Brissy power pop-rock legends Babaganouj are back at it. With a whole new swelll of fans and a artillery of fresh new tracks, the band are this week unleashing their brand new EP titled Pillar of Light.
Since their 2011 inception, the band have toured relentlessly, supported the likes of The Preatures, Smudge, Veruca Salt, The Lemonheads, Northeast Party House and The Creases while crafting their iconic sound and dropping some serious Aussie rock gems.
Pillar of Light. sees the band keep their distinctly
Australian style, in tow while paying a sonic homage to Teenage Fanclub, The
Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Yuck, taking inspiration from Creation
Records and Flying Nun classics.
To celebrate its release, the trio have given us a track by track run down of Pillar of Light which you can check out below along with the EP stream. If you like what you’re hearing pop by the band’s Facebook page or catch them on tour (which kicks off this week).
Do Rite With Me Tonite
Charles Sale: We recorded this song in Melbourne in August of 2015 at a place in Northcote called Soundpark Studios. It was produced by Gareth Parton, who I knew from an unreleased EP I recorded with my old band. We were also into the Lowtide record which came out in 2014. It was really cold!
Conceptually I was trying to bring my run of the mill guitar indie rock thing with my interest in straight up pop, like radio hits and top 40 songwriting teams and stuff. It has this shoegaze guitar line and the jangle and the twangy bass thing and Jack’s cyclical drum beat with that dance tambourine.
This song has a lot going on and is really hard to play live so forgive us if you ever see us live and we goof it up. Lyrically it’s about domestic and romantic drudgery so it has a clash of boring things with emotional things which I relate to. Like falling in love then having to drive to work.
Awhile
Ruby McGregor: A while is a song I wrote one night after hanging out with an old friend. It’s about realising that in order to make new friends you don’t have to forget the old ones. It’s understanding that things change and people come and go from your life but that’s okay, their chapter doesn’t need to end and you don’t have to let go of anything of you don’t want to.
Would You Like Me
Harriette Pilbeam: I think I actually wrote Would You Like Me about two years ago, before Bluff. I sat on it for a really long time because I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to take it in.
When I initially write a song it always sounds completely different from the end product – this one was a lot more wussy originally. Charles added in the lead guitar in the intro and sped it up a little, and it kind of naturally fell into the more rocky song you hear now once we added drums. I started with the lyrics when I was going through a weird phase with friendships.
I had a few friends who I really admired and looked up to, almost obsessively. Then a few things happened that made me realise that some people who I thought had everything going for them weren’t actually doing very well in their own eyes. I guess it kind of reminded me that everyone has their own demons.
Dunno What To Say
Charles Sale: This one I recorded on my own with our friend Sean Cook at Plutonium. I wrote it after a period of excessive drinking and a courtship. I guess it’s a love song, but most of my songs are love songs in one way or the other.
This song is a happy one I think, more excited for the future than regretful or something. I think it’s inspired by Big Star and a few other things that I’m into like that. Wuss music. Sean did the Elliott Smith vocals/guitar thing where you record two takes of guitar and vocals together, and then pan them left and right. There’s the pitter patter sound on some sort of suitcase.
Then we got wild on the overdubs because I cannot help myself. Thankfully it didn’t end up too excessive, though if anyone knows a good string quartet lemme know. It rounds out the EP nicely because it’s a change of pace and I want people to hear another side of us.
Upcoming Tour Dates
Friday 22nd April 2016
Waywards, Sydney NSW – Babaganouj takeover night
Saturday 23rd April 2016
The Toff In Town, Melbourne VIC
Sunday 24th April 2016
Spotted Cow, Toowoomba QLD w/ Good Boy
Friday 29th April 2016
The Helm, Sunshine Coast QLD w/ Good Boy
Saturday 30th April 2016
Minimum Wage Club, Shark Bar, Gold Coast QLD w/ Good Boy
Friday 6th May 2016
Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
