After serving up two already massive singles this year, the upcoming second album from Sydney rock n rollers Sticky Fingers Land Of Pleasure, is definitely gearing up to be one of the most anticipated local releases of 2014. The album was recorded in in the tropical paradise of Rocking Horse Studios, 20 mins inland from Byron Bay, NSW, arriving in the studio only one day after returning home from touring Europe.
Land Of Pleasure promises a bigger sound than anything we’ve heard from the band yet. From the 90s rave beats and soaring guitar lines of the first single ‘Just For You’ and the euphoric second single ‘Gold Snafu’ the guys manage to be both impossible to pigeonhole, while still maintaining that instantly recognisable and authentic Sticky Fingers sound.
The guys have just arrived home from performing at Splendour In The Grass, and they’re now getting ready to tour nationally in support of their sophomore effort which is out tomorrow. To celebrate the release of Land Of Pleasure bass player Paddy Cornwall gave us a behind the scenes track by track run down of the exciting new local release.
Land Of Pleasure Intro
“Welcome to the Land of Pleasure … We’d been on the road for a long time. All around the Oz, and across Eastern Europe. A truly radical adventure. That being said we came home sick of the sight of each other. Half a year living in a van together has a way of doing that. But hey, we had an album to write. The opening line of the album says it all really … “With our given time, we must make it right” … This was the first of all these tunes banged out. And sets the ecstasy-fueled tone of the whole album. We love the little bit at the end where Dylan’s messing around with that falsetto part. He was only playing around, but’s turned out one of our favourite moments on the album.”
Feast Your Eyes
“We were gonna’ have live horns on this one. but ended up loving the charm of using the heaps crappy fake ones from Garage Band. The production on this song is pretty wild. We’re definitely wearing Primal Scream and Gorillaz influences on our sleeves here. And it don’t sound half bad either!”
Just For You
“We were somewhere in the Netherlands. Rocked up early for soundcheck in this amazing old great hall. There was a beautiful grand piano on stage. Crabs (Freddy Crabs, synth) found himself comfy behind it and started messing around with that piano line. I remember Dylan (Dylan Frost, vocals/ guitar) then jokingly start beatboxing over it drum n’ bass style, and I perk up like “Oi! That actually sounded sick!”. Next thing we had a hot little single in our hands.”
Rum Rage
“When you listen to the album in order I love how it goes from the loudest most chaotic number to this; the most intimate and dry little heart-wrencher. I love Seamus slide guitar solo. Especially considering he’s using a VB bottle. Really enhances the dreamy ‘booziness’ of the song.”
Gold Snafu
“It was a bit over a year ago when we realised; if we wanted to actually get anywhere with this band we’d have to to simply give up on everything else and truly go for it. ‘Gold Snafu’ is inspired by our story so far. All the highs and lows that comes with living on the road. SNAFU is a morse code term that stands for Situation Normal All Fucked Up. Gold.”
Liquorlip Loaded Gun
“I went through a stage of being a massive intimacy-phobe. This was after I went through a horrible break up with my first love. The heaviest of all breakups. Suddenly there’s this super cute girl who’s real into me, but I’m finding myself unable to let her in, let alone share how I feel. This song was an attempt to do that.”
Fake A Smile
“This one is quite thematically similar to many of the tracks off the Caress album. A really sparkly, bouncy, and happy arrangement, but when you listen a little closer a lot of the lyrics are mean and nasty.”
Show No Shade
“So much fun to play live. A real suspense builder. Love how unobvious the chord changes in the choruses are. Slowly works you up the whole toon, then simply explodes for the outro. Some of our finest songwriting I reckon. Fucking top!”
If You Go
“Here’s Sticky Fingers stab at a Brit-pop-esque number. I reckon we fucking nailed it too. There’s some moments in there that are directly ripped off the likes of Oasis and The Stone Roses. But that only because we love ’em! It’s really fun performing anthems, and that’s why we’re writing a whole bunch of them.”
Velvet Skies
“I’ve got vividly euphoric memories of laying this down. Blissing out in the studio. Middle of summer, shirts off, and a lot of chest rubbing. That whole vibe is drenched in this toon. And features the vocal flavours of our good friend Lyall Moloney. That wailing freak out he hits in the middle gives me spine tingles every time I hear it. And takes me right back to the magical time we had recording the album.”
Signing copies of Land Of Pleasure. Source: Facebook
Dreamland
“For ages this was just a little jam we’d bust for kicks during soundcheck. Our producer Dann Hume heard us playing it and was like “dude we gotta turn this into a song” … so here it is!”
Lazerhead
Lazerhead came together in the same way Australia Street did. Dylan had wrote some beautiful verses with a boring chorus. And i’d written a killer chorus with a lame verse. Coincidentally they sliced together perfectly. Ever heard that mashup of ‘Imagine’, with ‘Band on the Run’? This is what happens when you’ve been writing music and hanging out with your brother for so many years. Telepathy bro.
Land Of Pleasure is out tomorrow, August 1st. For more info visit: www.stickyfingerstheband.com
The Land Of Pleasure National Tour
Sat, 13th SEP – Originals Music Festival – Noosa AFL Grounds, QLD
Fri, 19th SEP – Settlers Tavern – Margaret River, WA
Thurs, 4th SEP – Transit Bar – Canberra, ACT
Fri, 5th SEP – The Gov – Adelaide, SA
Sat, 6th SEP – The Gov – Adelaide, SA
Fri, 12th SEP – The Hi-Fi – Brisbane, QLD
Sun, 14th SEP – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Thurs, 18th SEP – Prince Of Wales – Bunbury, WA
Sat, 20th SEP – The Bakery – Perth, WA
Fri, 26th SEP – The Metro – Sydney, NSW
Sat, 27th SEP – The Metro – Sydney, NSW
Thurs, 2nd OCT – The Beachcomber – Central Coast, NSW
Fri, 3rd OCT – The Cambridge – Newcastle, NSW
Fri, 4th OCT – TBA – Wollongong, NSW
Fri, 10th OCT – 170 – Melbourne, VIC
Fri, 17th OCT – Hoey Moey – Coffs Harbour, NSW
Sat, 18th OCT – The Great Northern – Byron Bay, NSW
