The Outer Limits

30 January 2013 | 7:00 am | Matt O'Neill

“Not being the most conventional band, it’s hard for us to get things like radio play and that sort of thing. You know, it’s hard for a band like us to really break into that BIGSOUND/QMusic crowd. We still try."

Project 62 walk an interesting line. A six-piece ensemble with a stunning array of influences, the Toowoomba outfit draw equally from the abstract and insular songwriting of indie-friendly outfits like Radiohead or The National and the sheer grunt of harder rock proponents like ZZ Top and Primus. They manage an impressive balancing act between heavy, muscular musicianship and more nuanced artistry.

“I think everyone sort of brought their own influences and sounds to the band. We were basically trying to figure out a sound that would work with six players,” keyboardist Peter Woods laughs. “You know, with two guitar players and keyboards, it gets a little tight, arrangement-wise. I think it was always going to come out at the darker end of the spectrum. But, we also wanted to push a certain funkiness into it.

“You know, we love playing with that sense of contradiction. We play one style in one type of music and then the next song comes as a bit of a surprise to the listener. It'll have a Motown-type sound or something,” he explains. “We never like to stick to the same line. The songwriting's always exploring, always changing, going into different areas all the time. Somehow, we've kept it together.”

They seem to like to make life a little bit harder for themselves. Self-managed, they recorded and released their debut album Our Own War independently in 2009. A mix of newcomer musicians and cover band veterans, Project 62 seem especially determined to do things on their own terms – even down to their choice of location. Since forming in 2007, Project 62 haven't – outside of touring concerns – budged from their native Toowoomba.

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“It is hard to develop a following, being based in Toowoomba,” Woods reflects. “Not being the most conventional band, it's hard for us to get things like radio play and that sort of thing. You know, it's hard for a band like us to really break into that BIGSOUND/QMusic crowd. We still try. We use the same avenues. It's important to us that people hear the album. We don't make it just for us.”

“I don't think we want those things if we don't get them on our own terms, though,” vocalist Jason Lawler adds. “We're all pretty established in our lives and we don't feel that necessarily needs to change. In an ideal world, I think all we want is for this to keep perpetuating itself. You know, we love hanging out together, we love playing music. It'd be great if there was some money in it but we're not really thinking about that.”

Encouragingly, the band nevertheless seem to be gradually securing support. Their latest album Mortal, released late last year, was produced by industry veteran Anthony Lycenko (Sinead O'Connor, Pet Shop Boys, Giants Of Science, Xavier Rudd and Busby Marou). Upon release, the album was listed by iTunes Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia as a 'New and Noteworthy' recording.

“It's difficult to get all of our sounds together on one album but I think we somehow brought it all together on Mortal,” Woods says. “I think, if you hear one of the lighter songs on the album, you'll like one of the heavier songs and vice versa. Our producer, Anthony Lycenko, really helped us clean up our sound and pull back from being too self-indulgent. He liked our different songs. He just made it all a little cleaner. We're proud of it.”