Brisbane's beloved indie-rockers, The Belligerents, return after a four year hiatus with some tangy, disco-licked new tunes. 'Emily' and '9 Times Out Of 10' hit the airwaves early last month causing an absolute ruckus as fans saw the Belligerent boys resurface from their years of radio silence, and it looks like they're here to stay.
Announcing an equally scrumptious EP 'Another Way Of Living' set for release this Friday the 25th of March, we had a chat to the bold and boyous Belligerent gang all about their new music, recording across different states and late night D&M's!?
You released your first single in 3 years late last year, ‘Emily’ as well as another single mid-feb ‘9 Times Out Of 10’, what was it like returning to the music scene after your hiatus?
It’s been pretty cool hearing the response to the tracks, a lot of old fans are digging them which is nice.
Of course we also have to ask, what’s been going on in all your worlds since your last show in 2018? You all branched across the country to pursue other endeavors, can you tell us a bit about those?
We’re living across 3 different states now. I’ve been working on a few projects in Melbourne, Jim and Andy are in Brisbane working on different music and businesses, Sam is living in Alice Springs and Konsti has turned into a super-producer.
Now you’ve got your next EP ‘Another Way Of Living’ due to hit airwaves on Friday 25th March. Talk to us about that, how did it come to be and what does the album mean to you all?
The tracks all came from a two-week creative streak I had two years ago. I’d had a bit of a break from writing and singing and had a real spark getting back into it after moving into a new space and buying some new gear. There’s a whole bunch of vocal takes that I recorded on the fly without thinking too much and just letting melodies and lyrics flow. I planned to re-record them, but when I tried, I couldn’t quite match the energy and vibe, so we just kept the original takes. I’m excited for everyone to hear it.
Talk us through your writing and recording process for the EP, has it changed since your earlier releases?
Yeah, it’s changed quite a bit. When we made Science Fiction we recorded it in a house on Stradbroke Island together, but we made this EP living across 3 different states. I tracked everything from my home studio and sent demos back and forward to the guys, then Konstantin and I mixed them together in his studio in Brisbane.
What made you all decide to reunite? We heard there was something about a birthday party, a few too many drinks and place tickets to Brisbane?
We (Kon and Lewi) bumped into each other at a friend’s birthday party and had a very late night D&M where we decided to revive the band and do a new record. I booked flights that night and flew up to Brisbane a few weeks later and Kon and I finished the majority of the EP that week.