This Is Growing Up

"There's often a sense of embarrassment among people that grew up listening to [pop punk]. And I feel that as well when people ask me what I listened to as a kid, there's a sense of hesitation to say 'I grew up with Blink-182 and The Offspring' because then it's like you might somehow lack authenticity. But they are really great albums, we shouldn't be ashamed of them at all. They've really stood the test of time.”

If you're in your mid-20s and you've ever ridden a skateboard, chances are you can relate to Isaac Graham's sentiment. Maybe it's simply a by-product of growing up, where we need to experience some ambivalence about our childhood so as to be propelled into adult lives. Or maybe it's because Sum 41 came along and left the genre irreparably tarnished. Despite his conflicted relationship with the punk rock of his youth, the genre's influence can be heard all over Glorious Momentum. Not in the music – Graham sticks pretty closely to folk with the odd bluegrass influence thrown in for good measure – but there's a cover of NOFX's Punk In Drublic ditty Lori Meyers (Graham has the album mixed by punk legend Bill Stevenson at his revered Blasting Room studio; it's a dream of his that Stevenson will pass the cover onto Fat Mike) in the tracklist and plenty of songs about girls.

“I grew up with the '90s pop punk, punk rock stuff. That was the [stuff] that really got me excited when I was younger, so I still hold that music close to my heart and I still listen to it a lot. But the music I'm producing doesn't necessarily sound like that, but I think at the core of a lot of that music [are] really interesting stories, and for me, the core of the song has always been lyrics. It's been about being able to tell a story and relay something that's either funny or emotional or sad. So I don't really think too much about the music side of things until I've structured the lyrics, then I find that the music tends to flow on from that.”

The music on Glorious Momentum furthers the agenda Graham showcased on 2009's Empty Vessels; the singer's voice holding centre stage for most of the piece, supported by a lush bed of diverse arrangements and an ever-present acoustic guitar. Graham says the album was largely a collaboration between him and his drummer, so now that he's going on tour with a full band, how are these songs going to sound? “When I get up there with just an acoustic guitar, it becomes more about the lyrics, and just listening to stories. Whereas the live show with the band is more about having a good time, and having a dance and a sing-along. I'm not necessarily making punk rock music, but I like to have that punk rock vitality and energy.”

Discussing the live show he plays with his band The Great Unknown, the conversation turns to a pair of shows the group played earlier this year. In Sydney, the band decided to cover Blink-182's Dude Ranch, start to finish, in their folk punk style. Will fans coming out to these shows get to hear some of those classic '90s pop punk tunes again? “We're talking about it. We had only intended to do one of those shows, but because it was so successful people kept saying to us, 'You've got to do this show again'. So we did, and we're definitely going to try and play with the arrangements again for this tour. They're such great songs.” When all is said and done, you can't escape your childhood. You may as well embrace it.