Wollongong / Sydney Punk Rock trio Raised As Wolves recently announced a string of tour dates in support of their new single ‘Don’t We All‘.
Now comes the song itself, released today on all the usual digital platforms it is a taste of what is coming from the band in the future.
Taking cues from bands such as Joyce Manor, The Hard Aches and Alkaline Trio the band are now turning a growing rumble into an explosion.
Fresh from taking to the Yours and Owls festival stage in Wollongong alongside the likes of At the Drive In, Dune Rats and AJJ, the band will take the new single to Canberra, Melbourne, and home stops in the Gong and Sydney over the coming month wrapping with a spot on the fast filling up Schooner Or Later Sydney Harbour Cruise on Sunday 19th where they’ll bust out a stack of Face To Face covers.
To find out a bit more about the single, the band answered our On The Record questions this week. Take a listen to the track and read about it below. Full tour details below the interview.
The title ‘Don’t We All’ just came about through the subject matter of the song. I see so many young people dealing with the same kind of life issues like money, social awkwardness, depression. Everyone is going through the same thing so that’s what the song is about.
Tell us about the artwork.
I did the artwork myself. Pretty DIY, and was really just an idea that came out of nowhere, though I think it fits with the song well. Also, the pink colour has been used in our last couple of posters, trying to run with that for a bit I guess.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
The single release will just be digital for now. Available via all usual digital outlets. Also looking to do a small run of 7″ vinyl early next year with another track.
Who will it be released through, and when?
Independent, Thursday October 12th.
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We recorded at Def Wolf Studios in Sydney. Great space with super professional staff. Run by Daniel Antix. SEGWAY!
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
We did our first demo with Daniel Antix back when he ran the Lockup, but we’ve actually known him for a while before that. He plays in a Sydney band called Nerdlinger who we’re mates with. We’ve got a good rapport with him and that always helps in the studio. We’ve always been happy with the results when Antix is at the board.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
Everything we’ve written since our last release has had a much more live feel to it. For me, it’s all about being able to play the songs live as close as possible to the studio version. That’s something we’ve missed a little bit in the past, but we’re only young! Haha. We also recorded this song live then overdubbed a few parts, but the track was mostly there by the end of tracking.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
At Yours & Owls festival last year, we saw PUP (canada) play and it was a borderline life changing experience! So they have been a huge influence on me personally. Also, there’s definitely a ‘Wollongong’ guitar sound that’s hard not to be influenced by when we’re playing with and seeing those bands so often. Think Hockey Dad. Basically we stopped listening to fast stuff so much and broaden our influences, which is obvious in this recording. I think it’s possible we might lose a few people who saw is in the early days and only liked the fast stuff, but we’re happier with what we’re playing now than we ever have been.
Were there any albums you were referencing in the studio to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
Royal Headache – High
Dead to Me – Little Brother
PUP – S/T
Big loud clean guitars and fat snare drum. 2010 onwards Australian alt sound. You get it.
How long did you spend in the studio recording?
Only 2 days tracking this one, but we got quite a bit of groundwork done for a future release. We’ll see what that becomes!
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
We did a couple of days of pre production, then took that away and sat on the songs for a little bit. Then picked out what we felt is the strongest for this single. Then this time we recorded bass, drums and a guitar live together, which was fun. Then polished some guitar parts and did vocals.
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
Very different. Previously we’ve put down guide tracks then separately chipped away at each part until it’s finished. I’m not sure if we’ll go back to this process ever, especially seeing how well this worked this time.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
None this time!
When it comes do naming the tracks, is there any particular approach or process to it all?
Usually a memorable lyric will end up being the title, or something that suggests the subject matter (this time). Or sometimes we’ll go with a some kind of obscure reference that’s far removed from the original working title.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
Antix has some great gear at Def Wolf. We used a badcat head and a fucking awesome custom build fender head for guitar. I usually play orange and vox amps so this was a bit different. Aside from that, I played Telecasters, which is what I play live but only fairly recently. Mason played a Greco Rickenbacker copy, and a Fender Precision. Joe used a pretty high end DW kit and few different old snares. Good stuff.
Any memorable studio moments?
We were in and out pretty quickly, also we’re kinda lame nerds so we don’t usually end up with many funny stories! Sorry!
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
This track is only a single, the first step of something bigger. So I guess we’ll see where it ends up!
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
We’re very excited with the progression of our ‘sound’. It’s taken a while but I think we’ve found a niche we’re comfortable with. I think it makes a little more sense for us as a 3 piece to play what we can recreate live and have fun with, rather than struggling to make a big sound and keep up with the pace of our older stuff at the same time. There’s already plenty of bands doing that better than us haha.
Anything else you want to say or about the release?
Looking forward to what’s coming up! Cheers!
RAISED AS WOLVES
OCTOBER
28th – The Phoenix, Canberra [18+]
NOVEMBER
10th – The Last Chance, Melbourne [18+]
15th – RAD, Wollongong [18+]
18th – The Record Crate, Sydney [18+]
19th – Schooner Or Later Harbour Cruise, Sydney [18+]
—> Tickets available at the door.
—> For more information, visit [Here].
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