Lazy Colts
Sydney’s cinematic alt-folksters, Lazy Colts, who have just released their new single and video Twenty Two are set to make their mark this year. Working with Mark Lawson (Arcade Fire, Timber Timbre) has enhanced the Lazy Colt sound proving to be a huge influence on the band as Lacey Cole explains to Across The Ocean during a Q&A ahead of the release.
Congratulations on knocking over this album, did it feel like a labour of love or was it easier than you thought?
Thanks a lot, it was definitely a labour of love but one we all enjoyed very much. It’s a debut album for us and it’s entirely self funded so getting it to sound the way we wanted took time.
Was it hard letting it go after putting so much of yourselves in to it?
It was hard letting it go in the sense that it took us a while to organise the proper send off for it. We have had it finished for almost a year now but, similar to the actual recording of it, releasing it properly takes time and money so it took us a bit longer than we would have liked to get all the ducks lined up in a row.
Did you have a clear vision of how you wanted the album to pan out?
Maybe we all had an idea of how we thought it was going to sound at the beginning of the process but I’d be surprised if it sounds like anyone’s expectation. We are all super happy with the end result. It was a massive game changer for us getting Mark Lawson on board for the mix. He’s a legend engineer we were all huge fans with previously and he really brought something new to the sound I don’t think anyone was expecting. He located the band’s unifying aspects and highlighted them so the finished album really sounds complete and cohesive.
Were the songs mostly finished or did you improvise a little in the studio?
Half and half. A couple of the songs we’d been playing live for a year or so and then Slackjaw I think we were just writing when we sat down to record it. That really came together in the editing suite. Other songs like Make Like A Stone and Like Never Before were very early sketches of ideas that we just hit record on and added a few minor flourishes to bring them into the album’s sphere.
How influential was your producer in the recording process?
We self produced this one. So it is really the result of the band’s collaboration on ideas and arrangements. As I mentioned earlier Mark Lawson had a huge influence over the sound of the album and he was really great to work with. He made some very bold choices sound-wise that became hallmarks of the album.
What is the biggest thing you learnt during the process?
We learnt what’s involved in releasing an album independently and a lot about how the industry works. We ended up working with some really great people who are helping us release the album and promote the tour and they have taught us a lot. As a band, it’s wonderful to find other people who enjoy your music and we have learnt a lot about reaching our audience.
Has it got you thinking about what you might do next album?
We are always thinking about what is coming up next but for us we won’t really know until we start playing together. Once we see what we’ve made I think we will know what to do with it.
How long did the process take?
The process for this album, from writing to releasing, took around two years on and off.
Did you have many songs that didn’t make the final cut? Will those ones, if any, make it on to something else?
The songs that didn’t make the cut were purged before we set microphones up to record. They might come back again but they didn’t seem right for this album.
How do you think the Lazy Colts sound has changed?
It keeps changing all the time. We are pretty restless, or at least enough of us are to keep the sound changing. The obvious change over the last few years would be the move from acoustic straight-up alt-country to more experimental, cinematic sounds.
Have the new songs taken on a new life since they have been recorded in rehearsals?
Some definitely have. The most dramatic change is probably Make Like A Stone, the quietest, most stripped back song on the album, which now has a live version with a huge drum beat and band arrangement.
Are you looking to finally launching Trojan?
Yeah its gonna be nice to see it out there and get people listening to it.
What inspired the name?
Obviously the horse reference is there in the band name but the imagery of the Trojan Horse and its thematic implications we thought suited the “maiden voyage” of the band.
What did you think when you got the masters back?
We were very excited. William Bowden who is Australia’s leading mastering engineer did some really weird stuff to our music, using very cool valve compressors and all sorts of things. The result is very unique and we loved it.
Where to from here, what’s next?
We are really looking forward to supporting this album and playing the songs to new audiences. Beyond that it will be working on new music and seeing what comes of it. No major plans beyond that. We’re leaving it open. Cheers for the chat.
Whether it is rummaging through vinyl at record stores such as Clarity and Title finding hidden gems to scouring the internet to find that album by the next big thing or chasing bands to get that elusive autograph and photo his passion is music all the way.
- Aversions Crown - January 27, 2017
- Sick Of It All - January 19, 2017
- Refused - January 11, 2017
