Rebirthing

Earlier this year, many in the Aussie punk community were gutted to hear that A Death In The Family were pulling the pin. Things weren't flowing as they once had, and with increased commitments came less flexibility for band members to give their all to the cause. Few would've believed, however, that it was to be the last we'd hear from Jamie Hay. The group's husky guitarist had dabbled with solo work in the past, so it seemed natural to explore that path further, the end result being King Of The Sun, a body of work that's as raw and emotion-charged as anything he's done with the volume turned up.

“I guess I just write about what I feel needs to come out, and I don't really think too much about it – I leave it up to others to say whether they like it or not,” he explains, pondering how these songs reflect the bearded man with the six-string. “I don't really [mull] over what a song represents to me, because a lot of the songs have a different vibe with different instruments and stuff like that so it's not a one-trick pony kinda record. I wanted to go out there and show I could do a bit more.”

To bring out “more”, Hay called on a bunch of mates to assist with the album, including former ADITF bandmate Matt Bodiam, Carl Burnett from Arrows, The Scandal's Liam White and Blueline Medic's Adrian Lombardi. But listening to the reflective Fireworks In The Distance or torch song Rabbit On, it's clear that this is versatile music suited to any guise.

“We had a jam last night and we worked out another song to get happening with the band,” he informs. “But there's some [tracks] that I felt didn't need anything else on it, I just wanted to keep it bare. That's the great thing – I've got a real good bunch of mates who'll get onboard with whatever crazy idea I have.”

The former Novocastrian didn't return home to lay down the LP, nor did he stay in Melbourne, where he currently resides. Instead, he crossed Bass Straight to connect with a Tasmanian friend.

“I actually went to south Hobart to record it,” Hay tells. “My mate Lincoln Le Fevre's house, I went down there for eight days, I recorded some drums at a different studio but most of it was at his house in his little studio/bedroom. It was good to just focus on the task at hand rather than... well, my experiences before, you go to the studio, then you go home and go back to familiar things. This just takes you out of your comfort zone and immerses you in the recording with everyone there.”

Aside from Lombardi, every additional player made the journey south too, with the close-knit vibe permeating through the record.

“Some of the time I'd have things worked out that I had in my head for a while, but a lot of the songs I'd just let the guys work out and we'd do it between us,” he expands. “But when there was something that I was 100% sure would sound good I'd try and push it out. I didn't want to be too much of a hard task master, though.” But for all the support on hand, this record is Hay's, and his only. “I can't help it – I need to write,” he resides. “Singing about certain topics can be hard but you've just got to work through that stuff.”