On Australia and making new music

On my recent trip to Australia, I kind of fell back in love with the country. This is a bit of a big deal, as when I left in 2009, I was 100% out of love. I was done with what felt like a small city, and a lot of the intolerance and small-mindedness of it. Also, having spent 25 years growing up there, I think I just needed something different, considering I’d never left the country. Fast forward seventeen years and, well, the world is intolerant as a whole, so it made the good bits of Australia seem way more appealing. The generally chill attitude, the outdoors-ness of everything, the sounds of nature, the weather… I think I’ve also educated myself a lot more on Australian modern history (and a bit on not-so-modern history) and even though it’s still a pretty intolerant place, I now have context for how to fight against the intolerance, which I didn’t have before. Basically, it’s an interesting, rich, and beautiful country, with the same amount of shit that most countries have culturally and historically.

Anyway, that was a very sideways way into what I actually wanted to talk about. Walking around Sydney also started to get my songwriting desire flowing again, so I started to hatch in my head a solo project of songs that were scratching the itch of me wanting to do some naff, twee indie-pop while exploring my complex feelings about my home country (and other stuff that just doesn’t feel right for Brutalligators). With the exception of a couple of Christmas songs, I haven’t written a full song myself for a Very Long time (I think 2005?). It’s rusty, and I don’t think I’m very good at it musically yet, but it’s great to explore.

I’ve managed to write three pretty much finished songs, and another couple of not-quite-there songs. The topics range from the prime minister who disappeared one day, to trying to capture the silliness of Australian summer, to grappling with the fucked history of white Australia, to a random Australian woman I knew for two weeks in London. They’re getting there, and it’s making me feel good, but also incredibly vulnerable. Extremely out of my comfort zone.

So I spent this weekend trying to record the one that was the most finished. This was actually from the Brutalligators cutting-room floor, so I completely reworked the lyrics and put some new music behind it. Also, I haven’t actually recorded and mixed something since about 2005 as well, and I am ridiculously rusty. I think it’s got to a point of a decent demo, but I’m not kidding myself that this is anywhere near good enough.

But fuck it, why not just ship it into the world and make it a thing. So, welcome to the world Burrell Parade. Random, stupid name that’s the street at the top of the road where I grew up in Sydney. I just like the way it sounds, but if someone tells me ‘Mint Patty’ is better (which was my other stupid name idea), I’ll probably switch it.

Oh and I signed myself up to perform for the first time as Burrell Parade at Indiefjord this year. Cue shitting my pants for a couple of months in terror.