Fresh off the release of his sophomore album, we sat down with Buddy Glass to chat through his stellar music.
If you haven’t already wrapped your ears around Wow & Flutter, the sophomore album from Buddy Glass, you’re seriously missing out. Four-long years in the making, the album is packed with enough punch and spirit to fill stadiums.
We sat down with the artist for a chat about the release and his culinary antics.
HAPPY: Hey Buddy, how are you? What do you find yourself doing right this moment?
BUDDY: I’m great, thank you. Right this moment, I’m answering these questions while trying to cook some dinner. I’m cooking spaghetti peperonata. The capsicum takes hours and hours to go all soft and sweet with the onions and garlic, so I can leave it cooking while I answer these questions.
HAPPY: A huge congratulations on the release of Wow & Flutter! This has been six years in the making, what inspired its final release?
BUDDY: Thank you. The album hasn’t really been six years in the making. Sure, it’s been six years since my debut album came out, but I haven’t spent all that time making this one. Having said that, I have spent about four years making Wow & Flutter, so that’s still quite a while. But in my defence, I’ve also had two children in that time so let’s say I’ve been pretty busy. There wasn’t any sudden inspiration for its final release but, rather, it just sort of picked up momentum on its own as I got more and more done. The more I did to get it finished, the easier it was to keep going. Kinda like this peperonata sauce I’ve been cooking for 12 hours.
HAPPY: Is there a story behind the title Wow & Flutter?
BUDDY: Why, yes there is, thank you for asking. Wow and flutter are pitch and frequency variations in sound, making it sound like the band is in a jar and someone keeps opening and closing the lid. Or, like you’re watching a live band and you quickly alternate between right being in front of the PA, to listening from the pub toilets. Wow and flutter are often heard on analogue equipment such as turntables and cassette decks. Because I recorded this record on analogue four-track cassette, I heard plenty of wow and flutter in the various recorders I used. Most had too much to make a decent quality recording so I ended up buying and selling about 5 machines overall until I found one with minimal wow and flutter. It also happens to be the name of a Steareloab song I like.
HAPPY: Do you have a favourite track on the album?
BUDDY: That’s a hard one. They are clearly all works of genius… so it changes from week to week. Some songs are also considerably older than other ones so they’ve had a different life span and cycle. I think I would find it difficult to split Promised Shoreline, The Only, and No One Can Tell You You’re Wrong as my favourite song on the album.
HAPPY: There are so many different genres incorporated in your music. Do you feel like your sound is always evolving or do you feel like you’ve settled on something concrete?
BUDDY: This is a very common theme from reviewers of my music but, to be honest, it’s not something I’ve ever thought about that much. In my mind, this album is quite genre-cohesive, but I can see how someone else might consider it to have “so many different genres.” I’d say my 2014 debut is way more disparate in styles and genres. So I guess you could say I’m more prone to evolution and jumping around rather than ever settling on something concrete. But again, it’s certainly not a conscious thing. If you listen closely, there’s definitely a thread of lyrics, melody or rhythm tying it all together. But maybe I’m the only one who notices that because I’m so close to it. Whatever, do you like pineapple on pizza? Oh wait, I gotta stir the peperonata.
HAPPY: Where did your music journey begin?
BUDDY: My parents are massive music fans, but not musically talented at all. So, we always had music in the house. I’ve always been a bit of a show-off, so I think, even from a very young age, I found the idea of playing music to people appealing. I joined a band with a friend of mine and his older sisters when I was in Year 9. We were called Kiss My Art. By Year 12, I had a version of what would become Peabody and now here we are.
HAPPY: What’s been playing on your isolation playlist of late?
BUDDY: I’ve been buying lots of great local albums that have come out recently. Key Out, Lisa Caruso (who did a little singing on Wow & Flutter), The Electorate. My three-year-old has also decided he really likes Sleater Kinney’s The Hot Rock, which ain’t an easy listen, but hey, the kid’s an artist.
HAPPY: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would that be?
BUDDY: I wouldn’t change a thing! It’s a beautiful, seatbelt-free amusement park run by used car salesmen, pimps, and teamsters. Where pluto-pups dipped in the sweat of artists are torn apart by rabid punters with ever diminishing attention spans. Now, why would we wanna go and wreck a thing like that? It’s a scene straight from the side of a Grecian urn.
HAPPY: What’s next for Buddy Glass?
BUDDY: I have big plans to add a dash of sherry vinegar to this peperonata to sweeten the deal. Then I think I’ll crack open a bottle of red and once that’s all finished, I’ll spark up a community radio cigarette, sit back and think to myself, “so this is my life.”
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
BUDDY: No, thank you!
Check out Wow & Flutter here.
