Seafood: Fight Club.

When Do We Start Fighting… is in stores now.

Yes, they’ve got an odd name. The kind of name that leaves you wondering what the hell it’s all about. Their second album, When Do We Start Fighting… leaves you in no doubt. The UK based act are firing on all cylinders with their unique brand of intelligent rock, looking for their place amongst heavyweights like Pavement or the Pixies and definitely finding a welcoming ear. For Seafood, When Do We Start Fighting… is the band’s first real introduction to Australian audiences, and bassist Kevin Hendrick takes a look back at their debut.

“This record’s different in the way that it’s a big step up from out first album. For us the first record really was just a document of our first year together. We didn’t sit down and write an album, we just did it as we went along. This time was the first time we were ahead of the game. We went away and wrote an album, so it’s a bit more coherent as well. We kind of knew a little bit more about what we were doing. It’s still kind of as schizophrenic as the first album,” he laughs. “Which I think we’ve come to recognise as a strength to do that. We’re not just knocking out twelve two and a half minute punk pop songs like a lot of albums.”

“I think it’s more about the mentality of the people who were writing it, you know. In This Light Will You Fight Me? was a song that me an Caroline wrote, so I don’t know what’s going on inside of her head, but I guess that contrast is not really deliberate, but it does say something about us I think.”

Variety is definitely the proverbial spice of life for Seafood. While their first album found them compared with Sonic Youth (of which traces still remain on the disc opener Cloaking) When Do We Start Fighting couples their already prominent indie rock sensibilities with more subtle touches.

“This is the first band we’ve all kind of taken seriously. I’ve been in some really really really bad bands. This was a real case of we don’t know how to do things, but we want to do it.”

“We spent a lot of time writing, and we’re still learning now. Maybe we spent too much time on some songs, because I think quite a few good songs got left behind. We just went with what we were doing, and if we liked it, it made it. That’s why there’s a song that’s really choppy and quick backed up with something all quiet and introspective. I think personally it makes a more interesting record. It might be a little bit harder to listen to but I think in the grander scheme of things I think they’re the kind of records that stay with you longer. That’s what I like to think, in my little cloud.”

What sort of records are you a fan of? What albums have had that kind of effect for you?

“Having said that, I’m going to be really uncool here,” he laughs. “I’ve just rediscovered Prince, and Purple Rain just has to be one of the… my bandmates will kill me for saying this, it’s the ultimate album. I know it goes again what I’m saying about our album, but it’s nine tracks, and it’s got everything. There’s the pop anthems, the instrumental noodley bits… very uncool. The guy that does out live sound at the moment did a tour with Prince. He was telling us some brilliant stories.”

How did David (guitars) and Caroline (drums) sharing the vocals come about? Is it something that’s been a feature of the band since day one?

“It’s something we wanted to happen from the beginning, but it didn’t. We started out really basically. Our first few shows were really shambolic, so we’ve kind of learned to do things as we went along, from putting out records from the beginning, playing gigs. Caroline’s been a bit more confident to sing as we went along. She’s just kind of finding her feet, and now we’ve gotten to the point that it’s strong feature. It’s seems like a real love hate story going on, and I like the kind of contrasting vocals.”