The Musical Oxygen That Pumps Through London

It's early morning when Gabriel Winterfield from Jagwar Ma calls to talk about life overseas, and the process of writing the band's latest album. The phone line crackles slightly as the Sydneysider speaks from London, which is just heading into winter.

"It's starting to get a little colder here," he says. Winterfield has been living in London for the last few months, and is still feeling new to the city. "I definitely think there is a different vibe here. There's different groups of people here that have an impact on what you hear. It's amazing how when you walk around or drive around London in a cab there's always couriers and stuff, and they're always blasting their music as they drive around London. We call them the red blood cells of the city because they're pumping musical oxygen throughout it. I love the fact that you can experience the juxtaposition of hearing dub in a cold environment. Just masses of Jamaican rhythms pushing through the grey climate. It's very London."

"It's amazing how when you walk around or drive around London in a cab there's always couriers and stuff, and they're always blasting their music as they drive around London."

Every Now & Then is the Sydney band's second full-length release, and while there's no obvious reggae influence on the album, the three-piece have taken a broad thematic approach to its songwriting. "Well, I think the title sort of encompasses the record itself," Winterfield says. "In retrospect the album has a weird sort of self-awareness to it, where it's almost that the album is actually about writing the album itself. I like the idea of people using the expression, and it standing on its own as a reflection of life. Because life is every now and then."

Winterfield sees the sound of the album as somewhat of a sequel to the band's debut album, Howlin'. "I don't think it's a grand departure, but there's a few curveballs in there as well that people wouldn't expect. There's some tracks that if you can imagine subbing them in or out for a Howlin' track it would seem like almost a different band. There's probably more of a soul element to this record, and perhaps a slight departure away from some of the British-sounding influences. But I would rather leave that reflection up to someone else's interpretation."

Ultimately, Winterfield says the group aim for a balance of physical and cerebral qualities in their music. "Dance music is entirely related to the physical. Repetition invites participation. Songwriting is very different. I often say that a song tells the story. It's inviting someone to listen to a story, or some sense of journey. And then dance music itself is the story. You're part of the story, and you're part of the journey. It takes you on the story and you're actually participating. But with singer-songwriter stuff, you don't need to. It's not as important. They're both beautiful things, and both beautiful aspects of music and ways that people appreciate things, but they're very different. There is no priority for us. We like both, and try to incorporate both into the record."