Nearly 30 years on from their ARIA-nominated debut album, Moler are back with their second full-length, 69.
Released today (March 6th), the new album is nostalgic, yet forward-looking. A raw collision of fuzzy guitars, riot grrrl attitude and ’70s-’90s punk rock spirit, 69 is a fierce, hook-packed statement from a band who very clearly aren’t done yet.
Moler formed in St Kilda in the early-to-mid 1990s, and unveiled Golden Duck in 1997, earning ARIA nominations and international acclaim before disbanding in the early 2000s. After reforming in 2018 and releasing their Work EP in 2019, the band have steadily rebuilt momentum – sharing stages with Ash, Regurgitator, Custard and Magic Dirt, and receiving airplay across Australia, Japan and the US.
Now joined by James ‘JJ’ McCann (The Drones, Nunchukka Superfly), Moler’s current lineup feels both renewed and resolutely true to form. He joins original members Helen Cattanach and Dave Peacock.
Fans can expect a loud, energetic and attention-grabbing live show, with Moler set to road-test 69 alongside classics from across their catalogue. See more details here.
We caught up with Moler to talk about returning nearly three decades after their debut, the making of 69, and why they still have plenty left to say.
Moler’s 69 is out now.
Tone Deaf: What’s your abiding memory from the Golden Duck era?
Helen: For me, it was all the touring, we did most of Australia mainly by car except Tasmania; sometimes bus, sometimes overnight trains. We decided to buy a 1970s hearse to tour in. It fit all of us in, the mixer, the tour manager, some friends and all our equipment.
Sometimes it would break down on the highway, like the exhaust pipe broke in half once or the wipers stopped working in torrential rain. Whenever we got to our destination, it’d be straight to the mechanics. Spent a lot of hours driving, getting lost, no GPS back in the ’90s, it was exciting. I loved being on the road, seeing new places and meeting people.
How did it feel being nominated for an ARIA back then?
Helen: It was a bit surreal. I didn’t think we really deserved it. I had a bit of imposter syndrome. It was a blast going to the ARIA Awards night, a little bit long and boring but the pre and post parties were so much fun. I met so many people and mingled amongst many artists I admired like James Freud and Daniel Johns. Would’ve been great to win one of those pointy awards but we didn’t shift enough units I guess.
What have you all been up to since then?
Dave: Just regular old suburban things. Career, house, marriage, kids. Paying the bills, going to gigs when I can and running kids around to sports. Still finding time to play, trying to stay fit and active, and not drink too much (baahahaha).
Helen: When Moler stopped playing back in 2000. I decided to go back to University and studied for a Diploma of Education, to get a ‘proper’ job. This rock ‘n’ roll business was a lot of hard work and we pretty much made no money.
At that time I started playing in a new band called Los Dominados which released six independent albums over the years. I also played bass with Spencer P Jones & the Escape Committee and recorded bass on quite a few albums for Spencer. I did another pop project called The Brazillionaires with my friend Leah, we released an album. I’ve recorded with Blake County & the Modern Proletariates recently and played for a short stint in Doll Squad and done guest performances with Jack Howards’ Epic Brass. I’m back at Uni again now!
Tell us about your new album! Are you excited for its release?
Dave: The new album really came together pretty organically. We started getting offered more shows, which meant we were rehearsing a lot so James could get all the older songs under his belt. After a while, we realised we were getting a bit over playing the same old tracks every week.
So during rehearsals we just started jamming – new riffs, random ideas, whatever felt good in the moment. And before we knew it, we weren’t just messing around anymore… we had a whole bunch of new songs. Enough that it actually made sense to put an album together. So yeah, we’re excited. It wasn’t a planned thing at all, but it feels like the right time for something fresh.
Helen: It wasn’t initially our plan to release another album but because we were starting to be asked to open for other bands, mainly bands from the ’90s like Custard, Def FX, Fridge, and Regurgitator, we thought lets try writing some new tunes to play live and now it’s all done, recorded and about to be released as an album.
It was all self financed, so it’s raw and ready, it’s punky and definitely rock. It feels great to finally have a finished album to document our new music.
How does it feel waiting almost 30 years between releases?
Dave: For me, nothing short of sheer happiness as I finally received my wish to finally record a full Moler album with Hel and James.
Helen: It wasn’t like waiting, it was just something that grew out of reforming to celebrate our 25 years. It’s a bit like doing a bookend. Maybe it’s the end chapter or maybe it’s the middle act. We’ll see where it takes us.
Are you exploring vastly different thematic territory on this album, given the wide gap between releases?
Dave: Yes, we’ve had a change in guitar player and songwriting approach via JJ McCann now in the band to replace Juilen Poulson. Jules now lives in Cambodia and happily gave us his blessing for James to step in. James brings a new approach to his style of playing and the way he composes.
Therefore it changed the sound of the band in some ways. Possibly more of a rock element from him, Hel and I still bring the pop. They’re all Moler songs but each member brings a core idea to the band and we nut it out from there.
Helen: For me the themes Moler would write about back then are pretty similar to what we write about now in that we explore the events and times in the media and society and how it affects the personal. Back then it was more about mass marketing; being bought and sold – products, lifestyles and news. Today it is similar, exploring current issues like AI, internet communication, Covid lockdowns, and the personal – turmoil, love, lust, loss, and paranoia.
What’s your main hope for this album?
Dave: That people give it a listen and make up their own minds. We went into it just wanting to make a record that we liked. Purely did it for ourselves and the songs came to us organically. We’re not trying to be anything but Moler and we’re pretty happy with the result so far. It’s an eclectic mix of rock/pop styles. Just to sell out the first pressing of the vinyl will make us happy.
Helen: The main hope is that we get it played on the radio and people hear about it, like it and hopefully want us to come play in their neck of the woods. I’d love to do more touring to other parts of Australia again – just maybe not in a hearse.
How have you all changed as musicians (and people) since your last album came out?
Dave: Oh yeah, Helcat is the only one left standing from the debut album recording. I left the band just prior, although I did pop up on 5-6 EPs before the Golden Duck release. With James coming into the band to replace Julien, it’s two original members and a newbie. We still have Swamp who helps manage the band and he’s been around almost since day dot.
Helen: Have I changed? Yes, I am more confident and less of a sourpuss, shy bitch.
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Can you pick a favourite track from this new album or is that impossible?
Dave: I think each of us have a different favourite track every week. We’re constantly changing our minds. I tend to go for the ones I enjoy playing the most. At this point in time I think my two faves are “I Just Need” and “Roky” both really different but excellent to play live.
Helen: I think my favourite track is “Roky”, this song really evolved the more we played it, it’s like two songs put together, part A and B. I think it’s really quirky. It began with a riff of James’ with interesting timing and took me a while to ‘get it’ consistent on bass, even the outro sounds really simple but it’s still got a quirky timing to it.
What’s coming up for you after this album and tour?
Dave: Great question. The album comes out March 6th we have a few shows and a launch to support it in Victoria. Come June we hit the road to NSW, QLD and SA. From there we’ll be playing it by ear to see what pops up.
Helen: We are only just planning interstate shows now so we’ll see how it goes. After that who knows… we’d love to get back on some festivals, that’d be awesome.
How has your relationship as bandmates evolved over the past few decades?
Dave: There were a couple of decades there where we didn’t talk at all. Everybody was just doing their own thing. Then the reunion show in 2018 had us chatting again like no time had passed at all.
Apart from Jules leaving the band based purely on geography, we speak daily via WhatsApp mainly to organise things and that keeps us all very connected. We have no trouble communicating at all.
Helen: Well David and I go way back to the start and we always got on well. I love Dave’s taste in music, he’s easygoing and has a great sense of humour. James is the newbie in the band so it’s been interesting getting to know him more and he us.
James is a fantastic artist, singer, songwriter in his own right with a long back catalogue that I’ve always admired so I feel we are so lucky to have his amazing songwriting contributions. It did take a bit of time for him to feel really part of the band.
