Channelling summer with a partiality to the sunny West Coast, these four fellows could not be further from their moniker. With a knack for melody and sundrenched ditties reminiscent of The Beach Boys and Fleetwood Mac, Rainy Day Women make bright savvy music of the pop variety.
Their forthcoming sophomore EP ‘Friends’ shows a more focussed Rainy Day Women. Whilst still possessing their trademark classic pop hooks and slacker indie vibe, the six-tracker is more honest and speaks with a more assertive, grown-up vibe than their debut. Recorded with producer Andy Lawson (Eskimo Joe, The Chemist) and mastered by Brian Lucey (The Black Keys, The Shins), ‘Friends’ is a step up and two jumps forward for these purveyors of indie pop.
The outfit’s 2013 has kicked off in style, with spots on the bill at Southbound, Big Day Out and St Jerome’s Laneway festivals. Latest single and EP title track Friends is currently on rotation at triple j, and mid-March will see the band tour in support of the new release, with dates in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
We chatted with Dylan Ollivierre (lead vocals/guitar) and Daniel Henry (drums) of Rainy Day Women
Tell us about your sophomore EP Friends, and how it differs from your debut EP.
Friends was big change for us in a lot of ways. We got more into demoing and production around the time Sleigh Bed was released, so being able to record a song ourselves, and get it in the ballpark sonically of the types of recordings we had grown up with and loved was pretty inspiring. We went into writing the Friends EP with the idea that we wanted it to sound a bit older and more honest than what we had done in the past. To me there is far less ego on Friends than Sleigh Bed – it didn’t matter that much to us who played the part, or if it didn’t sound the best, if it had personality and was right for the song we went with it. [Dan]
Lyrically what inspired your new EP?
There are some darker lyrical themes on this EP contrasted with some sunny sounds. The idea of having no control and the importance of friends resonates pretty strongly through the lyrics. Particularly on the songs ‘Control’ and ‘Friends’… funny that! I’m not sure if people will pick up on it, but there are songs that talk about mental health, but they are kind of masked to make it sound like it’s about a girl. [Dyl]
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
My parents have an awesome record collection and their music has always been around. A few years ago I bought a new record player and went through the records in depth and it blew my mind. Some of the gems in the collection are Rumours, The White album, Sgt Peppers, Harvest etc. They’ve definitely been a big influence on my song writing. [Dyl]
How are you preparing for your first ever national tour? Excited? Nervous?
We have been doing lots and lots of practice for the last month or so in the lead up to the tour, which has settled our nerves quite a bit. So at the moment we’re really excited just to head off and enjoy the shows and whatever happens along the way! [Dan]
Any ridiculous rider requests?
None so far… we usually just get a couple of drinks each, so getting anything more than that usually blows our minds. [Dan]
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with?
Neil Finn (if he counts as Australian) or Daniel Johns. I think they both are geniuses and I could learn a lot from both of them. [Dyl]
What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?
Probably a Sunday chill-out session at the beach with a soccer ball and a game of cricket or a coastal drive or a late night solo listen. People tend to associate us with the sun and the beach, so I guess anything related to those. [Dyl]
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
Right now I’d have to say “The Magical Mystery Tour” by the Beatles or “Highway 61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan. [Dan]
What are your plans for the rest of 2013. Should we expect an album anytime soon?
There is an album currently underway, but I don’t think that will get released til early next year. As for the rest of 2013, I think apart from the tour and a couple of busy months playing shows, we will be spending a lot of time finishing off writing and recording the album. [Dan]
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
We’re just about to head off on tour, which goes like this:
March 8 – Amplifier Bar, PERTH; March 14 – Black Bear Lodge, BRISBANE; March 15 – FBi Social, SYDNEY; March 16 – The Workers Club, MELBOURNE. We have 2 EPs out so far, one called ‘Sleigh Bed’ and the new one ‘Friends’. They’re both available on iTunes, Spotify and elsewhere online or from JB HiFi and all good record stores.
