Genre bending rockers Edie Green are back with their first new single since the release of their 2015 EP New Heavy. The track, Smalltime Viticulturist, is crazy mix of jazz, prog and indie rock, a sharp punchy recording featuring powerhouse vocals, shredding guitar licks and a tight rhythm section. The single comes with the announcement of the new EP The Sea It Binds You, to be launched at Jack Rabbit Slim’s on Friday, May 26 with the Ah Trees and Flossy. ANTHONY JACKSON had a chat with lead vocalist Sophie Wiegele…
Congrats on the new EP! Tell us about the two year process of writing and recording between the release of New Heavy and now The Sea It Binds You.
We actually recorded the second EP soon after the release of New Heavy, we had a lot of creative juices flowing after the launch and wanted to get straight back into it. We’ve been sitting on these tracks for a while as we worked on our live show and worked out the best way to do the release. We are super proud of what we’ve put together and so happy that it is finally making its way into the world.
The single sounds tops. How was recording with Dave Parkin?
Dave is a genius. He is effortlessly brilliant in what he does, which is why we recorded and mixed all tracks with him at Blackbird Studios. We recorded the first EP New Heavy with Dave and fell for his straight up attitude and the interesting ideas he has for song structure and composition. He is also really great for making you feel comfortable in order to get a take dripping with soul. We are huge fans.
Are you guys hands on in the studio when it comes to production? Do you come up with new ideas and experiment during the process of recording or is everything written and ready to go when you walk in the door?
All of our tracks are written before going into the studio but inevitably they end up sounding quite different after the session. It sounds different when you are putting each part together separately, but it’s good because we can experiment with different sounds and tone to make each part sound the tastiest. And when everything is down there are always little morsels of goodness to add here and there, harmonies, triangle, synth, which just put some extra spice into the tracks.
Is there a theme behind The Sea It Binds You? What was the inspiration behind the body of work?
We didn’t start the EP with a theme but looking back there are definitely thematic similarities in the tracks. I guess because they were written at a certain point in our lives, there are a lot about drinking and jamming and getting up to mischief. Listening back there is also a big stormy sea vibe we get from it, hence the title of the EP.
You’ve listed the bands Hiatus Kaiyote and Radiohead as major influences. Both bands are famous for going against the grain and cutting a musical path that transcends genre. Do you consider yourselves a band that challenges itself to create music that gives the listener something more than your average pop and indie rock song?
I guess we have never tried to make a stock standard indie rock or pop song, and it actually would be pretty hard with everyone in the band constantly coming up with weird ideas for parts of songs and everyone being to keen to jam whatever! We love Radiohead and Hiatus Kaiyote because their songs always keep you guessing and you can listen to them over and over and not get bored; every song on a album is so different. That is a sign of a good track or album I think.
The video for New Heavy was huge in vision and production. Will we see anything similar for Smalltime Viticulturist?
We haven’t got anything in the pipeline at the moment for Smalltime Viticulturist, but we are getting something together for The Sea It Binds You, the title track of the EP. This is a video that will tie into the Sliding release from earlier in the year.
What can punters expect from the launch on Saturday?
I think the real question is what can’t they expect! We have two sick supporting bands, Ah Trees and Flossy, both of which bring the heat and the soul, we are so excited to be playing with these guys! On top of that DJ Miko will be bringing her sweet bangers to the party, there’ll be EPs galore for sale and some secret surprises that you’ll just have to come along to see!
What are your plans after this release? Will you be releasing more singles off the EP and is there a tour on the cards?
Oh yesso! We are heading down south to in the coming months, doing a couple of gigs and bringing EPs with us. But mostly we want to go heads down thumbs up and work on more new music to bring to the world. We are super keen to jump back into the studio to record more stuff so keep your ears out for more from us a little later in the year!
To win a prize pack including tickets to the launch, enter our comp HERE. For more info on the event head to the official Facebook event page.
