Doing It Old School

Forget about any kind of flash genre tags, stylised imagery or hyperbole – Black Mustang do rock real, the old-fashioned way. But rather than tiring from swimming against a Top 40 tide, the band continue to grow stronger with every weekend on the road. As Dan Charlton, guitarist for the Brisbane four-piece, says, the power to adjust opinions can only be done from one place – the stage

“I think there's a fairly good scene for rock, but people seem to just overlook it, as far as venues and radio stations go,” he laments. “But everybody loves a good rock band and as soon as you've got the crowd in front of you and you can work it, everybody is always like, 'Wow, haven't had a dance like that for ages.' We love it.”

One would tend to agree. Whether it's developed subliminally or directly, everyone has that love of rock somewhere; it's just a matter of finding that itch in punters and scratching it. Charlton concurs.

“It's just about having it put in front of you. Once it's there people always dig it. The comment typically is, 'You guys are just like those old school rock bands that used to tour all the time.' And that's what we're aiming for – it's more about the music than it is about the image. And everyone really respects it, just getting in the van and doing the hard yards rather than just picking and choosing fancy stuff – we're pretty hard-,working like that.”

The band are currently promoting their latest single Loaded Gun, a slice of drifting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club cool that's getting the full treatment, coming out as the lead song on a four-track 7”. The double A-side is completed by previous single, Love, Lies, Bleeding, as well as two unreleased tracks that were taken from the same sessions at two Brisbane studio institutions – Black Box and Wavelength.

“We recorded about fifteen tracks and there was a few that didn't quite make the cut,” Charlton explains of the additional tunes. “Not that they're bad songs – they just didn't seem to fit on the album that well. And we never wanted to drown the album. We would prefer to keep it sparse but with more impact.”

But these songs are more than simply that. They are sounds of a turned corner for the band, the importance of which isn't lost on Charlton.

“We were at a bit of a crossroads. Dave [Starr – guitar/vocals] had a major life-changing thing with his work; I had a business that was struggling and my relationship busted up too, so we were all in weird headspaces. But once we got into the studio it all came together, and since we've left it's been all go – that was a big turning point for us. I definitely came out in a way better place than when I entered the studio – I was thinking far clearer. And just having an album under our belt [2011's Loaded Gun], everything felt good. We'd lost a bit of a vibe within the band and I think that really reignited it.”

And Black Mustang are committed to keeping the pedal to the floor, with tentative plans being put in place for album number three, with preproduction ideally starting in the early stages of next year and a release to come towards the tail end. Much like fast cars, pretty girls and all sorts of other temptations; when it feels good – do it.

“And that's it,” Charlton concludes, “things are really flowing for us. All the juices are flowing and it's just going really well.”

Black Mustang will be playing the following shows:

Saturday 10 November - Beetle Bar, Brisbane QLD