Since their last album, ‘Cassowary’, Brisbane's The Stress of Leisure has undergone some changes.
With the addition of a new rhythm section and the upcoming release of new album, ‘Achievement’, frontman Ian Powne is confident about the future. “It definitely changed the sound; Ben and Jess were the rhythm section in the last album, 'Cassowary', and they had a child, so from that we had quite a new rhythm section with Phil on drums and Jane Elliot on bass.
"I guess with Ben and Jess we were heading more towards songs that make people move, and with Phil and Jane we've taken that to the next level – there's a lot of songs on this record that have got a lot of bassline movement in them and the drums are very dancey; there's lots of different syncopations that are kind of geared towards making people move, there's more of that that's happened in the last three years and we're all on the same page with that sort of theme.”
Described in regards to their contribution to the Brisbane ‘sound’, Ian agrees his current home does make its way into the band’s songs. “We're all shaped by what we see and what we hear and what we're involved in, so in that sense Brisbane does influence us.”
Another influence is Lou Reed's seminal outfit, Velvet Underground. “I'm very attracted to the school of Velvet Underground and what's kind of spread out from there, I guess. Wherever the Velvet Underground influenced things around the world it's kind of come out in a different way – be it Dunedin or Liverpool, everybody has a different take on it and I guess Brisbane has that sunshiny [sic] element, which you can add.”
Additionally, he argues the comparatively small-scale music scene of Brisbane allows for creative interaction not necessarily encouraged in larger cities. “That's what I like about Brisbane, there's a lack of pretension that allows for cross-pollination and that makes for a healthy music scene.
“I'm a big music fan, I like going out and seeing bands play, and I'll take as much influence from Primitive Motion or Cured Pink as I would from the John Steel Singers or Spirit Bunny. There's just so many great Brisbane bands that probably have a bigger following and so have access to different geographical influences.”
With the new album, Ian is cautious about the concept of judgement. “I'm a conceptual person, I like to work around frameworks, and I think titles are a good springboard for the imagination. I felt 'Achievement' was a great title – I'm not talking about myself in regards to it, I'm talking about the royal you, and then again I'm not talking about anyone in particular. I'm not being judgemental; at the heart of this album is absurdity and just this study of absurdity. I'm also just sort of fascinated by the word achievement.”The Stress Of Leisure play The Bearded Lady 26 June.
