The irresistible music of Melbourne’s Hudson & Troop has that immediately arresting vibe that strikes gold in songs like “Frameless” – which we have been loving at the AU office since we posted it last month. We caught up the man behind it all – Travis Aulsebrook – for a little more insight into this fascinating musician and his the approach he is taking to the upcoming EP.
Tell us about how the concept was developed for the music video for “Frameless”.
I’ve been a fan of OH YEAH WOW and their work for a while, and when I was researching into who to get on board for the Frameless video they were the first to come to mind. I’m a strong believer in letting creative types run wild with imagination, and in this instance they came back with literally a wild beast. I had very little to do with the clip development apart from sensing it would result in a bold and hopefully brilliant clip, and with the team being such total pros it all worked out pretty well.
Who did up the costume and who did you get to be in it? So amazing!
Russell Sharp of SHARP FX created the costume. He’s known for his prosthetics and special effects work on films such as ‘The Hobbit’, and he had worked with OYW previously. The clip is directed by Andrew Goldsmith and Darcy Prendergast, and Darcy is actually the man in the suit! He spent three months learning the AUSLAN choreography and then a mammoth 26 hours inside the furry get-up on a 40 degree day in February. He’s probably the most committed man in the music video industry.
Where is that costume now?
The beast of a suit is back with Russ at SHARP FX headquarters, I considered working him into my apartment decor, like as a statue near the front door but decided any dinner guests would be put off by its looming presence.
Tell us a little about your songmaking process? Where does it start? Musically? With the Lyrics? Is there a certain instrument/sound that kicks things off? Or is it different from song to song?
It does vary with me. I used to be all about the music but now I found myself writing more and more from a lyric/thematic angle. I’m finding that more powerful in that I really hone in on the words and then follow it with instrumentation. My acoustic is still my go-to instrument, but there’s a few synths starting to get amongst it also.
Frameless comes off the forthcoming Daytrip Enquiries EP – is the EP finalised and how far do the songs on this record go back?
I’m still in the process of rounding out the EP. I’m working with Pip Norman (TZU, Urthboy, Sparkadia) for the first time and I have to say it’s been really fun. We work really well together and he’s helped me push the tracks into a really interesting direction whilst still holding a slick polished aesthetic. He’s actually a bit of a genius, more than once we’ve come back from a pho lunch outing and within 5 minutes he’s pulled some sonic trickery that I couldn’t have dreamt of. The tracks on this EP are all from the last year.
How well do you think Frameless represents what’s coming NEXT from you?
Frameless is a bit of a bridge between what I’ve done on the previous EPs (Open Up Slowly, 2011, & The Undertow, 2013) and what is coming next. The simplistic acoustic/indie vibe is there but it also hints at a bit of experimentation and synth madness, which is what I’m really getting into.
What are your future music / touring plans?
Well as I said I’m wrapping up this EP but also have some great remixes to release and a couple of collaborations to get busy with. The next single will be out in July, it’s an ironic attempt at writing an upbeat summer jam about a global warming induced fireball apocalypse.
Tell us a bit about how your live show works.
My live show at the moment is in a bit of a hibernation stage. In the last few years I’ve played most venues in Melbourne, toured NZ, and played interstate all acoustic/solo and it’s about time to step it up. I’ll have to keep you posted as to when the next incarnation is ready to to hit a stage 😉
Finally, what’s your favourite record right now?
I can’t go past Kirin J Callinan’s Embracism of last year. It’s raw, scarred, beautiful and fascinating all at the same time, and I think he’s the most original australian musician I’ve heard lately.
For more on Hudson & Troop head to his Facebook page
