"I'm the dude who writes and sings the songs," says Noah Earp. The self-described International Man of Misery started out writing the songs "in a few rock bands". But, as Earp tells us, "I started my own solo project a few years ago, doing a few festivals and a tour of India. The album has been the biggest part of it, taking about three years to make."
The album is called Disinheritor and, when Earp finally finished it he realised, "The most recent song was two weeks old, and the oldest one was about four years old. That was the duet Alone that I sang with Gretta Ray."
The actual recording was done "at Hothouse Studios in St Kilda". "It has a big, old '70s Neve console," says Earp, "which was an important ingredient in the sound - we were going for live takes and big, crunchy tones.
"As far as I'm concerned, albums are all about vibe. You can play the most technically correct music in the world, but if it's got no soul, it's no good."
Does that mean the tracks stay pretty true to form in the live arena? "To be honest it's kind of impossible to recreate the recording live," reveals Earp, "but we keep the structures and counter-melodies going on in the arrangements. Other than that, it's a pretty freewheeling band. Most of us are trained improvisers so we're always looking for an excuse."
The album's name makes a strong statement, does it come from an overarching theme? "The songs weren't written to some specific theme, but my songwriting obsessions tend to have certain patterns to them. I'd say there's an idea overshadowing the album - an awareness of standing on a cliff and watching it slowly crumble around you."
