Hard work and perseverance have paid off for Perth band Tired Lion, who released their highly-anticipated debut album 'Dumb Days' in September.
The band have been on a seemingly consistent upwards trajectory for the past few years, releasing their first EP 'All We Didn't Know' in 2013, followed by the 'Figurine' EP in 2015.
Lead singer and guitarist Sophie Hopes says she and the band are proud of what they've accomplished so far. “It's interesting,” Sophie begins.
“You put so much pressure on releasing your debut, and once it's done and you have a breath and get to step back and look at what you achieved, it's always a good feeling.
"We're definitely keen to keep going and see where the industry takes us.”
"I'm feeling pretty content with it and and I think all of us are happy with how it turned out and how things are progressing.”
'Dumb Days' is a significant achievement for Tired Lion and the culmination of all they've done since their establishment in 2010.
Sophie says the real joy as a songwriter comes from having people connect with the music they produce. “In my head at the time when I'm writing the music I don't even think about how people will relate to it,” she says.
“I'm a girl singing about real issues and real things that people can relate to; it's not like a concept album about a weird village in some sci-fi world, it's reality.
"In a way it's a massive payoff when they do relate because you feel like you're not the only one dealing with this stuff.
“It's been pretty crazy in that sense; you make a record, you don't expect it to resonate so much but I guess when I was younger I would listen to albums and they would help me through hard times.
"So it's been pretty positive overall, hearing feedback and getting little messages from people who have been listening to the record.”
After an intense few years of writing and touring, Tired Lion will be taking an end-of-year sabbatical before embarking on the national 'Dumb Days' album tour that begins at the end of January.
“We're feeling pretty excited because for the first time in a while we're on a break so we don't actually have to fly out and tour within the next two months or so, which is really much-needed for us at this time because the past year has been full on.
"We've barely been able to keep our home routines because we’ve been away so often,” Sophie says.
“We're feeling pretty psyched about it. I can't say too much but there may be some changes, who knows? We're definitely keen to keep going and see where the industry takes us.”
Tired Lion Tour Dates
Sat 28 Jan - 6006 In The Park @ Woodville Reserve (Perth)Fri 2 Feb - Pelly Bar (Melbourne)
Sat 3 Feb - Tap House (Bendigo)
Sun 4 Feb - Grampians Music Festival (Victoria)
Fri 9 Feb - Party In The Paddock (Tasmania)
Sat 10 Feb - Workers Club (Melbourne)
Sun 11 Feb - Untz Band Room (Melbourne)
Fri 23 Feb - Prince Of Wales (Bunbury)
Sat 24 Feb - Hyperfest (Perth)
Thu 1 Mar - Uni Bar (Wollongong)
Fri 2 Mar - Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)