2012 was a busy a year for indie four piece Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue, they released a single co-written with Mick Thomas (Weddings, Parties, Anything), toured the country twice, and directed their own fan-funded music video.  The band performed at St. Kilda Festival last week and are about to release their new single ‘Warned’ on February 19th, so it doesn’t look like things will be slowing down anytime soon.

What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?

I was in a children’s circus from an early age so my earliest memories of performing are mostly to do with trapeze and juggling rather than music.  I credit the fact that I feel very at ease on stage because I have actually been doing it since I was eight years old or so!  Jordie Lane was in that circus too, his dad ran it.

When I was 12-14 while all of my friends were listening to Nirvana and silverchair I became obsessed with The Beatles and decided that’s what I wanted to do.  So I started learning guitar and it’s been a trajectory to superstardom ever since!

Your new single ‘Warned’ is due for release on February 19th, what’s the track about?

The song is a conversation between a prostitute and her customer and takes places in the early hours of the morning.  They discover that they have a connection and lament the fact they could not have met under different circumstances.  The song is part of a larger song cycle that will make up our next album, but hopefully it can be also enjoyed on its own.

Has your approach to songwriting and recording changed at all since the release of your debut EP ‘Desperate Love’ in 2011?

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‘Desperate Love’ was an accurate snapshot of this particular band at that particular time.  I actually heard the record for the first time in a while the other day, and even though it was only two years ago I was surprised by how raw it sounds.  We’re not exactly a polished band now, but we’ve worked to harness the elements of that looseness that are good into something a bit more digestible.  I haven’t really changed my approach to writing but I try to challenge myself all the time and I feel I’m improving as I go along, sort of like a fine wine.

I’m definitely a better singer than when we made ‘Desperate Love’, I used to shout a lot because I wasn’t very confident, but the amount of live shows – especially the acoustic shows I do on my own – that we’ve done over the last two years has had a positive effect on my vocal ability and that in turn effects the sort of songs I’m able to write.

Singles ‘This Haunting’ and ‘Warned’ form part of a story that is to play out across the album, what inspired you to write it this way?

I just really like songs that are about stuff.  I like the idea of an album having a running theme, whether it be a strict narrative or just an repetitive idea, that it can still be more than a collection of songs. The Who’s Quadrophenia is my favourite of their albums and it tells a story as a whole, but the songs are still great on their own, so you can choose to enjoy it either way.  It also appealed to me that the extra amount of time I had meant I could get a bit surreal in places, introduce some twists which would be too complicated to explain in one three-and-a-half minute pop song.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of setting our to write your record this way?

I guess trying to not make it too confusing or annoying for the listener, once you say it’s a song cycle people are going to be listening for a connection between the tracks, and if they don’t get it then that’s offputting.  Also trying to not make it too pretentious or overly serious because it’s still just a collection of pop and rock songs when it comes down to it, and rock’n’roll should be fun.  But the challenges are part of what makes it enjoyable to write, otherwise I wouldn’t do it.

 ‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?

Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True, Crowded House’s self titled album, Simon & Garfunkle’s Bridge Over Troubled Water.  Like most people my parents rebought all the stuff they still wanted to listen to on CD so I ended up with a small selection of classic LPs that I have been adding to ever since.  Those three were probably the pick though, because they also owned a fair amount of Sting.

Which Australian bands are you enjoying at the moment?

Oh Mercy, The Cactus Channel, Ben Salter, Liz Stringer, Paul Kelly.  I know that seems like a very Melbourne-centric list but that’s just because the rest of the country aren’t very good.

Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?

I like to smash my guitar within the first few minutes of my set, it’s not extremely practical but it keeps the audience on their toes.

You’ve already had the opportunity to work with Mick Thomas, which other Australian artist would you like to collaborate with?

I’m doing a show with Alex from Oh Mercy in a few months so I’m looking forward to that, he’s got a very original style.

What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?

Shelling peanuts and doing your tax return.

What’s planned for Alex Watts & The Foreign Tongue in 2013?

We’re going to finish this album!  We’ve got some new songs that have us all excited, so we’re going to go back and record those hopefully soon and get the record ready for an end of year release.  We’re also about to announce a remix competition on our Facebook page where people can download the individual instrumental parts of ‘Warned’ and then upload a remix, the best of which we will release through our label, Astound Records.  It’s open to everyone, bedroom beatmakers and whoever wants to have a crack, I’m really looking forward to hearing what kind of weird directions people might take my song!

Find out more about Alex here: alexwattshasaforeigntongue.com

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