Writing that headline made me a very happy man. It’s rare to find such a committed, genuinely sincere group of artists who are focused on their work. For those who didn’t know, their latest album is out today – You can get it here!

We had a great artistic discussion with the lads about exploring South Africa, growing their sound, and the impact of losing a bassist.

You guys took a fairly lengthy break after the first album, why was that?

There were a few factors, we wanted to get our hands and feet dirty and tour around SA properly and start to earn a following which we did and we learned a lot from it. Though at time we wanted the next album to be a progression and that meant really digging deep and writing a lot of songs. So we ended up writing over 40 new songs and then re-wrote when our bass player left the band. So to say it’s been a process is an understatement but we feel like we’ve found a groove and the next releases are going to be much quicker and closer together.

What has the response to “Always” been like?

It’s been great, the public and the radio stations have been into it so we’re stoked. We’re actually more excited about how it’s going to be as a live track.

Form & Function, Part 1, is a title dripping with intrigue. Have you got a timeline for the next three ‘movements’ in the series, or will you just go where the inspiration takes you?

Yeah, we’re really focussed at the moment and we’re looking be in studio in January already. Like I said we didn’t drop it in parts because we didn’t have the songs, we want to try and release small batches of music closer together and keep them fresh and full of energy for where we’re at at that moment.

You’re now a 3-piece act. Has that been a major adjustment?

Yeah it’s been something we’ve had to get our heads around but it’s getting easier by the day and the 3 piece thing is a total vibe. Jono’s probably under the most pressure because he’s got to play bass and key because we’re trying to stick to our no tracks policy for live.

The addition of synths adds a really dynamic, electronic feel to your more classic, anthemic sound. Did you feel it was essential or more of an organic development?

I think both to be honest. I’ve been listening to a lot of electronic music for the last maybe 2 years and I really dig it. We were naturally gravitating that way for the last while and I’m stoked that we could start to incorporate it into our ‘sound’ and I’ve got a feeling it’s going to feature more and more.

It’s always daunting releasing an album with a fresh sound – are you nervous at all?

Yeah the creative, vulnerable nerves are there. This first part I feel is a transitional set of songs, there seems to be a taste of the old and new somewhere in there. So I guess that’s good in a way that won’t chase fans and hopefully win a few more.

The country wants a tour – will you guys be obliging and if so, when and where can we see you?

The album drops in 9 Oct and that will be the first date of our tour, we’ll be playing maybe our favourite place to play, ARCADE EMPIRE PTA!!!! Watch our FB and Twitter feeds for the the rest of the tour and make sure you get to a show. We’ve worked hard to get the show to a new level along with the new tracks.

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