bringing unconventional melodies to their music.
"What makes this album unique is that Pascalle comes up with an odd and unique set of notes that would play in combination with Jessica and Jane.
"A lot of the album is built on that idea; it's just me fitting in with that energy. Somebody pointed out to us recently when we played a random show that I just ride on the coattails of everybody else in the band," he laughs.
Pascalle's experimental poetry background also influenced the album's lyrics, with the pair collating standout phrases found in news articles, making tunes like 'Banker On TV' that eerily reflect the complexity of modern times.
"There are all these lines that are in the common vernacular of writing and we just put them together in a different way, lines like 'brain scans of wine drinkers' – that's just a phrase we picked off the Internet. It's got currency due to using words of the day."
The band are launching the album this month with a free show at Lefty's Music Hall (in Brisbane), their first live performance since the pandemic landed.
Despite a new album ready for release, the band have spent 2020 continuing to experiment with more material to see where collaboration takes them. "We're finding that COVID has brought a real languid and slower quality in us," Ian admits.
"So, maybe in the future, slower music from The Stress Of Leisure. We'll see if it has legs in 2021."
