The Darling Buds
The Darling Buds return with first new record in 25 Years. After a few years of occasional gigging just for fun, The Darling Buds are delighted to be releasing a new 4 track EP Evergreen on Odd Box Records. This will be the first new material released by the Buds for over 25 years (back in the day they did 3 sessions for the much missed DJ John Peel) and these new recordings continue the musical evolution seen by the band from their indie pop debut Pop Said (which housed the hits Burst, Hit The Ground, You’ve Got To Choose and Let’s Go Round There) to their last release Erotica. Matthew Gray shares a few words with Hi Fi Way: The Pop Chronicles about the release.
Welcome back! Are you excited to finally have some new music out?
Thanks, and absolutely, yes! It is exciting. We got to a point after getting a few gigs that we needed to start pushing things forward a bit. We love playing the old stuff, but you need to keep it stimulating, so we just naturally started jamming some new tunes. We’re really pleased with the results.
25 years is a long time between drinks, why did it take so long to create new music?
For many years the thought of this band getting back together seamed like a ridiculous suggestion. We’re all close friends but we were just getting on with our other lives and the band was buried deep in the past. It was just a one off reunion which seemed right under the circumstances which got us playing together again, but then the cat was out of the bag and here we are.
Was there much pressure from fans to do something?
We certainly didn’t feel any real pressure, no. People would ask if we had any new songs coming, but it’s all flowed quite naturally. I expect the people who’ve been coming to see us would have started to get bored with the same old set though, so hopefully they’ll like the new stuff.
What was the catalyst to start the process of writing and recording again?
It just felt right as I said. We all live close to each other so getting together to rehearse is no problem. I suppose when you’re in a rehearsal situation, it’s natural to just start jamming some new tunes. Andrea has great ideas for melodies and it all comes from there.
Can you believe how much the whole industry has changed?
It’s huge and I think we’ve only scratched the surface. We’re in the middle of a huge re-evaluation of what the music “industry” actually is, and nobody known how the cards will fall. From a logistical point of view it’s just so much easier on our level to be able to record, play and manage ourselves. It’s amazing how much work you can do on just a mobile phone now, and we didn’t even have them when we were around last!
Releasing the EP on cassette is an interesting choice, do you love cassette format?
Haha, it’s a bit of a gimmick is all. I don’t think many people actually play them anymore, but people really love to collect them now. It’s become quite a thing. It’s really funny though that the record and tape look like bringing on the death of the CD!
Is it more about having fun now rather than thinking about global domination and chart success?
That’s all it is for us. We have busy lives outside the band and this just gives us an outlet to have fun together. It’s purely a hobby, so I think if we had a sudden fluke hit on our hands it would cause us all sorts of issues!
Do you think the band will make it to Australia for a tour?
We’d obviously love to come to Australia, it would be amazing! It would take some doing on our part, time wise, but if someone offered us a few gigs we’d definitely consider it.
The Darling Buds Evergreen EP will be released on April 21.
