Tora are chasing the things that money can't buy on their new LP

Byron locals Tora have crafted a cult-like following both around Australia and Europe for the better part of 6 years. As such, things couldn’t be more perfectly poised for the lads, who on the verge of releasing their sophomore LP Can’t Buy The Mood, have found themselves spread out around the world to live, create and perform.

“I’m in Amsterdam just sitting in a new home that I’ve been renovating this week”, says front-man Jo Lowenthal when we catch up with him to discuss the impending record.

“I’m fully set up here…the talk between the band is that we’re going to be based over here next year. Things are starting to get well set up which is pretty exciting.”

In 2019 it seems strange that bands from Australia would need to re-locate overseas, given the accessibility the online world has provided consumers. However, Lowenthal explains that the prospect of driving 2 hours instead of 9 to get to the next show is to good to pass up.

“When it comes to connecting face to face…it’s more doable in Europe,” he says.

“You can drive a few hours and you arrive at another major city, and Amsterdam is right in the centre of that. You can get to Paris, London, Berlin, Barcelona – any part of the continent is just a drive or a short flight away.”

Check out Similar, a taste of the forthcoming record, below

Despite the impending sea-change for the band, they still have a huge connection to their Aussie roots, something which has a big part to play on Can’t Buy The Mood.

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“A lot of the record was made in Australia and we weren’t really thinking too far ahead” notes Lowenthal.

We were lucky enough to rent these beautiful homes in the Byron hinterland and we just would get in and create, but some songs were written in London and LA on my writing trips, so the record was definitely impacted by some of those places.”

Being locals here’s 10 things Tora recommend every music fan does in Byron Bay

However, the surroundings could only do so much for the band when these new songs were penned.

“It’s more about head-space for me, as opposed to the environment – but the environment can affect head-space for sure.

“The mood that I was in – it was quite a time of growth and reflection on the bigger picture of what’s going on. There was lots of trying to understand what was happening in the world…the social media epidemic, the feeling that statistically, there are some things wrong with the entire way social media is set up.”

Thematically social media had a big role to play in the record, inspiring both lyrical ideas and also the way the band went about (and are going about) promotion.

“The song Deviate is related to social media and how people are getting sucked into this virtual world…everything was very varied, but this record is less about ourselves and more about the bigger picture stuff.

“It’s (social media) such a double-edged sword. To have a poppy social media page, you have to put time into it. You want to reach your audience but you don’t wanna spend your life on a phone. We’re trying to keep it as minimal as possible but also have fun with it and try to keep ourselves pretty light-hearted online. That softens the blow for us I think.

“There are some positive things though – anything in human history has a teething period. With the likes being taken away on Instagram for example, that changes the amount you engage with the thing, and makes you feel less of a burden from it.”

Despite the challenges that face a band in 2019, the future is wildly exciting for Tora, with Aussie fans getting to experience first-hand how the band have grown via their live show, set to land on our shores next month.

“It’s been such a positive few months in Europe and seeing a bunch of other shows and drawing inspiration from that. We’ve got the most bangin’ set that we’ve ever had.”

“In Berlin there is so much dance music, and it’s so cool seeing how a DJ can get so much out of the dynamics…giving people a bit more dance in the live show seems to have worked really well over here, so we’re gonna try and bring that same vibe back, with extended jams and stuff.”