With a spot at the top, alongside Klaxons, Justice and Sleigh Bells, New York’s The Rapture will be just one of many highlights at next year’s incredible Field Day lineup in Sydney… as well as the other New Years festivals they’re hitting up – Falls Festival. But the big question we’re all asking is: What are they up to? Will they have an album out this year? Can you ever have too much cowbell? Larry Heath had a chat with multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi to find out.
So what’s the latest on the third full length? I know you’re back home in Brooklyn… are you working on it at the moment?
No, not recently. It’s been done for 3 or 4 months now.
You recorded it in Paris I understand?
Yeah. Well we started it in Brooklyn. We were here for about a week, then we tracked for a week, and then we went to Paris and did more work.
So any idea on when it’ll be getting out there? We’re eagerly awaiting it!
Umm… well, you could call my management and tell them that.
So it sounds like you guys really are just having to wait this one out?
Yeah, I really should be calling people and bothering them more often. At the moment, I’ve personally been in a holding pattern. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Like I really can’t fucking wait for you to hear it. I’m really happy with it. It’s hard to talk about without you having heard it… but I think it’s a special record.
So how long have you guys been working on the album for? Because I know there were some member changes between albums.
Well, I’ve personally been working on the album for 3 years now. But we started writing the record about 4 times. People left the band, then rejoined the band, then somebody (Bassist Matt Safer) finally quit the band, and stayed out of the band. But the album really took less than a year, once we started really writing it and recording it, until it was mixed and mastered.
We wrote it mostly last American Summer. And we were in Australia in October (for Parklife), and by that time we’d pretty much written the record. And on that tour we were talking to different people that we knew, friends and DJs … because we had to decide who we were going to go into the studio with. So we were asking around. And we talked to a friend of ours who recommended our producer while we were in Australia. And then we recorded last Winter!
And we’ll use that as a bit a segue way to talk about your next Australian tour… are you excited to be getting back down here for our Summer / New Years?
Well we were there for the Parklife festival last year, and that was great, a great experience. The main thing though is that I don’t think we’re going to have an album out by then, before the end of the year, but I really hope we have something out for our fans, to give them an idea of what it’s all about… a single or something. But I’m not making any promises… it’s just what I want to happen!
So we’ll see… I think we owe it. Especially in Australia. That time of the year not much is happening (in the rest of the world), but that’s when things start really kicking off for your Summer. So many great festivals, so many great bands, so much happening. I love Australia. I love our fans there, I love our friends there, I love the people we work with, who do the festivals and promote the shows. So from our end we’ve just got to keep on performing, and keep on putting stuff out there to hold out our end of the relationship. That’s kind of how I see it!
So on the new album you took over bass guitar duties, but I imagine you’ll have to have a new bass guitarist for the live shows?
Yeah we have a touring bass player, but I wrote all the bass parts and played them in the studio for our new record. It’s not my job to play bass on stage, I do so many other things.
*laughs* Yeah I know! You’d need a fourth hand!
Yeah I play the novelty instruments you know. I was talking to a friend today and I was like yeah, when people write about what I do, it’s usually with some good humour, about some cowbell or some saxophones.
I’m sure many show up to your shows wearing “More Cowbell” shirts, too.
Luckily there haven’t been too many shirts that say that, but I’ve heard the screams! And it’s really good! It reminds me not to take myself too seriously. I think as I get older, I take myself less and less seriously, and I think that’s a really good trait.
Usually it’s the other way around!
Yeah, I mean I had fun when I was young, but I was a young man – so I could be a bit of an arsehole, or a bit serious, or I would fuck with people – it was a little more chaotic. But now it’s all a bit of good humour, and less fearful, and less whatever. I’m pretty generally happy, although I’m getting tired tonight, it’s ridiculous.
I’m just waking up with a hangover myself, so we’re at opposite end of the spectrum there!
Fantastic! I’m trying to decide if I want a hangover on the airplane tomorrow or not.
Where are you off to?
Going to Mexico City to DJ tomorrow night.
And then up to LA for a couple of shows?
Yeah, we’re playing a festival in LA next weekend, which we’re looking forward to. We’ve always had a really great audience in LA. And it’s good. We’re just doing a few things to warm ourselves up. We did a few shows in France, we played in a Kuala Lumpur earlier in the month, we’ve done a few things around New York, and we played a party we always play in Philadelphia. So we’re just trying to light a bit of a fire under our arses.
It should do you well for your trip down here!
We really honestly love to come to Australia man. I say that and actually mean it and feel something. After the interview before you, and now the interview with you, I’m very looking forward to it.
Don’t miss The Rapture when they play Falls Festival and Field Day this New Years!
———————–
Field Day Tickets can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/eS4VNe
New Years Day, Sydney Domain, Midday – 11pm
More information about Field Day can be found here: http://www.fuzzy.com.au/
