Sydney rock outfit Dividers have just released and launched their new EP ‘A Long Winter‘ which is now available on CD at shows or Digitally [Here]. This week we got singer / guitarist Koby from the band to give us a little further insight into the release via our On The Record questions. Expand this post to take a read while streaming all tracks from the release.
Tell us about the release title.
‘A Long Winter’ is the name of the title track from the EP. The record itself is basically a compressed ball of energy of what we feel best represents the band in it’s current state.
Tell us about the artwork.
Our good friend Annie from Annie Walter Design came up with the design in conjunction with our input. The whole artwork relates to the songs on the disc, people facing hardship over a long period of time and overcoming adversity.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
You can pick up hard copies from shows currently – we’re looking to have them in the usual outlets in the coming months. Fist2Face in Melbourne will be stocking copies as well as anything else we can wrangle in Sydney. Brisbane and Perth will be next on the list. Some kind of distribution may be on the cards. You can also get it digitally.
Who will it be released through, and when?
Independently released of course – is there any other way these days?
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We recorded at Electric Sun with Dave Petrovic. We’ve had a great relationship and rapport with Dave – we’ve known him for years and he knows how to get the best out of us which I think really comes through on the disc.
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
Well Dave doesn’t take shit really, his attitude aligns well with ours. We like to work hard in the studio and we don’t like to compromise on quality. We’re about good takes and musicianship and he responds really well to that and vice versa.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
It happened pretty organically. We had songs initially that we were planning to record and during the rehearsal process, we started to talk about themes and realized that some of the songs weren’t going to fit. So we kept refining and working on material until we had five tracks that we thought best encapsulated our sound at that point and took some painstaking time arranging them into a cohesive order. If you listen to the EP, you can hear how it all flows, at least that’s how we hear it anyway!
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
Not particularly, subconsciously I think we wanted to do something that was inherently ‘us’. We had a lot of fun in the studio with the songs and wanted to make them as big and as brash as possible.
Were there any albums you were referencing to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
Funnily enough, this was one of the first recording experiences where we didn’t really use reference material. We’ve used it in the past and it can sometimes hamper your impression of the recording if you’re constantly trying to compare it to something else. This way, we were stoked with how it turned out because we just wanted it to sound good to our ears, not another band.
How long did it take to record?
We recorded it in four days of tracking.
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
I recorded guide guitar tracks to a click and Mitchy then recorded his drum takes to those rough recordings with a natural wood block click to help him lock into the rhythm. We then layered bass on top, then guitars, then vocals. Pretty standard process but we were well rehearsed so it was very easy to get through.
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
Not particularly, the only difference this time around was that we were extremely well prepared and knew exactly what to expect having worked with Dave before.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
No guests, just us.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
I used a few different guitars, my Schecters, as well as a crappy, thick stringed Ibanez that was lying around the studio to really bring out some larger chord parts in the songs. Actually worked out quite well!
Any memorable studio moments?
Probably a disagreement between Dave and I – we tend to get pretty passionate on production angles and we butted heads on one particular moment in a song. Not in a malicious way at all, but healthy debate ensued and I managed to convince him it was better going my way. It was funny really.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
We’ve got a few more tracks that we wanted to put down, we’ll likely demo these in the coming months and do a release online for them as pre-production for an upcoming release.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
We play all the songs live now which I think is another benefit – people can listen to the EP and remember songs they’ve heard live but in a new light.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
It’s hard to say, I feel as far as releases go, it’s probably the most accomplished thing we’ve done.
Anything else you want to say or tell us about the release?
Not really, come out to a show and buy one or pick a digital copy up online! Let us know what you think!
