The Adelaide-based artist walks us through how much he loves his daughter (and Oasis!).
Adelaide rocker Dan Higgins has just released his debut album, Twenty Twenty Six, inspired heavily by the golden age of Britpop.
The album mixes hard-driving guitars with softer acoustic ballads almost seamlessly, reminiscent of early Oasis.
Now, Higgins sits down to chat about how the album came to be, what it was like to write, and where his tastes come from.
If you’re looking for a deep dive on this future classic, keep on scrolling!
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
DAN HIGGINS: Dropped my daughter off at daycare, went to work, drank too much coffee, missed a delivery of CDs (so now I have to pick them up from the FedEx Depot tomorrow), cooked a chicken & leek pie, and now I’m answering interview questions for a very cool Sydney-based magazine.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
HIGGINS: I’m originally from Monmouth (in South Wales), the things I love about the place are the scenery, the history, and the fact that a lot of my family and old friends are still there.
I’m now based in Adelaide – I love it here as this is where I met my wife, and the place feels more like a big country town, compared to other Australian cities.
HAPPY: Let’s start at the beginning. What first drew you to the guitar as a young teenager in Monmouth?
HIGGINS: Two of my uncles played guitar around me when I was growing up. One had a bright red stratocaster, and found much joy in cranking up his amp.
The other was drawn to the acoustic, he picked up a few chords during his time backpacking, and he was kind enough to show my brother and I a few things.
HAPPY: You grew up on Britpop and 2000s alternative rock. Which bands from that era had the biggest impact on your songwriting?
HIGGINS: Oasis were a big one, I really liked how a lot of their songs sound just as good on an acoustic, or with an overdrive-laden electric guitar.
I also really liked Idlewild, especially when they released their album ‘The Remote Part’. I recall asking for their album for Christmas, but by a happy mistake, my mum’s partner ended up getting a copy of their previous album ‘100 Broken Windows’, which quickly became one of my favourite albums!
As a Welshman I’m also culturally obligated to mention Stereophonics and Feeder.
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HAPPY: For a long time, writing and recording was just a hobby for you. What made 2024 the year you decided to take it more seriously?
HIGGINS: I had the idea that I wanted to write a song for my daughter’s first birthday. During the process of writing it, recording it, and learning to use a DAW properly, I got the itch to write more songs again.
Another big part of it for me, was that I didn’t want to be the kind of father that complains to their kids that they gave up all their hobbies and interests.
HAPPY: How did becoming a husband and a father influence the songs that ended up on Twenty Twenty Six?
HIGGINS: Those big life events are the ones that are at the forefront of my mind, so they’re the things I feel most inclined to write about.
HAPPY: The album covers some pretty heavy themes, including reflections on the manosphere. What made you want to tackle that subject in your music?
HIGGINS: I got the idea to write about it after watching the Louis Theroux documentary on the subject.
It got my attention as I remember seeing a lot of stuff on social media about it around 2017. The more time I spent online looking at that type of stuff, the more I found I was getting increasingly frustrated with the world.
I ended up getting rid of all my social media accounts after that.
I remember when I committed to that decision – I was scrolling through facebook, and it suddenly dawned on me that I’d spent 3 hours on it. I scrolled past photos of friends’ weddings, babies, birthdays, huge life events… and realised I didn’t care!
So I decided to cut it away.
However, in an attempt to promote my music, I ended up getting on Instagram recently. I’ll have to keep an eye on my algorithm!
HAPPY: Which song on the album was the hardest to finish, and why?
HIGGINS: ‘Man’s Fear’ was probably the one that took the longest to come together, I had a real writer’s block with that one.
Conversely, which track came together the quickest and felt the most effortless?
‘Night Light’ was a very quick one to write. I remember I was playing my acoustic one day, and ended up coming up with the chorus (and the melody for the verses) almost spontaneously!
I had to quickly open up my laptop, and record it before I forgot what I’d just sung. I ended up coming up with the verses when I was listening back to it in the car (one of my most common locations for lyrical brainstorming).
It’s got to be one of the songs I’m most proud of!
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
HIGGINS: Spending time with my family, playing with my daughter, and (somewhat ironically) getting some quiet time to catch up on my own hobbies, such as guitar playing, recording, songwriting, and motorcycling.
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