Salarymen | Interview | Sophomore EP ‘Head In The Sand’
Sydney-based indie duo Salarymen return with their sophomore EP ‘Head In The Sand,’ out via Scenic Drive Records.
The EP features brand new tracks ‘Summer’s Coming’ and ‘Toe To Toe’, in addition to previously released material. ‘Head In The Sand’ is a collection of self-produced indie jams, weaving in elements of rock, pop and psych across various tracks and referencing the likes of The Strokes and Wet Leg, to Beach House and Alvvays. It’s a sophisticated step-up from their debut EP ‘Scene Change’ (2021), taking the listener on a sonically-rich journey laden with beautifully-layered vocals, rich synth soundscapes and jangly guitars.
To celebrate the release, Salarymen will announce their first East Coast tour in February 2023 with their full live band, visiting Brisbane, Byron, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney and Wollongong. They will also be touring Japan in November 2022, playing shows in Osaka and Tokyo.
The EP was predominantly recorded and mixed by Salarymen (Renee de la Motte & Thom Eagleton) in their home studio, with support from award-winning engineer and label manager Wayne Connolly (Boy and Bear, Cloud Control).
Renee Sahres: “This collection of songs was born from a rollercoaster of emotions – written partly during lockdown, and partly as we emerged with a new zest for life. For example, we wrote Summer’s Coming when Spring was just around the corner and the world was opening up. The lyrics reflect on us yearning for a simpler time, where the biggest thing on our mind is what beach we’re going to, and where to find a cold beer. Conversely, we wrote Rerun smack bang in the middle of lockdown, when we were desperate to just feel something, and have something to look forward to.”
“99% of our stuff is recorded in our home studio”
Salarymen sounds like such a fun project, how did it start?
Thom is originally a drummer, and he’d been in a few different bands that sadly fizzled out after years of solid effort, so he wanted to be in control for a change. He decided the only way that would happen is if he became a frontman and started writing the songs! So we got together and started Salarymen in November 2019. We only played 3 gigs before the pandemic hit (talk about timing right!). Nevertheless, it’s been a wild ride and we ain’t about to stop.
We are very excited about your sophomore EP, ‘Head In The Sand’. Tell us what did you do differently this time around?
It’s less lo-fi and not strictly indie rock, and there’s some new elements of dream pop and psych in there, which we haven’t really tried out before. The production also got a bit more lush!
How do you usually approach songwriting?
It’s usually very collaborative. One of them comes up with a very loose melody and some chords and then we sit down and ask each other if it’s any good. We’re pretty comfortable handing a song over to each other and seeing what happens! When you’re a time poor musician, you need to drop your ego a little and let people work their magic.
I love the DIY atmosphere which really adds something special to your music…
99% of our stuff is recorded in our home studio. There’s only one occasion I can think of that we recorded drums in a studio, because we got a sweet deal haha. We’ve invested so much money into our sound and home set-up that it doesn’t make sense to limit ourselves to a couple days studio time. It also gives us total control over the creative process. If we don’t like something, we can re-do it without feeling like we’re using up precious time. It also gives us time to add those final touches, which the song would be missing otherwise.
Can you share some further words about your upcoming EP?
This collection of songs was born from a rollercoaster of emotions – written partly during lockdown, and partly as we emerged with a new zest for life. For example, we wrote ‘Summer’s Coming’ when Spring was just around the corner and the world was opening up. The lyrics reflect on us yearning for a simpler time, where the biggest thing on our mind is what beach we’re going to, and where to find a cold beer. Conversely, we wrote ‘Rerun’ smack bang in the middle of lockdown, when we were desperate to just feel something, and have something to look forward to.
… and maybe a few words about your debut EP?
We wrote this EP throughout the height of COVID and released it in June 2021, as Sydney was momentarily opening up. We got to play a packed out launch show, but a month later Sydney began its longest lockdown that lasted for over three months. You can hear our angst in songs like ‘Runaway’, written about the obvious desire to escape the confines of our rental. But there’s also some more uplifting songs like ‘That Man’, written about a friend who’d finally mustered up the courage to leave an abusive relationship.
What’s next for you? Are you planning to play some gigs?
In incredibly exciting news, we’re going on tour in Japan in a few weeks! We’re playing a couple of shows in Tokyo and Osaka in November, before coming back home and announcing our first ever East Coast tour of Australia (it’s crazy that we’ve not had the chance to do this yet through the constant flux of COVID).
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
1. ‘Stained Glass Love’ by Telenova
2. ‘Songbook’ by The Lazy Eyes
3. ‘Ice Melt’ by Crumb
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Listen to more albums and EPs! The human race’s slowly diminishing attention span is killing these important works of art.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Matt Sitas
Salarymen Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
Scenic Drive Records Official Website / Facebook / Instagram
