Bodyjar will release their new album ‘Role Model‘ this Friday October 18th through UNFD before kicking off a tour to launch it later in the month with guests Luca Brasi. This week Tom from the band answers our On The Record questions to tell us a bit more about the album. Expand this post to take a read of his answers and re-cap those tour dates. You can get your hands on the CD with a bonus stubby holder (while stocks last) [Here]. Digital pre-orders through iTunes with a bonus track can be sorted [Here]. If vinyl (3 colours), or CD bundles with caps, skate decks, t-shirts & hoodies are more your thing, head [Here] to check out the options.
Tell us about the release title.
Role Model is one of the songs on the album, lyrically strong, current, seemed like a good choice for album title. It was really Cam’s call, he is really good at that stuff, I’m shit at album titles! Except for that one I came up with for 28 Days, Upstyle Down, that was my finest moment.
Tell us about the artwork.
The artwork is done by ATTAK, they are awesome, i think Cam found them after they had done some sick skateboard graphics for Zero. Anyway, they totally got the Role Model concept, actually they explained it to me, and came up with album artwork, vinyl, skateboard design and a t-shirt. And they are Dutch, like Wakker.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
Standard packaging, free stubby holder through JB Hi-Hi, heaps of good arse packs available through weareunified.com, including vinyl, and the iTunes version comes with a bonus track, which is a pretty good song if I do say so myself. I wanted it on the album but got out voted!!
Who will it be released through, and when?
Released through UNFD on October 18.
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We recorded at Studios In The City in Brunswick, we wanted Tom Larkin to do the record and that is his studio so enough said!!
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
Tom Larkin of Shihad fame is behind this one. Obviously he is a master of the drums! He also had a great vision of a back to basics record that captures the good parts of our live show. It was great to work with a producer who is also a songwriter, I learned a lot from him in that regard, he also knows the best places to eat around Sydney Road too. Good for a story, all round good bloke. Really happy with the result. Great coffee in the cafe behind, great engineer in Sammy Sprout. Both bloody Kiwi’s which is fine except for the Bledisloe Cup games going on.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
Sort of, we had just finished the No Touch Red tour and I had a conversation with Grant about writing a fast kind of album like that, doing what we are good at and stop fucking around with slower songs and big rock riffs. Just do what comes natural and write for ourselves again. There is a lot of emphasis on having fun this time around, I think that has come through on the record. “Stop enjoying yourself and have some fun”
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
Not on purpose but I listened to Descendents a bit going into the tour with them, the new Bad Religion, I bought a Propagandhi record, listened to a lot of No Use For A Name after Tony died too. So yeah I guess there was a bit of the old school stuff going around at that stage.
Were there any albums you were referencing to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
Refused – Shape of punk…
Foo Fighters – Colour and the shape
Starmarket – Sunday’s worst enemy
How long did you spend in the studio recording?
Its hard to tell, because of everyone’s work commitments there were people coming and going all over the place! Oh and Grant had his hand in plaster at the start too. We did 10 days straight at the start and then went in dribs and drabs after that, this included a bit of pre production too. we pushed through it pretty quickly I feel, not labouring over every little thing.
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
We all set up in a room and played with head phones on, sorted out the final arrangement with Tom, then did a couple of takes. We only kept the drums from this, then went back and got proper tones for guitar and bass and tracked with the drums. Then vocals and over dubs. We had Joey Cape from Lagwagon record a verse on a song called ‘Hope Was Leaving’ which he recorded in his studio and just sent it through, then we put it in the track. Stephen Egerton did the same with a solo on that track too, fuckin amazing!
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
No this is pretty normal for us, apart from the overseas guests and the broken hand!!
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
I forgot to mention Ahren Stringer from Amity Affliction who did some guest vocals on the title track Role Model. I didn’t get a chance to meet him but hopefully he can pop up at a show sometime and smash it out live with us. And have a well earned beer afterwards! And Joey and Stephen that I mentioned before, two legends from our scene! Joey got up and sang it with us at the Gimme Gimmes show in Melbourne which was amazeballs. Such a good dude.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
Yeah we used Tom Larkin’s JMI combo for a lot of the guitars, and his Wizard head too. We didn’t use our amps at all! There are also a lot of single coil guitars used to fatten up the chorus’ which is something we haven’t really done before.
Any memorable studio moments?
Sammy did a nasty shit in the studio toilet and on his way out ran into one of the cute girls from the cafe behind bringing in his breakfast. I think she may have gagged from the smell of a thousand arseholes. New Zealand arseholes too. A few pressed hams on the glass between control room and studio.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
‘Suffering In Silence’ was recorded but not included on the physical album, it will be included on the iTunes version as a bonus track.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
The new single ‘Stranglehold’ is a killer, Grant does most of the backing vocals so i can just rock out on the guitar and really enjoy it. We jammed it for the first time since recording last week and it just worked straight away which is a good sign it will be a good live track.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
More like the No Touch Red days than the Self Titled / Plastic Skies days. Straight rock/punk album like we used to.
Anything else you want to say or about the release?
We are super excited and appreciate the support from Bombshell, looking forward to the next installment for the band. See you at a show soon!
LONG LIVE GUITARS
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BODYJAR – ‘Role Model‘
Available this Friday 18th October.
Pre-order on CD [Here] and score a stubby holder while stocks last.
Also available on iTunes with bonus track [Here].
Vinyl, or CD bundles with merch available [Here]
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BODYJAR
With guests LUCA BRASI
OCTOBER
31st – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle [18+]
NOVEMBER
1st – The Hi-Fi, Sydney [18+]
2nd – Corner Hotel, Melbourne [18+]
7th – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart [18+]
8th – UniBar, Adelaide [18+]
15th – Rosemount Hotel, Perth [18+]
18th – Prince Of Wales, Bunbury [18+]
22nd – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane [18+]
23rd – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast [18+]
—> Tickets available now.
—> For more information, visit [Here].
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