Another Step In The Dark is the debut record from Melbourne’s Alex Watts, and packs quite an emotional punch.
The album explores a couple’s relationship, tackling the issues of love, loneliness and forgiveness, and does so beautifully through a continuing storyline, where each song is yet another chapter in their life. In order to paint an even more complete picture, Alex has gone into detail below on the story behind each track.
He’ll will be launching the album at Melbourne’s Hugs&Kisses on Saturday August 20 accompanied by a nine-piece band, as well as paintings, animations, photography and video, in order to completely and immersively portray the album’s narrative – should be a great show.
HOPEFUL
In which the Man courts a doubtful and highly pious Woman, who wants to believe him. This song was recorded with some of the guys from The Cactus Channel on the very first day of tracking. I was originally going to do a different track with them, but we had a rehearsal in their living room and I realised the song I’d given them was lacking, so I played them this and they pretty much played it like this immediately.
MANIPULATED
In which The Man invites the Woman to join his life, shunning the outside world, her previous ties, and depending entirely on one another.
I wanted this one to be really basic and just be all about the energy of Mark, Eliza and myself playing live in the room. I’d only just recently written the song and we were all feeling it.
COOL CHANGE
Tension appears and they both begin to feel trapped in the life they have constructed.
This was one of the songs we worked up during the tour for the Sing, Strum & Strut EP the year before, so the basic arrangement was already in place. Michael Hubbard came in and played some great guitar, but the whole thing felt too straight forward to me. I went away and messed with the drums, guitar and backing vocals until it felt interesting, playing things backwards or dropping them in and out.
THE TRANSFORMATION
Feeling trapped and frustrated, The Man goes out looking for trouble, prowling dance halls with lustful aggression, thinking of himself as being transformed like Hyde.
This was all live except for the keys and horns. When doing the horn overdubs I kept trying to get them to blow harder and not worry about pitch so much. I referenced Rocks Off by The Rolling Stones as an example of the feel and they looked at me blankly because they’re jazz guys, which was funny to me. They did a great job though. Check Mic’s wild guitar bit at the end!
BLUE WORLD
She kicks him out. ‘Now you’re no one to me at all’, he declares with unconvincing defiance.
This was the reason I got in touch with Henry Jenkins from The Cactus Channel, most of whom played on the recording. I was writing the song and it felt like a big Adele style piano ballad, which I didn’t know what to do with. Then Don’t Wanna Fight by Alabama Shakes came on the radio, and it was one of those stop-what-you’re-doing type moments. The band worked up their arrangement on their own, which is more of a down-tempo Talking Heads white boy-funk type of a thing and we tracked it all live.
FORGIVEN PT. 2
She locks herself inside, shunning family and friends, questioning their motives when they come to offer comfort.
She turns again to her religion, wondering how to find the forgiveness she is supposed to show. I first wrote a version of this when I initially had the story idea – although it’s changed completely since – when I was about 16. I completely forgot about it until I was in the final writing stages for the album and I worked it up on the piano with a gospel feel and a new chorus. I wasn’t entirely sure what the strings would be doing at the start so during the session I was standing in front of them and showing them ideas for the dynamics with my hands. Then we started rolling and they were waiting for me to do it again. Before I knew it I was conducting, which was bizarre!
REUNITED
Aware of the years slipping away and fearful of being along, they try getting back together.
Doubt and mistrust corrode what comfort this offers like a cancer. This is the centerpiece of the song cycle. There was a solo version of this on the Sing, Strum & Strut EP and we recorded a full band version for a live promo video to promote the tour. It didn’t get finished in time so it wasn’t released, but Phil Noy from The Bamboos played some beautiful saxophone, which I rescued for this recording. Seri Vida provides a beautiful vocal as well, which she smashed out in two takes like a champ. Everyone brought their A game for this one.
THE WRONG TYPE OF MAN
She rejects her religion and resolves to murder him, sneaking in while he sleeps.
This is probably the oldest song on the record and by the time we got to it I wasn’t really feeling it. I wasn’t sure what to do with it arrangement-wise. But Mark and Eliza convinced me to keep it on and I’m really glad they did. We’d left so much space on the track I was able to get busy with some old synthesisers and some crazy distorted and gated drums sounds which added to the dark, moody feel of it. Plus Jonathan DiNapoli played some killer saxophone.
ANOTHER STEP IN THE DARK
She meets other suitors over the years but can’t trust them, turning out their pockets while they sleep.
She wonders that if you are unhappy but comfortable in a situation is it better to risk everything on something new? I love Eliza’s bass line on this, as well as her backing vocals. We worked this one up during the previous tour and made a live recording of it at one of the shows. At first we struggled to get the same feel as the live demo so we actually had to scrap our first attempt and go back and do it all again. In the end I ended up using some of the guitar parts from both the live version and the first session, which were in different tempos. I like the slightly warped effect this adds, I’m a sucker for the right kind of imperfection.
THIS HAUNTING
She is an old woman now, her mind wandering unreliably through the years.
She imagines that The Man has come back to haunt her and take her life as revenge. I previously released a version of this song with the Foreign Tongue, but it’s an important part of the story so I couldn’t not revisit it. If people ever call out requests at my shows it’s for this one, but I still enjoy playing it. It’s just a big, brash rock’n’roll song with a lot of energy to it.
