Thomy Sloane On Batpiss' New Sound And Why It Was A Necessary Change

Rest In Piss, the new album from Melbourne's lords of punk, sludge and doom Batpiss, is a gnarly, nasty, almost harrowing listen. It is the band's third full-length offering, and bass-playing vocalist Thomy Sloane, speaking from his home in Collingwood, has some intimate and more worldly ideas as to where all that angst and that dissonance comes from.

"We just felt like we had a bit more to get off our chests," he recalls, "it's not quite as aggressive as the first two, as we're getting older, we're not quite as angry. We're more sad."

So what are you sad about and what do you feel you need to get off your chests? "A lot of it has to do with a few mates who have passed away in the last couple of years," he explains, "and the stuff that goes along with that, like being without them and missing them and all that sort of shit.

"There's a little bit of political stuff in a couple of songs, but we don't really try to be much of a political band, 'coz that's fuckin' boring. This one's more heartfelt, I think, and I wanted to do that, some of the older songs would just be made up stories about nothing. So I was like 'I wouldn't mind making a record that kinda actually means something this time."

Sloane goes on to explain that this ties in to the album's rather blatant title, both the feelings surrounding the loss of their friends and the fact that the album marks somewhat of a stylistic shift in the band's sound. "I guess that's where the album's name, Rest In Piss, comes from too," he says, "we're sort of saying goodbye to mates who have passed and to the old Batpiss sound. Just leaving those old darker feelings behind and moving on."

While the themes are dark and sad, and the music is doomy as all hell, the band manage to squeeze just a small and subtle touch of melody into the sound every now and then, which provides welcome relief from the otherwise relentless dirge. Sloane explains that this is a conscious thing on the band's part. "Yeah, totally, you've got to have a little bit (of melody) I guess," he admits, "I think we just wanted to make it sound different, just not as shoved down your throat, make it a little bit more interesting to listen to. It's still got that Batpiss sound, just not as full-on. Which is way more fun to play, and easier."

The band are letting the record sink into people's minds before they take it on the road. They have a major tour kicking off in August, and they are counting the days until it starts. "Yeah we can't wait, it's been a while since we've been on the road. Depending on how wasted the other two get, we might have fun!" He laughs, "it's usually pretty fun."