Dead Letter Circus recently released their self-titled album, kicking off what the band describe as a new era in the band’s career. The new songs perfectly merges the quintet’s trademark combination of ethereal atmospherics and towering riffs. It just might be the band’s most political statement to date. Lyrically, the album strikes at the heart of what makes humans tick, and the insecurities and psychological foibles that can make us all so fragile. This is never more evident than in the band’s anthemic single ‘The Real You’, which sees frontman Kim Benzie examining the culture shift brought about by social media. We shot off a few questions to drummer Luke Williams about the new songs and what fans can expect for the rest of the year.
What was the creative process like for the new songs?
We basically replicated the process of our previous record ‘Aesthesis’ because it was such a smooth and enjoyable process. We again worked with Forrester Savell and Matt Bartlem as producers on the project. It was a 3 month undertaking from start to finish with the band writing for a month solid in Brisbane, then relocating to Studio Circuit For pre-production with producers for a month, then tracking for a month after that. It seems to be the best way of doing it for us now. We can condense it all down to that 3 month window and be totally stoked with the results.
What were some of the things you wanted to achieve with the release?
It’s always about us releasing our creative taps so to speak. In saying that, we always strive to achieve a coherent, expressive album with a dynamic journey for us as musicians, and our fans as listeners.
What kind of a response or feedback have you been getting from press and fans?
Responses have been fantastic so far!! Really blown away. You never know how people are going to receive something new, so it’s nice when a majority of the responses are positive. I’ll never read the you tube comments though….that would be asking for a vibe kill
Do you enjoy the process of creating? Are you someone who continually writes or does the best come out under a little gentle pressure?
As individuals, we’re always amassing the next bunch of ideas ready for the band to mold into full songs. When we decide to make a new record, everyone spills their ideas onto a metaphorical table, ready for the best ones to be picked as potential songs for the next record. Then the process takes on a life of its own and we end up with a record approx 3 months later.
What does it feel like as an artist waiting for the songs you’ve lived with for some time to get released to the fans? Is there a sense of excitement or a little panic in there too?
Both…naturally you want people to resonate with your creative endeavors, so there can be a touch of nail biting when it comes to them hearing it. In saying that, it’s always exciting to finally get it out into the world.
How does the new album compare to previous releases?
I always find these questions hard to answer…It’s just what we do, and we don’t look at the differences between records so much. It has music on it though…of that i can assure you
What were the lyrical themes and main inspirations of the songs?
Kim is exploring a variety of things again on this record. ‘The Real You’ is a look at how social media and the devices we view them on is impacting our psyches. ‘The Armour You Own’ is about how life events shape our character and viewing the “bad” things that happen to us as armour builders.
For Kim, it’s always about his life experiences and his observations on how the world operates and the systems that we’ve created as humans to help us, that sometimes corrupt and turn against us. Also how we as humans have far more power than we give ourselves credit for and the ability we have to shape our own realities and turn this human experience into a positive rather than a negative.
Any favorite moments or songs from the album?
For myself and a few of the other guys, it would have to be ‘We Own The Light’ and ‘Home’.
Did you imagine how these songs would play out in a live situation?
When writing, we don’t really consider this. After the songs are written, we have to find a way to present them in a live context, sometimes that means altering arrangements.
Dead Letter Circus will be embarking on a national tour across Australia hitting major cities and regional towns along the way. What can people expect on your upcoming tour?
A monster set of old and brand new songs.
How was the previous club run of shows back in June?
They were intentionally small and intimate to showcase the new batch of songs from the record. The love is definitely still there from the fans though, which is great to see.
How do you pick out a setlist and is that a difficult process?
It is getting increasingly difficult to pick songs as our catalogue grows. You have fans that want to see their favourite song, and sometimes we can’t please everyone, so yeah, it is getting harder to find the balance of pleasing all the fans and showcasing the new tunes.
What is your favorite song to play live?
As a drummer, probably a song like ‘Next In Line’ for its intensity and songs like ‘While You Wait’ for their groove.
Any favorite places to play live?
The Cambridge in Newcastle, The Forum in Melbourne, The Tivoli in Brisbane and The Metro in Sydney
Any stand out shows or personal highlights from a tour or show that you can share?
Man there’s way too many to list here. Touring has some unexpected highs and lows. Some of the best moments can be to 100 people in a sweaty club in America while the big arena shows can be sterile and uninspired. You never know what moment will lift you to unimaginable highs. Also, the hangs and people you meet can be as special as the shows. Touring is the tits.
Take us back to the beginning of the band’s career, how did the band form and get started?
I wasn’t in the band when it started, but it was around 2006 in Brisbane. Kim and Stew who were playing together already put an ad in the street press for a drummer and eventually found Scott Davey and they basically poached Rob Maric (guitar) from another band in the same rehearsal facility. The rest as they say is history.
What have been your greatest challenges to date, and your favourite moments musically?
Losing members in sometimes spectacular fashion is definitely the worst part. As well, letting crew members go can be hard. Lawsuits for injured punters, label fights…there’s heaps of shit that can go wrong and it tests you. You think “I’m just trying to make fucking music here”, why is all this stuff happening? On the flip side, I’ve met some of my musical heroes on tour and got to share ideas with them. Played shows where I’ve left my body because I was having such a rad time, had my music mixed by some of the biggest engineers in the world who’ve worked on some of my favourite records…shit gets surreal sometimes!!!
With technology changing so much over the last few years and seemingly not slowing, and TV force-feeding us the lowest common denominator, what hope is there for rock & metal music?
The internet is killing tv…don’t worry about that. It’s exciting to be alive right now. Everything is evolving so quickly and we have the ability to consume anything we want at any time….rock and metal music included. People can share their new favourite artists and songs with all their friends and spread music that way. If it’s good, the internet will spread it…simple. Soon TV shows like ‘The Bachelor’ won’t exist…thank fuck….that trash will die a quick death due to its own inferiority
From what you’ve learned so far what is the most valuable advice you’ve been given so far as a musician?
Practice! Be critical of your own work and always strive for better. Embrace your flaws as platforms for improvement and see mistakes as stepping stones to the next evolution of yourself.
Who or what inspired you to be in a band and play music?
Watching video hits and Rage as a kid. Also, my parents used to have music on around the house all the time. That really tunes your ear into the awesomeness of music!!!
How do you feel about the current music scene right now?
We’ve got huge platforms for people to get their music out to the public and to advertise live shows and sell merch. If you’re good, you’ll get an audience. There’s no conspiracy to keep certain genres down or anything.
Do you believe music can still change the world?
Of course it can…It has and always will change the world. Imagine life without music….you can’t….because it has always been there, Influencing us on mostly subtle levels, but sometimes profound ones. When you watch a movie and are moved to tears, half of that is because of the accompanying music (a subtle level). People sometimes tell Kim stories of how DLC’s music helped them overcome suicidal thoughts, that’s a more profound kind of reaction. And that’s 2 examples, there’s a million other variations and varying levels.
If you could be a fly on the wall for the recording of any album in history, what album would it be?
Back In Black by ACDC. I bet they partied their arses off while making that record!!
What is the meaning of life?
We’re all data collectors for Source energy (God, Yahweh, Elohim, Allah). When the atoms of our bodies disappear and re-appear millions of times a second, they are feeding information they’ve collected back to the vacuum. A huge data collection so inconceivably massive it’ll break your head if you think about it too long. Or it could just be to eat a cheeseburger…who fucking knows.
DEAD LETTER CIRCUS ALBUM TOUR
November 29 – Bunbury Tavern, Bunbury WA
November 30 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River WA
December 1 – Amplifier Capitol, Perth WA
December 6 – Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta NSW
December 7 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore QLD
December 8 – The Valley Drive In, Brisbane QLD
December 13 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW
December 14 – The Metro, Sydney NSW
December 15 – Uni Bar, Wollongong NSW
December 16 – ANU, Canberra ACT
December 19 – Taphouse, Bendigo VIC
December 20 – Barwon Club Hotel, South Geelong VIC
December 21 – 170 Russell Street, Melbourne VIC
December 22 – Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, Adelaide SA
Tickets on sale now at www.deadlettercircus.com
