Matt McHugh reflects on 20 years of The Beautiful Girls’ breakout album We’re Already Gone

Two decades on from the release of We’re Already Gone, The Beautiful Girls are taking the album on the road for the first time — performing it front to back in a national tour that sees them hit the west coast this weekend, with performances lined up for Indian Ocean Hotel in Scarborough on Friday, May 23, and The River in Margaret River on Saturday, May 24, with tickets on sale now. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with frontman Matt McHugh to reflect on the legacy of the record, what it means to reconnect with old songs, and how time has shaped both the music and the man behind it.

It’s great to have you heading to the west coast celebrating the 20th anniversary of We’re Already Gone! How has it felt revisiting the record all these years later?

It’s actually the first time we’ve ever performed an album from front to back. I haven’t wanted to do it before now because the earlier albums, whilst having their moments, wouldn’t have stood up to it. For me, this is the first really good Beautiful Girls record where all the songs hold up, and it sounds like no one else. I reckon it was the first emergence of a sound that’s gone on to influence what I hear on Australian radio today.

And what has the response been like from audiences on the tour so far? It must be unreal seeing what the album still means to your fans as well?

It’s been really great. It’s asking a lot of an audience to take a deep dive into an album, especially these days, but everyone has been welcoming to all the songs. Lots of singing, lots of love.

An album can be like a stamp in time that reflects where you were at in life at the time it was written. What were the feelings and experiences that shaped the release?

It’s a heartbreak record, really. It was written at the end of my first true love and a transitional period of my life. We were always on the road and I was a bit lost, if I’m honest. In my mind, it was probably going to be my last crack at making an album so I really wanted it to be true, and real, and be something I could be proud of looking back on. With making albums comes a lot of pain, for me it’s like turning your skin inside out.

One thing I often hear with album anniversary tours is that artists themselves rediscover and often have to relearn some of the lesser known tracks …sometimes they might even be playing them live for the first time! Are there any songs that weren’t part of a set list before that you are reconnecting with now?

About half the album has never been played before. I reckon about half of each of our albums have never been played live. Sometimes delicate moments can be crushed by the energy of a crowd, and all subtlety is abandoned. Only the robust songs tend to have the strength to cross the divide. So, I guess we’ve had to find a way to accept all of these songs exactly as they are and just honour them. There’s been an important level of confidence gained in doing so, and I like the feeling of making no concession to anything other than the song itself. Too delicate, too bad haha.

And beyond the tracks from We’re Already Gone, can we also look forward to other highlights from The Beautiful Girls discography?

Yeah, for sure. The show finishes with all the songs that are commonly found in our setlists. If we didn’t play some of them, we mightn’t leave the venue alive.

I notice your WA shows happen close to some of WA’s best-known surf spots! Any chance you’ll find time to get a few waves while you’re over here?

Well, we usually plan things for reasons that make the most sense to us. However, while we’re there this time, the World Tour is in Town – so I’m assuming that catching waves might be trickier than usual.  Let’s see if we can slip through the cracks somewhere …

Finally, what’s one thing that’s changed from the Matt McHugh who wrote the album 20 years ago, and one thing that hasn’t?

Ooh, good question. I feel like my heart is the same, I still recognise it – although now it’s a little more battered and bruised than it was back then. And, I think the thing that has changed most is that – back when the album came out – it always felt like things were about to fall apart at any minute and the whole thing would be over. It gave me many sleepless nights, the anxiety and the pressure. 

Now I don’t feel that, I mean – I still think things could fall apart at any minute – but I’m content with what I’ve done. I don’t stress about it anymore. I just enjoy it and feel deeply grateful to everyone for allowing me this blessed life.  I’ll do my best, with this same old battered and bruised heart, and stay happy with that.