British India hasn’t been all that vocal in relation to the anticipated release of their fourth studio album and follow-up to 2010’s Avalanche.
After tantalizing fans with a taste of new material in 2011 with single ‘March Into The Ocean’, the Melbourne garage rock four-piece have recently undertaken a national tour for their latest single ‘I Can Make You Love Me’ – this time edging much closer to the release of a new record.
The largely speculated 2012 release of the band’s forthcoming album is looking increasingly unrealistic as it draws closer to the end of the year.
However, fans aren’t set to wait too much longer as frontman Declan Melia confirms a February 2013 release for the band’s new material.
“We’ve just gotta get it done,” begins Melia. “It’s been a lot of ideas and a lot of things up in the air and it’s just time to kind of chase them down and really pin them to the ground.”
“It’s a bit like chasing a fox,” Melia continues. “It takes hold of you, you’ve gotta find where it is but then the actual work is just caging it.”
Melia is notably proud of how far the band has come as he speaks from his Melbourne home, enjoying a few days to “hang out at home and do the crossword,” before continuing on with British India’s national tour.
Unlike many other bands in their position – with three successful full-length releases behind them and a loyal gaggle of fans – British India aren’t consciously looking to change their sonic appeal.
“You can’t really ever escape your initial sound and we don’t particularly want to,” the frontman muses. “We know what we do best. We’re a guitar rock band and we’re proud of that. We’re probably more proud of that than we’ve ever been.”
That’s not to say that the new record won’t hold any surprises. The band is in the middle of a national tour promoting their latest single, ‘I Can Make You Love Me’. The song is noticeably darker and somewhat smoother than other British India releases and even came as a surprise to the band themselves.
“We got as far as finishing it and recording the lyrics and then we showed it to our producer and a few people and they were like ‘Well, this has got to be a single’,” Melia recalls. “We were surprised. It wouldn’t have been my first choice. I thought people would’ve been a bit scared of a song like that. Not everyone loved it.”“It’s a bit like chasing a fox. It takes hold of you, you’ve gotta find where it is but then the actual work is just caging it.”
The group recently unveiled a clip for the single that was directed by Oh Yeah Wow, the creative force behind a catalogue of works including Gotye’s stop-motion clip for ‘Easy Way Out’.
Featuring a lovelorn Minotaur, the video is a large departure from the way the band usually approaches producing clips – which has in the past included pleas over social media enquiring if anybody they know owns a camera.
Admittedly a strange and cool clip, what does a Minotaur actually have to do with the song?
“Darcy [Prendergast] who directed it told me he thought the song was basically about obsession. I mean, we’re in a society that is basically told to stick to their guns, but obsession is a very unhealthy thing,” Melia explains.
“I think the clip is really about – it’s kind of cliché – but about the monster that obsession can create. That’s, I think, where he got the idea.”
Since their modest beginnings as high school buddies in 2004, the members of British India have been seeking inspiration from an assortment of outlets, anywhere from radio and records to television and movies.
“Pretty much anywhere [other] than real life is kind of our rule,” Melia unexpectedly reveals. “We never tend to write from real experiences.”
With the success of three albums backing them, the Melbourne four-piece are undoubtedly feeling the pressure to produce something special for their fourth effort.
Their debut, 2007’s Guillotine, earned them an AIR award for Best New Independent Artist, whilst Thieves (2008) and Avalanche (2010) both debuted in the ARIA Top Ten.“We know what we do best. We’re a guitar rock band and we’re proud of that. We’re probably more proud of that than we’ve ever been.”
Melia identifies the majority of the pressure comes from motivations within the band rather than paying attention to how they measure up on the sales charts.
“We’ll listen to a Japandroids record or we’ll go back to some old Neil Young stuff or just records we love,” he says, “that’s the kind of stuff that makes us try to be better.”
“When you look at how great music can be and how great albums can be… [you] kind of look at yourself and start thinking you’re terribly average. That’s where we get the pressure from.”
According to Melia, inspiration from other music is “not necessarily pinching ideas,” but “is like filling in gaps,” he adds. “You listen to a song and think, ‘Oh, this could have gone here, and maybe not to here’. It’s kind of like doing things that other people haven’t quite done.”
During the last legs of their current tour, the foursome are set to play the Queenscliff Music Festival, now in it’s 16th year.
British India are no strangers to the Australian music festival scene having previously played the crème de la crème of Aussie music events including Big Day Out, Falls, Pyramid Rock, Southbound, Homebake and Splendour In The Grass; but Queenscliff will mark the first major festival for the band following their return to touring this year.
“It is actually a festival we’ve kind of had our eye on,” says Melia. “Like the pretty girl at the back of the bus that you’ve never really spoken to and then someone gives you her number.”
“Apart from very good things, we’re not exactly sure what to expect,” he adds.
Queenscliff’s major point of difference from many other Australian festivals is that it is an all ages event known for its laid-back and family-friendly atmosphere. Will the possibility of children in the crowd change the way British India approach playing the festival?
“No! NO!” Declan exclaims. “You know, I think our music is brash and I would say it’s exciting and sometimes confrontational but I don’t think what we do is particularly offensive. At least not by today’s standards.”
British India plays Queenscliff Music Festival on Sunday 25th November. Full dates and details available here. You can also catch them on their ‘I Can Make You Love Me’ Tour, make sure to check out the video for the single and tour details here.
