The pandemic has seen some brilliant comebacks in the global music scene and Brisbane hard rock legends The Butterfly Effect are down for the ride. After releasing the latest single “Visiting Hours” from their fourth album IV (out 2 September), the band’s first album in 14 years is shaping up to be worth the wait.
We had a chat with frontman Clint Boge about the album, upcoming tour and what they’ve been up to all this time.
“It means a lot,” he says of the Zoom call. “It’s just good that people want to chat about the new music, I love it.”
Since dropping the single “Unbroken” in 2019, which will feature on the record, fans have been over the moon at the prospect of a new album from The Butterfly Effect. It begs the question, what have these guys been up to all this time? Well, it may come as a surprise that while the pandemic gave them a chance to get back into the studio, much of the material on IV actually came from the vault.
“It’s one of those things, you just sit back and take stock of what you’ve done and the hard work you’ve put in,” Boge explains. “Through COVID, we couldn’t play anywhere, so we turned our energy into writing an album. A lot of the songs, especially “Visiting Hours”, were written off the back of Final Conversation of Kings in 2008. We’ve had that thing hunkered down for ages,” he laughs.
And apparently a full-length studio album isn’t all that’s on the horizon…
“There are five tracks that we have got post this album that are ready to go. Everyone out there, don’t be afraid – you don’t have to wait as long or longer than a Tool album to hear new Butterfly Effect.”
Creating something that would appeal to both old and new fans, as well as the band themselves (it has been 14 years after all), was an important part of making the album. Of course, the guys didn’t want to get back together until they had something to say. The album touches on themes of loss, growth and society – all things that became prevalent during the last two years in particular.
“We had a bunch of songs that we had demoed and we just took the best riffs from them and trimmed it and made it more succinct in its sonic journey. There were a few songs that we wrote brand new, (guitarist) Kurt came to the band room with “So Tired” and “Nil By Mouth” which just blew my mind. Some songs would have been perfect on Begins Here, a few songs could have been on Imago and Final Conversation of Kings. We really wanted to make sure we serviced all of the fans and just excited everyone.”
When asked about their progress as a band and what they did differently this time around, Boge candidly addressed the flaws of their previous work ethics.
“I think we worked together more, that’s the difference. We were so toxic back in the day and it was really difficult to write anything because we butted heads. With this release, we just took a backseat and we just worked for the song. We bridged the gap and mended the trust cycle inside of the band. It makes you feel good and respected, which fires off more ideas. When you listen to the album, you can hear the band working well together.”
To quote John Lennon, life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. It seems that time and responsibility were core ingredients to the band’s development and served as a catalyst to them working as a more cohesive unit. So, what changed?
“The maturing and evolution of us. Kurt had children, I had children, we had gone through a certain stage of our lives where we felt like it wasn’t just about us anymore. Understanding that you still need each other to have this creativity and artistic intention moving forward. I think our scope has improved because we’ve let go of the ego.”
We asked Boge what his favourite song on the album is, or if there are any particular moments that stand out above the rest for him personally. It’s not a single, but you’ll know it when you hear it.
““Start Again”, for me. I went through a lot of growth due to loss. I lost somebody that was really important to me and I didn’t know it at the time. It’s hugely personal and I think you can hear that when you listen to it.”
The Butterfly Effect will be embarking on an 11-date national tour with Thornhill and Caligula’s Horse this October to celebrate the release. We asked if there is anywhere he is particularly excited to play and the answer was rather wholesome.
“Every place offers something different. It can be a case of people you know, friends that are coming, the venue, the management. You just get an amazing vibe off the people that you’re hanging out with and to me, that’s what makes Australian music so great. Everybody knows everybody – I love it, man.”
You can follow the band on Facebook and Instagram for updates and catch them on tour this October. Get tickets to your local show HERE.
