Between touring the world, having kids and generally being the darlings of Australian indie-folk, Melbourne trio Tinpan Orange found time to record their fifth studio album, ‘Love Is A Dog’, due out this month.
“We had a really busy two years after the last album came out,” vocalist/ guitarist Emily Lubitz says, referring to 2012’s ‘Over The Sun’ record. “We went to Canada a couple of times; we toured a lot doing supports and our own stuff.
“By the end of it we were like 'we just got to get off the road, we don't stop'. I’d had my second kid and my brother Jesse [who is also guitarist in the band] had a baby last year, so that added to it, the baby-ness of things.
“It was a crazy time but ‘Love Is A Dog’ was a real album that was born of real determination and love. We really love this project, we've been doing it for ten years and we didn't want it to just fade away because we had kids. That just wasn't going to be a good enough excuse,” she laughs.
The new single from ‘Love Is A Dog’ is ‘Rich Man’, an emotionally-driven narrative that explores the trappings of great wealth, and also represents a different approach to songwriting for what has become a real, family band. “For me, I love melancholy. I have a love affair with sadness; if it's not sad what's point?” Emily laughs.
“The actual song was co-written with me and my husband Harry and Jesse, so the chords and melody were written by the three of us sitting in a room strumming a guitar, humming along which we'd never done before.
“I was reading ‘The Great Gatsby’ at the time of writing, so it's not autobiographical and I don't personally have anything against rich men; I'm sure there are some very nice rich men out there. It's a narrative and it's based on the love story between Daisy and Tom, which is quite empty; the seduction of wealth that can suck you into an empty space, it's based on that idea.”
In support of the new album, Tinpan Orange will embark on a 11-date national tour, their first headline tour after several years of performing exclusively on the international festival circuit. “We've done a whole lot of festivals this summer, so we've been quite busy but only with festivals; this is the first of our own promoted shows in years,” Emily says.
“I'm excited and we still have to rehearse and figure out how to play some of the songs live, so we have a bit of work to do but I have faith that it's going to be good. We'll definitely play the hits and as many of the new ones we can as well.”
While Tinpan Orange live shows often feature guest and session musicians, Emily says this upcoming tour will just be the core band of her, Jesse and violinist Alex Burkoy on stage in all their glory. “Actually this time it is just the trio,” she says excitedly.
“We've made this deliberate decision to tour as a trio and we're really working out this beautiful sound that is just the three of us and there's a lot of emphasis on the harmonies and on Alex Burkoy playing the amazing stuff he plays.
“Jesse's started playing a kick drum in some of the songs while he plays guitar, so that's bringing in some rhythm at times, and just working on making the trio show really beautiful. Sometimes it's even more intense than when we're with the full band; there's a real dynamic and intensity to it with just the three of us.”
‘Love Is A Dog’ is available now.
Tinpan Orange Tour Dates
Fri 29 Apr - The Grand Poobah (Hobart)Sun 1 May - Fresh On Charles (Launceston)
Sat 7 May - Toff In Town (Melbourne)
Sun 8 May - Rattlers Hotel (Wallan)
Sat 14 May - Civic Hall (Mullumbimby)
Sun 15 May - The Old Museum (Brisbane)
Fri 20 May - The Vanguard (Sydney)
Fri 27 May - The Workers Club (Geelong)
Sat 28 May - The Railway Club (Darwin)
Sat 4 Jun - Fly By Night (Fremantle)
Sun 5 Jun - The Wheatsheaf (Adelaide)
