West Australian’s Sugar Army are back and have just released their new, and second album ‘Summertime Heavy‘ last Friday via Permanent Records / Shock. This week to find out a little more about it, Todd from the band answers our On The Record questions. Expand this post to check out his answers. You can order the album online [Here]. Stay tuned for album launch tour dates shortly.
Tell us about the release title…
Its named ‘Summertime Heavy’. The title came about when we were working on the song with the same name. I thought the guitar part sounded like “Summertime Heavy”. This title seemed to sum up the record also. There weren’t any other working titles.
Tell us about the artwork..
Conceptually all three members came up with the artwork. It’s quite representative of the title. It is basically plant life shedding its colour. It symbolised “new beginnings” or “cleaning of the slate”.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
Standard Jewel Case & Digital worldwide. Hopefully one day we will see it in Vinyl.
Who will it be released through, and when?
It was released through Permanent Records / on September 7 2012
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
BJB Studios in Sydney. We wanted to get away from the norms of our standard lives in Perth. We heard it was a great studio. Sadly it closed down shortly after we finished our record.
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
Eric J Dubowsky produced Summertime Heavy. We heard he had worked with John Spencer Blues Explosion and Weezer. He had recently moved to Australia so we organised for it all to happen. He was great to work with. We learned a lot from his experience and wisdom.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
We wanted the record to have clear grooves layered with interesting melodies. I think we achieved that. We took 3 years to write this record. Funnily enough, most of music that made the record was written in the last 3 months.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
I can’t remember any specific record. I do remember listening to Michael Jackson – Thriller at one stage though.
Were there any albums you were referencing to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
No I think it was just for vibe.
How long did it take to record?
6 weeks.
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
We tracked all of the drums first for the first week. This was followed layering each instrument and vocal until each track was finished.
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
Previously we recorded one song at a time rather than each instrument at a time. I think both processes have their strengths and weaknesses.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
Mr Wade Keighran. He was the assistant engineer for this project. He also played in the Scare and currently plays bass in Wolf & Cub. He played bass on Steady Flow for Summertime Heavy.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
Roland SH-101 : We now use one.
Gibson ES 335.
Any memorable studio moments?
Jamie going crazy in a world of trumpet and delay. He may of gotten lost.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
There were two songs that didn’t make the record. One of these tracks ‘Golden Fear’ will be a bonus track on iTunes.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
Small Town Charm – we just started rehearsing this one this week. Its going to be a cracker if we can pull it off.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
Grooves. Simplified. To the point.
Anything else you want to say or tell us about the release?
It came out out September 7. Go get it now!
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SUGAR ARMY – Summertime Heavy
In stores now.
Order online [Here].
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