EP Focus: Moonlight Broadcast

Answered by: Cameron Thomson, lead vocals & Richard Hay, guitar

EP Title: A Cynic's Guide To Dying Happy

Label: Independent

What's your sound like? Upbeat depressing, downbeat uplifting. Layered, guitar-driven rock songs filled with a world-weary melancholy.

Give us a brief history of the band to this point. Rich and Cam had attended film school together in another life. Years later, Rich was writing soundtracks for films that didn't exist, in an old farmhouse, and gave some tracks to Cam, who added vocals. We accidentally scored a gig in Brunswick. Then formed band, more shows, recorded EP.

Where did you record the EP and why? Who did you work with recording it? We recorded at Rangemaster. It's an awesome studio, converted from an old monastery. David Carr, owner and sound engineer, is a wealth of knowledge. We were lucky to have Tim Wild on board as producer, he taught us a lot and was very patient with us.

Is there an overall theme to the songs on the EP, or did you just use whatever songs you had to make up the tracklisting? Lyrically, the songs centre around Cam wrestling with his depressive nature. How do you accept yourself as you are - negative and cynical - and still have a worthwhile journey? So that's what the title's getting at. 

Did you manage to roadtest any of the songs live before recording? Did that have an effect on them at all? In what way? Yes. Tim watched us live, took notes and then we rehearsed with him. That's when we pulled the songs apart, and built them back up with Tim's input and ideas. 

Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? In what way? It was a great creative atmosphere for us during recording. We were all inspired by trying to make the songs as kick-arse as we could get them and ideas were bounced around the room all the time. Different instruments, effects and studio toys were tried out to find what worked.

Do you aim for perfection in the studio, or more feeling or vibe when deciding to use a take? We aim for perfection when recording, but then I think it's down to the feeling or vibe when you're choosing a take. If something feels right, or there's an error but it somehow works better, that's the take we'll choose.

What's your favourite track on the EP and why? Harm Min. We're really proud of all the songs, but if I have to pick one that, I think, came out the closest to how we pictured it, it'd be Harm Min. It's one we wrote quickly and everything just fell into place like it was meant to be.

Were there any challenges you faced during recording and if so, how did you overcome them? We suck at playing to a click. We know that's unprofessional, and we're working on it, but that goddamned beep can really throw off the vibe if you're not experienced with it. 

How will you recreate the tracks live? Stay true to them or is there room to mix it up? We realised pretty soon after the recording that we needed another guitar. We've got Leo now, so we can stay within throwing distance of the recordings. But our live show is much more raw, a departure from the more controlled sound of the EP. 

Did you only record recent tracks, or are there some older tracks to have made the cut on the EP? There's some older. The Ballad Of Cognitive Dissonance is the second song that Rich and Cam ever wrote together. All the songs have transformed over the time leading up to the [recording of the] EP, and they're still developing in a way. 

Are you launching it with a gig? If so, what are the details? 18 Mar, Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar.

Website link for more info? moonlightbroadcast.bandcamp.com