Brisbane trio Moreton released their debut EP last Friday, a tight collection of tracks that deals in dark themes with a deft touch.
“It might feel good to drown” we’re told on gorgeous cut ‘The Water’, an example of the bleak but beautiful soundscapes found on Specimen, anchored by singer Georgia Potter’s heart-broken vocals. Having only hinted at deeper themes, we were eager to hear from the band about what prompted such a sombre yet invigorating release.
The Specimen EP is available now on iTunes through Create Control, while the chilling video for ‘The Water’ is below, and definitely demands a watch.
The Water
This tune is about surrendering to circumstance. So often the circumstances of our lives can end up so different to the way we planned can’t they? But to quote Kurt Vile, “That’s life, tho (almost hate to say).” And the only option left is to stop flailing, take the path that water takes, the path of least resistance, and hope you’ll wash up somewhere anew.
Specimen
Looking back, I think this band was probably born from this song. And it continues to underpin where we’re at and where we’re headed, both conceptually and sonically. It was one of the first songs I shared with the guys and their contributions were just instantly right.
We tracked all the instruments on this EP live except vocals and Specimen was also not tracked to click. I hadn’t made a ‘live’ record in the studio before and by god it was a good approach, learning to choose whole passes and make peace with ‘flaws’ in favour of vibe/energy. Just four people (producer Matt Redlich included of course) in a dimly lit studio in the burbs with a bottle of whiskey over one weekend.
Initially, I came to write ‘Specimen’ after doing this wacky workshop – ‘Plant Microscopy for Artists’ – teaching artists how to prepare slides of botanical material and view them under a microscope for inspiration. That day, I took the photograph which has become this EP’s cover art, of a Banksia stem specimen.
Visuals/imagery are very interconnected with music for me and this image has sent me down an unending investigation of perspective/texture/fractal imagery/botany/anatomy/aerial photography/sonar/cytoplasmic streaming/deep sea photography/astrophotography/etc etc to be continued on the next record and beyond.
Johana
Oh every record needs a cautionary tale does it not? It’s a heavy tune, but I hope ‘Johana’ serves as a reminder to look out for one another. We underestimate the potency of showing a little compassion. The downtrodden, the lonely, the dispossessed – they need not feel cast aside – “A LOST SOUL AIN’T BROKE.”
Saint Michael
Surely every songwriter writes a song when their Grandma dies. Surely. Especially if it’s also their first encounter with death. Saint Michael is as much about living as it is about dying. “This ain’t fiction,” – I kept thinking to myself as I looked at her diminutive form, looking so perfectly alive with just the absence of breath.
She died at home, her sheets were blue cotton, the curtains lace and the undertaker was so remarkably tanned. I felt like I was five years old running around her garden and for the first time I felt like an adult. My Grandmother was so kind to me that even in her passing she gifted me a chance to know death removed from all tragedy. A long life lived well.
Restitution
The sentiment is pretty spelt out in the lyrics, it almost reads like a letter… Originally I wrote this piece on an old piano but our bass player Lee, who is an immensely accomplished pianist, arranged it with all the beautiful subtleties in the final version.
Matt dialled up that bewitching sound on one of his many vintage synthesizers and I sat on the couch singing while Myka and Lee tracked their parts together live. This was the one track where Matt and I allowed ourselves to experiment with layers, overdubs and effects, just the two of us remaining in the studio. Matt is a true artist in his own right and a dream to work with.
