Album Focus: Hugo Race & The True Spirit

Answered by: Hugo Race

Album title? The Spirit 

Where did the title of your new album come from? The Spirit is the essence of what the band is about. Before spirit, everything is just thought, an idea. The spirit makes things come alive in the real world. The Spirit is who we are.

How many releases do you have now? Twelve studio releases and various live albums, compilations and bootlegs make 16 — our first album came out in 1989!

How long did it take to write/record? About five years. Most of it was recorded in our studio in a house in Melbourne, and most songs I co-wrote with members of the Spirit. It's a collective work, and that is its power.

Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? The energy of working as a collective, the secrets and paradoxes of real life and our desire to do something we'd never done before, following into this other world where the music takes us.

What's your favourite song on it? The Information is a standout track — I wrote these lyrics about the Wikileaks saga while the band were jamming. 

Will you do anything differently next time? We'd record live like we did on The Spirit but beyond that who can say? We work with feel and intuition — each record reveals itself in time.

When and where is your launch/next gig? We launch The Spirit at Flying Saucer Club in Melbourne on 21 Aug, then play Sydney on 4 (The Vanguard) & 5 Sep (LazyBones Lounge). 

Website link for more info? hugoracemusic.com