Punk-reggae proponents Them Sharks launch their new double A side, 5am Fuzz/Tsoukalos, at Amplifier this Friday, May 8, with stalwart support from Scalphunter, The Light The Dark, The Bob Gordons and At Depth. We have a word with Joel Woolerson about the release.
Why a double A side?
It’s been a year since the Beasts Of Bulwer St album came out and while we have plans in the mix for another album, it isn’t quite ready yet. We figured this would be a good chance to release a sample of the newer tunes without going too crazy!
What made 5am Fuzz and Tsoukalos stand out as single-worthy?
They are two of our favourite from the new batch of songs. I love playing with big chunk of dirt on the guitars so 5am Fuzz is my opportunity to do that! As for Tsoukalos, I really loved the groove to it – just kind of a cruisy summery vibe.
Tell us about the writing process.
A lot of our writing really revolves around having a feel for the song. Typically we’ll start with a beat or groove in mind and take it from there. With Tsoukalos, we really wanted something with a laid back sorta vibe, while when writing 5am Fuzz we were going for something a bit more ballsy. Once we have concepts for songs, typically the vocal melody and guitars are next and then everything else seems to follow on. Lyrically I was (and still am!) going through a bit of an alien doco obsession and wanted to write something about (ancient astronaut proponent) Georgio Tsoukalos. He’s an interesting character!
Where did you record and who with?
We recorded these two tracks with James Newhouse at Real 2 Reel down in Bunbury. James did our previous album and is a good mate. He’s a fun guy to work with and is great for getting the best out of us. It was also real nice to get out of town for a few days and just focus on the tunes in the serenity of the country.
Do you have a release/marketing strategy for this one?
We’re keeping this one relatively low key at this stage. A lot of it is timing – it’s been long enough since our last release so we want to make sure we start to release a little more consistently to keep things fresh. Also we’re looking for an excuse for a party. Last launch was a blast so hopefully Friday night should be some fun.
What’s up next for you guys?
The single release is gearing us up for our next album which is scheduled to drop in December at this stage. I’ve got a young pup on the way in the next few months so we’ll probably be a little quieter in the winter months then come back up right in time for summer. Starting to look at a few shows on the east coast in December and January as well, so that will keep us busy. That and world domination.
