Why Record In A Studio When You Can Do It At Home In Your PJs?

Jack Carty is pushing the patience of his new wife Natasha by recording an album in their tiny apartment.

"You wake up in the morning and grab a coffee and then get stuck in. I did do a lot of it in my pyjamas. My wife would call me at 1pm and be like 'have you done your teeth today?' because I'd wake up and have a coffee and some breakfast, but while I was having my coffee and my breakfast I'd start working on stuff and then I'd just keep forgetting to stop and do all the other things that I had to do. Even like, basic personal hygiene like forgetting my teeth. I'm just a nightmare basically. She's very supportive," he laughs.

"I remember I got into a law degree up in Lismore and my dad was like 'don't you want to be a musician? Why would you do that?' What a legend."

The aptly named Home State - Carty's fourth LP - was recorded almost entirely by Carty himself - save for the bass which was laid down by Gus Gardiner [Papa Vs Pretty], a few guitar tinkerings from Jordan Millar and two guest vocalists. It turns out one of these vocalists, Airling, is his cousin. "It was really organic, you know. I used to go see her band play all the time before Airling obviously, so it wasn't so much a surprise as we just supported each other through our musical paths so far, and it's so great to finally have her record on an album with me," he explains. "I don't know [if our family] was particularly musical, it's just very supportive parents that allowed us to chase this, you know? Which is a big thing, being told that it was okay to spend ten hours every day of the weekend practicing in my room... I remember I got into a law degree up in Lismore and my dad was like 'don't you want to be a musician? Why would you do that?' What a legend."

Aside from handling the majority of the album solo, he also released Home State without assistance from his previous indie label Gigpiglet Recordings, choosing to do it under his own The Curly Co Recordings. "It just felt like the right thing [leaving his label]. It just wasn't moving forward anymore and I think that was a mutual feeling, I'm not sure... As far as the financial aspect, I really didn't know how that was going to play out," he muses. "But it was definitely a thing where I was sort of jumping in the dark at first, I didn't really know how that was going to play out and whether I was going to be able to release another record or not."

Luckily for Carty, inspiration doesn't seem to be an issue. Berlin grew from meeting an Australian busker named Carlos in Germany who plays pop covers wearing nothing but underwear and a horse's head. "He calls himself the naked horse, but it's like 'ne-e-e-igh-ked horse'," Carty trumpets. "We went and got burgers and some peppermint schnapps and went rowing down the river Spree with a busking amp on a dingy playing songs as we went!"