Album Focus: The Volcanics

What did your last album achieve in terms of forwarding the band’s cause, here and overseas?

Our last album, Get A Move On, helped us reach an audience in Australia and even more so overseas that were previously unaware of the band. Since its release in 2014 we have played to and met many new fans who have a genuine interest in what we’re doing and their kindness is quite overwhelming. Spain, in particular, seems to have an amazing appetite for Australian rock, way more than Australia. Our album sales are increasing more than ever and John Needham’s Citadel Records has been a major factor in lifting the band’s profile,  especially in Europe.

Given that Transmission is The Volcanics third album, what did you want to do with it in terms of consolidating your sound and taking the band to a new level?

With Transmission we hope to continue growing as a band and also to basically reach as many people as possible with our music and hopefully make some new fans. To tour Europe and Australia and give people an opportunity to come see the band play live.

You’ve now worked a couple times with Rob Younger (Radio Birdman/New Christs). How has the creative relationship evolved the longer you have known and worked with him?

Yeah, this is the second time we’ve worked with Rob Younger in the studio. The first time was amazing and the second time even more so. We all know each other better now so of course that just makes everything even easier and more fun. Same goes with Wayne Connolly at Alberts Studios, who mixed Transmission and previously Get A Move On,  everything gets easier and more interesting.

What songs came together first and set the agenda for the rest of the album?

The title track, Transmission, was one of the first songs we wrote for this album along with What I Found,  which was a single we released not long ago.  They both are quite different songs, even though they contain our own sound.   Transmission is rock and What I Found is kinda rock pop.  That’s generally a reasonable description of the new album.

Are there any that you feel take the band into slightly different territory?

 A little yeah, but we don’t wanna go to far into new territory, musically.  We have brass again on some songs and organ on a track, but besides that we’ve stayed close to what we do. 

Jesse Kuillotine has recently joined on guitar. What’s it been like incorporating his playing into both new and old songs?

Jesse playing with the band has been and is great. He is easily fitting in with what we do and it’s a pleasure playing in a band with him.  His guitar playing and sense of rock’n’roll is great, something many people already know through his awesome rock band The Kuillotines. We are very lucky to have him in the band.

Your European tour is coming up soon. What are you looking forward to the most?

 We’re looking forward the most to playing all the actual shows, especially in Berlin, Paris, Madrid and also the televised Rockpalast Crossroads Festival in Bonn, Germany.  Another thing we are very much looking forward to is the amazing appetite the Europeans have for rock’n’roll and what a very polite and good natured people they are.

Originally published in X-Press Magazine