Earlier this month Andrew Slaidins sat down with Cicadastone front man and all-round studio wizard Mat Robins to chat about all things Cicadastone and what lays ahead for the band this year with the new single ‘Last In Line’ new single dropping April 19 and a new album “Future Echoes” due May 31.
Andrew : Welcome to The Rockpit Mat; let’s not waste any time and get right into things. How have you been and tell me about the new Cicadastone album “Future Echoes”
Mat : This record like all our records it started as a song writing process while we were finishing off the last record. I’m constantly writing the next record regardless. There is always an overlap of recording and then writing again. With this record I didn’t really have a set idea in mind, it was more about what ideas were falling together at the time. I did start to see a bit of a vibe happening. The first record “Chance Collide” had its own vibe, the second album “Cold Chamber” had a much darker vibe, and this album has really borrowed bits from both which in turn gave it, its own life and vibe.
I never plan these things, the song came about over the course of maybe two, two and a half years. I demoed them during that time and spent about a year and a half recording it. It should have been a lot quicker and probably could have done it in six months. Its life, people live life and finding time can sometimes be hard. This time was far more difficult to lock people in than we did on those first two albums. But we got there.
Andrew : The band also saw a line-up change with your son Ethan joining on drums. What has Ethan’s addition to the band brought with it.
Mat : It’s amazing and again it wasn’t planned. Just to back pedal, we had the demo’s, we sat on them for a while, had the studio time booked, we even had the drum kit set up. Our previous drummer was going through some personal stuff, he is a lovely guy, and he was just trying to please everyone but unfortunately couldn’t in the end. So, he had to just get up and walk out. He had a meltdown, we had a meltdown, in the end I was definitely there to support him and understood. He did leave us in the shit though (laughs).
So; Mark and I had a little emergency meeting and just talked about drummers that we know. We considered this guy and that guy, people I had worked with in the studio and then Mark was like what about Ethan? He is experienced, he has recorded records already with his own bands. Why not?
I honestly didn’t even consider him, perhaps he was too close to home. I was like shit, there is no reason we can’t. It’s up to him, we will get him in for one song while the kit is set up and just do a night and see how it goes. Ethan was super excited and came in, I think he had two days of listening to the tunes to get his head around them. He came in smashed one of the songs out. It came together really easily; he sounded great and brought a real youthful energy to the attack of the performances. We just kept going with him. It became a bit of a juggling act as he was working as well, it was all very last minute, but we smashed it out in the evenings over about five or six days and he was really spent by the end of it, his arms were dead. Some of the songs he didn’t know, and we would just have to listen to them on the spot and talk about it. I would drop him in for verses, then choruses, develop them on the spot, bang them down and go alright while we are in choruses, let’s do the next chorus, then the same with verses as we just chopped them all together. We did it that way because some of the songs were just unprepared for him under the circumstances. He smashed it out, the end result is our best sounding record.
Andrew : I have to agree that this is the best sounding Cicadastone album to date and thank you for letting it grace my ears so early. I do honestly think it is your best sounding album to date. The production has just been stepped up for my ears and maybe some of that youthful energy is adding to that too.
Mat : It’s the best sounding album without a doubt. Sometimes I question it and put it on next to the other two and go oh yeah. There are obvious differences for good reason. Like any band, you want to progress with your releases, you want each record to be the best it can be, and you want to write the best songs you can at the time, but you also want the production to be better each time and. I think we have done that.
Andrew : What a great lead single ‘In The Crossfire’ is. What have you got planned as the next single?
Mat : There is a song called ‘Last In Line’ and it’s got a half time sludgy kind of feel; it’s still a rock song. I kind of based it on Nirvanas ‘In Bloom’, it’s got that same kind of bop. It’s not the typical rhythmic pattern we naturally go to, and I did that on purpose because it we went to our natural state it would have sounded just like another one of our songs, which is fine, but I was really adamant it had the same feel and movement ‘In Bloom” does in those main riffs. It’s a totally different sounding song but has that same pulse. I think it’s an obvious follow up to ‘In The Crossfire’. ‘In the Crossfire’ was actually the last song written for the album. It was one of those little guitar riffs that I would always dick around with, not doing anything with it and one day I was demoing ideas and had the drum kit set up and put some drums down over it just to have a listen and it exploded out of the speakers. I knew I had to develop it and develop it now after hearing it back. It may not have made the record if I didn’t work on it. Fortunately, it all came together really fast and worked really well.
Andrew : On my first listen of the album ‘Cellophane’ was the track that grabbed me and refused to let go. It’s such a great track. What can you tell me about it?
Mat : I agree, I think with that one, when it kicks in it really rips your head off and I thought, yes this is a definite single and it’s not actually slated to be a single. I’m happy to leave that decision with the label and they can decide what they feel is right. Maybe it is something we put out later on, maybe we will do a video for it. I love it and I think it deserves some sort of treatment and attention. At this time, it just isn’t slated to be a single. It’s a cracker of a way to open the album don’t you think?
Andrew : Absolutely !!! If there is a song that demands your attention on that album it’s definitely it for me.
Mat : I totally agree with that, when we got our feedback from the label it was this song should be a single and then this one should be a single and I was like what about ‘Cellophane’? When it didn’t get mentioned, I was like Ok we will go with that, it’s fine. Ultimately you have to believe in all of your songs, so I really am not concerned by what they choose as long as they are backing their choices.
Andrew : Speaking of labels, you have moved labels and are now a part of the Xmusic roster, how did that all come about?
Mat : It came about really easily; we left the last label and had fulfilled our obligations there. I had always had in mind to shop “Future Echo” around and then one day I just saw a post from Xmusic on Facebook. I have known the people there for quite a while and I just thought I could shop this around or I could just ask them if they wanted to put out our record. I sent Tim a message “Hey mate, I hope you are well, we have got a new record do you want to have a listen?” he said sure shoot it through and I will have a listen. He listened to it and came back to me asking do you want us to put it out, I said yeah and that really was it (laughs).
We have noticed a real difference in the way we are being handled compared to before. There is a lot more attention to detail, more of a focus on the band and the album. This is something we haven’t had before. I don’t think Xmusic are planning on having a million bands on the label which in turn allows focus on what we are doing and most importantly the music. Every band on the label are being treated the same way, in all honesty we haven’t experienced this level of commitment and support before and it feels really good, very comfortable.
The label is organising Xmusic tours which are label mate tours putting a few of us together and putting us out there which I love and makes absolute sense. They want to get the bands out there and moving, promoting their artists and their bands songs. With all of that we are very happy.
Andrew : That kind of leads me into this question. I wanted to ask you about the couple of Melbourne shows that are coming up that feature not only yourselves but Sisters Doll, Audio Reign and Xcalibre.
Mat : We have a couple of shows coming up the first is May 3 at The Workers Club in Fitzroy and May 4 at Scotties Garage in Frankston, so we are playing in both the west and east of Melbourne. We also have our album launch on May 31 at The Leadbeater in Richmond. Initially I wasn’t too sure if we should jump on these first two shows with regard to the timing of our album launch and it being so close to these dates. Our album launch is so important and special to us we did want to take anything away from it by playing too many gigs close to that date. I expressed that to the label, and they came back to us saying treat them as warm up gigs for the launch. Having that sort of thought and consideration I think is great, it’s such a positive way to look at it.
These first two shows we are going to use them as a way to test drive these new songs, some we have never played, we just recorded them. That means that we really do need to get into a room, go over them again, tidying and brushing them up. These two shows we will be test driving the new songs so they will be special shows for the fans a chance for people to hear the new material before the album’s release. It will also give us feedback on how they go over, if we are playing them right, if there is anything that needs tightening up for the album launch. For me it’s all about leading up to the album launch. You only get one chance to launch an album, that record and I want it to be a great night.
Andrew : After taking a bit of a hiatus from the live circuit you came back really strongly with the Candlebox support in January of this year. How was that gig?
Mat : It was awesome, we put in for it and I’m sure every band writes a bit of an email, a bit of a story as to why they should get a particular gig and I did the same thing. I figured Candlebox are from the era of music that we focus on. I thought it was a logical choice and fit for Candlebox. The band themselves were lovely, very kind and generous to us, they let us use their backline. They are great people and the whole experience was amazing. The turn-out was really good. We actually played that gig as a three piece as Mark Robins our guitarist was overseas at the time and couldn’t make the gig. It was really weird, but it worked, we had to tweak the songs a bit, I had to tweak some vocal parts, some guitar parts to cover both. There was a little less depth in the sound but still it was tight and went over really well. We hadn’t actually played live for over a year prior to that show, actually we hadn’t been in the same room together for over a year. We had three rehearsals that week before the gig and it all came together fast. It’s a good and healthy thing when a band can do that.
Andrew : Did you play any of the new material in that set?
Mat : We played ‘In The Crossfire’ and having that three nights of rehearsal we had the opportunity to reference back to the recording and make sure we had it right. It made sense that to move forward we play at least one new song as we didn’t want to hold it back and get the new songs out there as quickly as possible. Given the time frame, missing a member and only three rehearsals we only had the opportunity to ready one song on top of a set of songs that had to be tweaked to a three-piece configuration.
I am always writing new songs and as a writer I don’t want to hold onto or hold back a song for years before we start playing it. I think beyond the album launch we will start to play songs that haven’t been recorded or are being readied for the next album when they feel right to play. I just want to get out there and play songs as they happen whether they are released or not.
Andrew : I guess that leaves you open to always potentially putting something new into the set, something fands haven’t heard before on a regular basis. One of those songs could spark something really special too. From a fans perspective its exciting too.
Mat : The beginning of 2023 we played at The Bendigo Hotel. At that gig we got off stage and there was no getting together as a band, we really didn’t talk about, we just stopped playing. I feel like we were really sick to death of playing that set of songs. It wasn’t fun. Taking the time off really helped us and taught us that moving forward we always need to have fun. For me that’s playing new songs or playing song we haven’t played in a long time. We need to stretch ourselves and the sets we play, give every song its due respect and not be closed off to nurturing our catalogue.
Andrew : Everything that has come before now is important, those early songs got you to where you are now. Shutting the door on material from three years ago simply doesn’t make sense it can in some ways alienate fans that have been there from the beginning and in some ways doesn’t inspire new fans to go back to those early songs.
Since the Candlebox support you played another show, was that show pre-empting the new album and the launch? Obviously, there was a lot taken from the hiatus and that first show back put a fire back in playing live.
Mat : We played upstairs at The Tote in Collingwood. In all honesty I was a bit sceptical about doing the gig. We played with The Reasons Why and The Blunts. The Reasons Why are lovely guys, I have worked with them in the studio, and they asked us to do the show with them. They said it’s upstairs at The Tote and I said I didn’t even know where that room was (laughs), so we agreed to do it as we wanted to keep the momentum of playing live after Candlebox. It was awesome, it’s a great room upstairs, I highly recommend it. The room if I had to reference it in size to another it was the size of Whole Lotta Love. It’s awesome and such a great room, we will definitely play there again.
Andrew : Again, like you I had no real idea about the upstairs room. I had heard of it but have never been to a gig there. I will definitely check it out.
Mat : It’s a great room and got a good vibe to it , it’s a decent sized space and it would only take about eighty people to fill it, so it had a great energy to it.
Andrew : With Melbourne losing a few of its iconic live venues like The Bendigo Hotel and Whole Lotta Love it’s great to know that there are still rooms in those areas that still support live and original music.
Mat : I agree, even more so now. A room like upstairs at The Tote should be pushed to younger bands and put out there especially in losing a couple of iconic venues. As sad as it is that we have lost these venues, there are always new venues opening up. Sadly, nothing lasts forever. Maybe I’m out of the loop but The Leadbeater Hotel I had never heard of it until late year when I went to see Warbirds. It was like where the fuck did this place come from (laughs). It’s a great room. Hopefully we can fill it for the album launch and we will be putting everything into making that happen.
Andrew : Speaking of the album launch you also have Truck and Bottle Of Smoke on board. How did you come to add those bands to the line up?
Mat : We chose those guys because they are great. Bottle OF Smoke I love, I have even filled in playing bass with those guys in the past. They are great guys; their songs are kind of down the same road as us. Truck, I’m pretty good friends with some of the guys and we have never played with them before. It was a great chance to finally tick that box and get Truck on board. They pull a great show together and are just a class band. It’s a really strong line up that will help sell the night.
Andrew : Will there be physical copies of “Future Echoes” available on the night ?
Mat : Unfortunately, I don’t think there will be vinyl ready for the launch, I think that will come later on in the year, but we will have CDs finished, ready and on sale at the launch along with new t-shirts and some new merch. Vinyl is definitely on the cards, unfortunately not straight away though. A delay in vinyl also gives us another chance to celebrate the album again in six months so it’s not a bad thing.
Andrew : I absolutely love vinyl, for me it’s a listening experience as a whole. I listen start to finish of a side and really engage with it. Liner notes, lyrics, who wrote what adds a whole new dimension to the music as well. Physical product will always win for me.
Mat : I grew up more with CD’s. In my teenage years when I was consuming music vinyl was pretty much dead. I still have a real love for CD’s personally, it’s the format I really embraced, it’s a physical thing, you can hold them, read the booklets and liner notes, there is a beauty in that and from an artist’s perspective they are easy to make and manufacture.
Andrew : Just going back to Xmusic and the community that they are building within their roster I think it commendable that they want to celebrate their artists and are willing to take a chance on mixing up styles on a live bill. In many ways I think it’s quite refreshing.
Mat : At the end of the day, it’s all about the music. Sisters Doll are a completely different band to us. They deliver themselves in a completely different way, they market themselves in a completely different way to us. We are almost complete opposites yet here we are on the same label playing on the same bill. On the night their music, Audio reigns music and Xcalibre’s music will do their thing. That’s what’s great about the label they want to set up tour legs for their bands and get us moving around every few months and I think that’s a fantastic thing.
Andrew : When you think about it, it’s what the industry really does need. Thinking outside of the box and putting thing that may not seem go together, go together and work well is super commendable. In that, congratulations on the signing too. I think you have found a great home.
Mat : Thank you. We are really happy about it all.
Andrew : Aside from Cicadastone you run Coloursound studios. I would imagine that takes up a heap of time as you are always busy. How is it creating in an environment that you work in as well? It is hard to separate the two?
Mat : Yes, I do, and yes it keeps me busy. The “Future Echo” album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by me as have all of the Cicadastone albums. Each time I have managed squeeze a little something extra out of the studio.
It really fucks with my head a lot when I’m in the middle of one of my records as I just can’t turn it on and off as I do with work. I reckon I did about sixty to seventy percent of the vocals and then just stopped because I couldn’t do it anymore. It took me a good couple of months to be able to start them again, to mentally face a microphone and continue to record the record. It’s not my normal process, I’m not working with a band it’s far deeper when your own demons are intertwined with what you are doing.
Andrew : It has to be so difficult putting what is in your head into a recording, capturing what it should sound like. What it should sound like and what you envision has a whole different meaning in that you become so damn hard on yourself. You don’t have anyone to bounce things off other that you and the band. I would imagine most of those things are pretty much determined when the songs are being written.
Mat : Not having anyone to push back is tough. When they are your songs and you are working on them, I don’t actually recommend it at all, but I have done it enough to know that I can navigate through it. It is good to have a producer and it is good to have someone on the outside to guide you, push you and pull you. I think it’s a good thing for bands to do, yet it’s how I have always done things with my music. It is what it is.
Andrew : Would you change it in the future?
Mat : I would love to. I just don’t think we can afford to (laughs). I did have a producer from overseas approach me and offered his services. He had as an amazing body of work but ultimately, I said we could never afford you. I appreciated them reaching out, we have it covered this way and again it is what it is. It would be amazing to have someone that pulls you out of your comfort zone. I do try to do that with myself anyway because I do know that I say to myself if I had a producer would they leave me here or get me to try something else. I find myself trying different things and put myself into the role of producer on my shoulder emulating what a producer would do.
Andrew : When working with other artists do you take notice of what you ask of others and then apply that to yourself later? Do you find yourself discovering methods, techniques, and approaches that you apply to yourself?
Mat : When I’m working with a singer and their vocal take is OK, you are doing great. If I hear something that can put a twist or spin on, I will always say why don’t you try this as well. It’s all about reenforcing positivity and the best outcomes. With myself I have that conversation in my head in a split second and I have already hit record for the next take so it’s all instantaneous. Nobody is quick enough for me. I do have those little conversations; I know when it’s shit and when it’s good too. I know if it’s close and I can do it better. In all of this too I do have the luxury of saying I’m not feeling it tonight and get to come back to it tomorrow or even next week when I am feeling it. So, there are some incredible pros and cons to doing everything in house. It can be struggle but I have always managed to get there. It is a journey. (33:30)
Andrew : You also make all of the band’s music videos have you got concepts and ideas for forthcoming singles already in place?
Mat : The ‘Last In Line” clip is taken off an old Dracula clip. I won’t go into it, but we are using this old Dracula film and potentially interlacing some funny scenes into it. (At the time of the interview it hadn’t been completed) Whether those scenes make the final cut is yet to be seen. The basis of it is an old Dracula movie which is cool within itself.
There will be a clip for ‘Future Echoes’ down the track as well as a separate acoustic Ep release with ‘Future Echoes’ and a few other tracks from the album done acoustically. That will all happen for the ‘Future Echoes’ single release.
Andrew : The artwork for ‘Future Echoes’ where did that concept come from and who created that for you?
Mat : It’s still kind of being done. The image that is on the launch event poster I found online and I contacted the artist and managed to get it. On its own it’s not enough for full album art so I am working with a local artist to develop it further and take it outside of the box or frame that you see. There will be more to it to create the final album art and packaging. It’s a concept based on past and future, the decisions we make today and the ripple effect of what we do. Hopefully the final artwork will reflect that message to a degree. It looks great though doesn’t it.
Andrew : Thank you again for your time to catch up and chat with us here at The Rockpit Mat. As always, it’s great to catch up and I’m super excited for the album and shows around it. I can’t wait for the public to hear this collection of new songs and for trusting my ears with the unfinished version as well as the finished product.
Mat : Thank mate, likewise and thanks to The Rockpit for supporting us.
Catch Cicadastone’s Album launch on May 31st at Leadbeater Hotel – TICKETS HERE
