It’s been over seven years since The Getaway Plan released their debut album Other Voices, Other Rooms, and now after line-up changes, a hiatus, a reformation and an impressive growth in sound the Melbourne four-piece are back with their third LP Dark Horses.
“We couldn’t ask for anything better,” vocalist, Matthew Wright says. “With the break up and the reformation, we’re very lucky people have stuck by us through that. We have some of the most amazing, dedicated fans I’ve ever met in my life.”
It’s been a huge journey for The Getaway Plan. Following the release of their debut LP Other Voices, Other Rooms and the hit success of the single, Where The City Meets The Sea, the group abruptly announced a hiatus that would end a year later following an appearance at the REVIVAL music event.
“We wouldn’t be back together if it weren’t for that show,” Wright reveals. “It brought us together in the first place, we weren’t really speaking before that show, that was the reason we were in contact again. From there on we decided to regroup and do a record together.”
“It just felt like we had unfinished business as soon as we started playing together for that show. As soon as we started rehearsing we could all tell, and after the second or third rehearsal we were already planning the reformation.”
Between their hiatus, the band’s ability to push their sound tremendously increased heading into their second LP Requiem which featured thunderous builds and intensive layering. This progression has continued into their latest release, Dark Horses, which features extensive production and in a band first, was recorded in Australia.
“We spent months of time in post-production,” Wright explains. “We tried to get tracking down as quickly as possible with vocals we tried to spread them out as much as possible so it wasn’t too hard.
“It was kind of stressful being at home having to think about the stresses of home life. Usually we’re away, every other record we’ve made we’ve been overseas so you can be in your own bubble and ignore everything happening at home. At the same time its nice being able to sleep in your bed every night. Next time I’d like to get away somewhere.”
“The studio was not that close to home it was an hour drive from where we live so we had to drive through traffic everyday which was really the most stressful part. It was nice to feel comfortable where we were though.”
Assisting the group’s transition is the inclusion of Dan and Mike Maio, who have added a spark of youth to an already energetic line-up.
“They’ve been amazing; they’re younger they have a lot more energy than we do. We’ve been doing this for a long time so we can be a little bit jaded when it comes to certain things we’ve dealt with a million times in the industry but it’s nice having fresh blood.
“Having the two new members has opened up our ability to experiment. We’ve always wanted to be able to push ourselves further and further with every record we make. The new members have given us the ability to push ourselves further this time around.”
The Getaway Plan will be back in Perth as part of their Dark Horses National Tour in November. The tour may be the last time the group visits WA for a while, with their sights set on an international venture.
“We’re always writing, we don’t want to wait another five years between releases.” Wright reveals. “Next year we’ll be trying to focus on overseas a little bit. That’s part of the reason why we’re doing such an extensive tour this year is we probably won’t be touring here next year and after that we’ll definitely be getting into the next record.”
Originally published by X-Press Magazine
