STACK Issue 151 May 2017

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IIIII is out Friday May 5
via Chugg/MGM.
“W e started off as a live
band, and then we
went into a more
progressive production realm, typically in
computer-based production, where you
can cheat the band – create musicians,”
Rennick explains. “Then we came back
around on this last record and were like,
hang on, I forgot that we’re actually quite
good musicians when we just play, and
play together. So that was very much the
ethos heading back in: just to sit in the
room and play as musicians.”
This live atmosphere and freedom
led to improvisation, particularly with
melodies. “That’s what comes out when
you are playing the songs live – you can
just go for it and just see where it takes
you,” Rennick explains. “At some points
we were unplugging things and changing
the sounds mid-song, just ‘cause we felt
like it, or someone would stop playing
the guitar and walk over to the piano and
start playing that, just to see.“ It was one
of these more spontaneous moments
which took their second track, Stone Men,
to an unexpected place. “There’s a three-
way battle at the end between a really
whacked-out guitar solo, that [wobbly]
synthesiser, and a saxophone, which was
literally a dude who just came in from
next door and just stepped on his sax and
played along. It was very cool.”
A portion of the band’s recording
time took place in Oxford Street,
Darlinghurst, which inadvertently provided
an interesting range of ambient details.
“There [are] a few funny sounds that have
stayed,” Rennick smiles. “There’s a bus
driving past in one of the songs. There’s
definitely some rain. I’m sure there’re
sub-woofers coming through from Oxford
Street clubs and so on. It was really fun.
Ned and I just spent two years after hours
pretty much every night of the week,
making the most ridiculous things, and
then some of them just so happened to
turn out to be incredible songs.”
Embracing a warm, indie-disco vibe and
an abundance of cowbells, Dappled Cities
intention to create a congruent album
fused together by complementary songs
almost came unstuck when their favourite
track, That Sound, didn’t appear to have a
home. But they couldn’t leave it behind.
“[That Sound] doesn’t quite fit anywhere
and we really wanted to make [IIIII] a
complete work. We wanted to make this
album very cohesive and a work in itself.
It is a bit like the ugly duckling – but I
guess that’s why we tucked it second
last.” And why not the bookend? “The
song that’s last [Driving Home At Night
Alone] was just begging to be there.
These are things that are going through
your brain when you’re sequencing a
record.”
The gorgeous synth- and acoustic
guitar-daubed Stone Men still went
on to make its mark as the first single
of the album, but Rennick won’t pin
a justification. “We have no rhyme or
reason when it comes to picking singles
– it’s a dark art and anyone who claims
to know what single you should do is
an idiot,” he chuckles. ”We basically just
picked it because it was our favourite song
at the time, and it was very much decided
by its live manifestation.”
Speaking of live, Dappled Cities are on tour this very
month; get your tickets from the Dappled Cities site.
5th May @ The Record Crate, Sydney
6th May @ Howler, Brunswick
12th May @ The Foundry, Fortitude Valley
4th Jun @ City Recital Hall, Sydney
“At some points we were unplugging
things and changing the sounds mid-
song, just ‘cause we felt like it...”