Young post-indie outfit A.D.K.O.B have slowly but surely been building themselves up as one of the most interesting emerging bands to come out of Sydney this year. The brain child of frontman Mark Piccles, the band ooze groovy bass tones and thoughtful melodies. They’re set to release their debut EP later this year along with an accompanying tour throughout November and December. Ahead of this weekend’s inaugural War on Jugs event at The Roxbury Hotel, Piccles tool some time to chat about the trials of making the debut EP.
A.D.K.O.B are emerging as one of the most promising new acts in a new wave of clever indie-pop. Mark Piccles reveals the secrets behind their debut EP.
HAPPY: I saw you describe yourselves as “almost a band” online, why the almost?
MARK: (laughs), That description is a bit old; it started as one dude in a bedroom, slowly adding members. A couple of different line-ups that weren’t quite solid, so I guess it was ‘almost’ a band for awhile. I think we can probably change that description now.
HAPPY: Your debut EP is due out later this year, what’s the journey been like to get to this point?
MARK: Long! Most of the songs have been kicking around my hard drive for nearly two years. There have been a lot of hold ups; changing members and life in general getting in the way. I think all the little setbacks have made it worth the wait though. The record is a good representation of where we are at right now. I think the next release will come along much quicker.
HAPPY: Talk us through the recording process, did you have a set idea of what you wanted to achieve on this EP?
MARK: Recording process is very rough for A.D.K.O.B. I am often recording ideas before I have a song or even a riff or hook. Ideas happen and I record them quickly. [I] Just grab any mic, point it and hit record. Best to capture the vibe while it still exists I ‘spose. Things are often done backwards. Sometimes drums are the first thing written and recorded. Sometimes vox. Whatever triggers a wave of ideas. But it’s painstaking, to be honest.
I find myself re-recording things over and over again, to get the exact sound out of my head once a concept is there. And coupled with my laziness, it can take forever. Which it almost has. In terms of a set idea for the EP, not really. The writing and recording of the songs that we have chosen for it was fairly spread apart. There’s no real running concept. It just represents where we are at as a band up to this point.
HAPPY: Did you work with a producer at all? And did you work in a studio space or at home?
MARK: We did whole thing at home. A mixture of my parent’s place and my place. I produced it myself. We worked with a producer once in a studio space, and it just didn’t feel right. We dumped the whole thing. There is something special about doing it your own way, at home. I would like to use a studio or a space in the future, but once we get comfortable with that scenario I guess. We had Tim Carr mix our new single Glue at 301 in Sydney. He did a wonderful job, way better than the three or four mixes I attempted myself.
HAPPY: We always talk about what makes us happy, so what makes you happy?
MARK: Getting music finished, getting to play live, and that stringy sound acoustic guitars make when you change chords.
