STACK September 2016 Issue 143

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Q1/ The Dianne clip is awesome, and I was
trying to identify all the posters: I definitely saw
Michael Hutchence, Vanilla Ice, Kylie, and the
chicks from Twin Peaks. Where did you source
this stuff?
Thank you! There was also a really good one of
Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson and the kid from
Home Alone – Macaulay Culkin? – all standing together
against a white studio background. The directors, Matt
Cribb and Bree Carter, found all the posters, but I’m not
sure where. Probably their own private stash.
Q2/ Which track are you most proud of, in terms
of what you achieved stylistically – perhaps
the one whose feel turned out exactly as you
envisioned?
I’m kind of proud of Are You Satisfied because that
one used entirely programmed drums and I layered it up
pretty slowly, so it took a bit of work. And for a while it
just didn’t really look like it was coming together. Me
and Haima, the album’s co-producer, chipped away at it
slowly and tried a bunch of stuff and then threw it out.
I especially like the weird harpsichord run near the end.
That took a lot of time to play because I’m not much of
a keyboard player; I just mash the keys with my fists.
Q3/ You mentioned Eileen Myles, who was
just in Australia for the Sydney Biennale. Which
essays of hers were you referring to as being
inspirational for this album?
When I left for Iceland last year my friend Amanda
Roff gave me a book of Eileen Myles’ essays on travel
and art, and it was called The Importance of Being
Iceland. [It is] about art and about travel in general
and just a whole range of topics. But it wasn’t the
content that inspired me, it was her voice – her way of
delivering her thoughts in this beautifully uncensored
way, and I thought, I’d love to be able to describe
exactly what I feel the way she does.
DRAPHT
Seven Mirrors by Drapht
is out now via Sony.
If you had any doubts about the dinky-di roots
of Paul Reid – AKA Drapht – all you need to
know is his moniker is derived from the infamous
Western Australian Swan Draught.
A rapper and hip hop artist that’s kicked it with
the best of them, Drapht has been AWOL for a
while, most recently relaxin’ with latest collab
mates Dune Rats over in Mexico – but now he’s
back with Seven Mirrors.
The record’s title is based on an existential
concept: “The story behind [it] is that the
seven specific ‘mirrors’ relate to seven specific
relationships within your life, mirroring a certain
part of yourself that you want to learn more
about,” Reid explains. He was fascinated by the
notion, and chose to explore it more over the
course of an entire album. “Initially I had enough
content just to write three albums about my ex-
girlfriend, but then I thought, ‘How can I make this
a little bit more digestible to a listener, I suppose,
and not just come from a selfish standpoint?”
Besides, ol’ mate Swift’s done that already.
Seven Mirrors is Drapht’s most guest-heavy
release to date. One of the singles we’re already
TEETH & TONGUE
INTERVIEW S peaking to Sam Cromack, we learned two
things – they aren't called Ball Park Music
for the reason you might think (it’s like ‘ball park
figure’, not stadium), and they’ve started “giving
less f-cks” about the music they make. Both of
these are good things.
The band's latest release Every Night The
Same Dream hit shelves last month, and
punters are lapping up this new direction for the
band. Sam offers that none of BPM’s releases
really have a central ‘theme’: “I don’t think
really any of our records have had anything that
ties all the lyrics together,” he says. “I’m just
someone who writes a lot and about a lot, and
when it comes time to make an album, I guess
we sort of put more of an analytical
hat on and choose the songs that we
think are the strongest.” A common
comparison between BPM tracks
involves one of their earliest singles,
2011’s It’s Nice To Be Alive, and
the first single from this latest disc,
Nihilist Party Anthem. “Nihilist is
kind of this grown-up, angry, much
more rocky song, and it’s about kind
of laughing at death, or with death,
or embracing death – which sounds
INTERVIEW
BALL PARK
MUSIC
so grim compared to Nice to Be Alive,” he
explains. “We’ve talked about it too – they’re
weirdly similar. Like, even though It’s Nice to Be
Alive is called exactly that, that song’s kind of
got a sad aspect to it too. It’s a bit of an angry
song. It’s meant to be realistic. This is going to
sound lame, but they look death square
in the eye. But, I guess musically, the
new songs feel much more where
we’re at.”
Cromack is intrigued by what fans
will think of the new direction. “We’re
totally at that point where it’s like, have
we made something good, or have we
just totally kicked it?” Nevertheless, in
our opinion this album is a must-have.
“I think," Cromack attests, "it feels like
our most sincere album.”
loving is Mexico, featuring the sultry sounds
of the Dunies. “We sort of hit it off from the
moment we met, and when we were recording
and writing this tune I felt like I’d known those
dudes for the last 15 years,” reflects Reid. The
hip hop hero looks forward to building on their
mateship. “A greater force was behind putting
us together, and it’s going to be a long friendship
after this song.”
Of course, following their hell of a collab at
Triple J’s Beat The Drum last year with Cosby
Sweater, there was no way Reid was releasing
this album without the input of the musician’s
“good friends”, Hilltop Hoods. “They’ve got
this bartering process where it’s like, ‘You do
something for me, and I’ll do something for you’,
and I think that’s really beautiful within our team,”
Reid says. “There’s none of this, ‘OK, I’m filling
out 16 thousand-capacity stadiums and you’re still
doing two thousand-capped rooms’ or whatever;
they’re just totally keen to help the people that
have helped them.”
Every Night
The Same
Dream by Ball
Park Music is out
now via Inertia.
visit
08 SEPTEMBER 2016
MUSIC NEWS
continued
FACTOID:From seven ARIA nominations, Drapht has one statue – Best Urban Album in 2011, for The Life Of Riley.
Give Up On Your Health
by Teeth & Tongue is out
September 2 via Dot Dash/
Remote Control.
Read the full interview online at
Teeth & Tongue, AKA Jess Cornelius, is about to release
her gorgeous new album titled Give Up On Your Health.
Words: Alesha Kolbe
Words: Alesha Kolbe
TOURING
03/09 - 29/10
TOURING
30/09 - 22/10
TOURING
06/10 - 22/10