We’ve been following along with Melbourne’s Halcyon Drive lately as they gear up to release their new EP, Untethered. We got the lowdown on the recording process in general from the guys this week, bit today we decided to go a little deeper in finding out how the songs on the new Halcyon Drive EP came to be.
Michael Oeschle delivers a track by track look at Untethered and reflects on each song and its place on the EP. Keep an eye out for the record’s official release, coming out tomorrow (May 13th)!
“Reset”
The closest we came to a ‘banger’ on this EP – this tune came about from a simple guitar jam over Max‘s sampled clap beat from the verses. I still remember walking down the street – headphones on listening back to that rehearsal recording – and realising I was pretty much strutting along by the time I got the end of it. From then onwards, it was always gonna make the cut for the EP. I wrote the lyrics around the time I quit my last job and I think there’s plenty of subliminal subject matter in there…
“Untethered”
Probably the tune I’m most proud of on this EP. I think it sums up the best of our work to date – a really bouncy beat and some intricate/manic guitar stuff, but still maintaining a real songwriting basis and narrative that’s important in all the stuff we do, I think. Lyrically, there is a fair bit of social commentary mixed in there with some fairly intimate personal stuff I was going through at the time.
“Everywhere I Go”
We called this song the ‘problem child’ of the EP, basically because the demo absolutely sung and we really struggled to capture that magic again in the studio. Add to that the fact that during recording, these were the last vocal takes we did and by then, I was suffering from a mega head cold/flu thing… It was really a bit of a battle! But in the end, I’m really glad it’s on the EP as a point of difference to some of the other tracks – something a bit unique for us.
“Flash”
Again, this tune was a bit of a left field experiment for us – notable for a lot of the verses guitar parts being written primarily by Max. This tune was inspired by an overseas visit I did in 2014 to the Middle East and is again a bit of a social commentary and log of feelings from that moment in time.
“Books for the Holidays”
Definitely the most personal tune on the EP. I brought this track to the table, Max and I then worked on production and arrangement. It was written at a time that I was pretty fed up with my personal life, but also over feeling sorry for myself. Largely it’s about how beautiful elements of our life can be everyday if we just stop and take notice…
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Untethered is out May 13th. Halcyon Drive are on tour through June and July:
June 9th | Rad Bar, WOLLONGONG | Tickets
June 10th | The Stag & Hunter, NEWCASTLE | Free Entry
June 11th | Transit Bar, CANBERRA | Tickets
June 12th | Botany View Hotel, SYDNEY | Free Entry
June 16th | Workers Club, GEELONG |Tickets
June 17th | Saloon Bar, TRARALGON |Tickets
June 18th | Shadow Electric, MELBOURNE | Tickets
July 1st | Cats @ Rocket Bar, ADELAIDE | Tickets
July 8th | Solbar, SUNSHINE COAST | Tickets
July 9th | Trainspotters, BRISBANE | Tickets
July 10th | Sounds of Sunday, GOLD COAST | Free Entry
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