Brisbane artist Jack Carty has just dropped his new album, Home State – recorded entirely in his home, of course.
Not only that, but Carty also performed most of the instruments himself, bringing in a few friends to help: longtime collaborator Gus Gardiner (Papa vs. Pretty) and Jordan Millar took on some bassand guitar duties respectively, while Carty’s cousin Airling and Jennifer Boyce(Ball Park Music) laid down some harmonies, and Jimi Maroudas (Augie March, Kimbra, The Avalanches) lent a hand on production.
Home State dropped last week through Carty’s own label Curly Co. Recordings and MGM Distribution, and he’s run us through the process behind each of the home cooked tracks.
Having just wrapped up a huge 29-date U.K/European tour, including an appearance at Primavera Sound festival in Spain, Jack is about to head off on an Australian/New Zealand album launch tour covering capital cities from Perth to Wellington, supported by Emily Barker and Jordan Millar – dates below.
All At Once
I wrote this in London with Blair Dunlop – a good friend and brilliant songwriter who I’ve done a bit of touring with over there. It’s about the tension between the wonderful, exciting confusion of constant travel and the natural yearning for some basic stability. I sent Blair the sessions and he recorded a harmony for the chorus’ from all the way over in Manchester. That beautiful female voice you hear is Jen Boyce from Ball Park Music – I bribed her to come over and record some harmonies with lots of herbal tea.
This Is What It Feels Like To Die
One of the first of these songs to be written, when I was still living on Christmas St in Northcote VIC. The acoustic guitar part on the record is from the original demo I did in the lounge room there. I always wanted this to be something of a duet and I’d been speaking to a couple of different singers about it. In the end I am so glad Airling came over to give it a go – she nails it. Such a beautiful voice.
Kindness Is A Dying Art
Some of the acoustic guitar, percussion and keyboard parts here were recorded in Josh Pyke’s shed. It’s always an inspiring thing to work with that guy – he is a fountain of creativity and has been a big inspiration to me ever since I first heard his music in my last year of high school. It was fitting we worked on this song together, because the final verse references “New Years Song” from Josh’s album ‘Chimneys Afire’.
Rings
Making the album at home gave me the luxury of time – something I’ve never had a lot of before at the recording stage. I had heaps of fun mucking around with all sorts of melodies, harmonies, couplets and instrumentations for this tune. It all felt very free and exciting – perhaps that’s just what writing and recording sunny pop songs always feels like?
Berlin
I will never forget riding a bike down past the east side gallery of the Berlin Wall and passing a dude busking wearing only a horse mask and some underpants. I had read about him the night before and stopped for a chat. Turns out he is an Australian guy named Carlos and we ended up buying some peppermint schnapps, blowing up an inflatable dingy, putting his busking amp on it and rowing down the river Spree playing Oasis covers…. True story. This song has a wider scope than that – but The Neighkid Horse makes an appearance.
A Way With Me
The words and melody just came to me in the shower one morning when I was about to go and meet some friends for coffee. I was late because I had to try and get them all down on paper without dripping water all over the carpet. My good friend Jordan Millar and I recorded this song live in one take on a weekend spent in a shack up in the Hunter Valley trying to finish the album. It felt like a fitting way to capture it.
Instruments
This tune is all about the build. Some songs come easy and some you really have to work for. This belongs to the latter group, but I’m glad I put the effort in. There were times I’d spend a whole day working on this song and then come in the next day and scrap everything I’d done. I finally got there though, and now it’s one of my favourites on the album. There’s a Nietzsche/True Detective reference in there somewhere and Jen Boyce sings on this one, too.
The Dive
I’m not a very good piano player. I had a girlfriend in high school who’s Dad was a professional pianist and I used to muck around on their baby grand, and he gave me a few tips here and there – but I’ve never had any formal lessons and most of what I know is transferred from the guitar and self-taught. In a funny sort of way I sometimes feel liberated by my limitations when writing for piano. It forces you to find beauty in simplicity. I’d like to think this song is a dark example of that.
I’m Not Sure I’m Here At All
This is the only song on the album I didn’t play the drums on. I found an old session where my live band (Sophia Felton on drums and Gus Gardiner on bass) and I were playing an early version of this song whilst sound checking. I liked the feel, so I built everything around that. My wife Natasha sings on it too. It was one of the last things I recorded for the album and it took a lot of convincing – but that’s her on the high vocal in the verses.
Dear Old Soul
I was going for a bit of an ’80s vibe here – I’d been listening to a fair bit of The Cure. Gus Gardiner played bass across the whole record, but I had a crack at it on this song too. I’m still not sure whose take made the final mix…. The safe money is on Gus I reckon.
Wedding Song
I wrote this song for my wife-to-be. I kept it a secret for 9 months and gave it to her as a gift on our wedding day. It’s her song really, but I like that it’s already going out into the world and getting a life of it’s own. I think of it a bit like a series of photographs of moments and turning points. It felt like a fitting way to finish the album.
Jack Carty Home State Album Tour
Tickets on sale now.
Fri 19 Aug – Street Theatre – Canberra, Act
Sat 20 Aug – Newtown Social Club – Sydney, Nsw
Fri 26 Aug – The Gasometer Hotel – Melbourne, Vic
Sat 27 Aug – The Grace Emily – Adelaide, Sa
Sun 28 Aug – Mojos Bar – Fremantle, Wa
Fri 2 Sep – The Milk Factory – Brisbane, Qld
Fri 9 Sep – Fringe Bar – Wellington, Nz
Sat 10 Sep – The Wine Cellar – Auckland, Nz
Sun 11 Sep – Walton Street – Te Awamutu, Nz
