Next month, Adelaide-based outfit Rat Tamango will release their new EP Jelly Tube, and we’re pretty bloody excited. If you haven’t already listened to the band, they belt out an irresistibly groovy concoction of rock, blues, psych, funk, and everything in between. The result is a unique brand of music you won’t be able to help falling in love with.
So shortly before the EP drops, we caught up with the band to chat all about it, their unique blend of genres, and what the future holds.
Before they drop their new EP Jelly Tube in a couple of weeks, we caught up with Adelaide-based band Rat Tamango for a chat.
HAPPY: Hey how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
DAN: Hey mate! Not a whole lot, just doing this interview from the ol porcelain thrown.
HAPPY: Congrats on getting the new EP done! How does it feel having everything ready to go?
DAN: Cheers! Yeah it was definitely a long time coming, because we recorded and wrote things so sporadically it was a bit of a grind sitting around and waiting for things to be done but now that it is, we’re absolutely stoked with how it all turned out!
HAPPY: We’ve already heard the first taste of the EP, Wait Til Your Father Gets Home… and it’s got a real sense of Aussie nostalgia. Is this something we can expect more of in the full EP?
DAN: The title track Jelly Tube has a bit of that in there, but aside from that not a whole lot. We do love a bit of a nostalgia trip though.
HAPPY: There are a fair few different sounds being thrown around in your music… how did this combination come about? Are different members bringing particular sounds to the table?
DAN: Yeah, I guess we all came from different influences growing up. Paris is obviously all about the blues and that classic rock sound, you can definitely hear influence from all the blues greats. Kynan and I were brought up with our Dad being a funk bass player so there’s some of that too. From there, Kynan has really got big into psych rock and more of that lo-fi sort of stuff, whereas I went down the prog route big time as a teenager, bands like Tool, Karnivool, Porcupine Tree etc. And it’s interesting some of that side has come out on this EP on songs like For What Is To Come which is way different to anything we’ve done before.
HAPPY: When you first started working on this new EP, was there any mission statement? Any particular things you set out to achieve?
DAN: I guess we set out to achieve actually getting off our arses and recording music again! I wouldn’t think we had a mission statement other than to just create music we love to listen to and play. We kind of just wrote a couple of songs at a time and went ‘let’s go record them and see what happens,’ and fortunately they all came together and match up in a semi congruent manner.
HAPPY: Could you walk us through the recording process? How did the EP all come together?
DAN: We recorded at Ghost Note Recording Studios in Adelaide, amazing place. We’ve never felt so at home; and working with Jimmy Balderstone (studio owner and drummer for the Grenadiers) and Colby Roberts (engineer) was an absolute breeze. Jimmy captured our sound the exact way we wanted. We did three sessions, one as long ago as October 2017, and did a couple of tracks each time. Then for mastering, I was heading to LA for a holiday, so I shot Brian Lucey from Magic Garden Studios an email and asked if he’d do our songs. I thought I’d get no reply or a ‘no’ because he’s worked with some pretty huge people (Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys for example), but he was super chilled and did an amazing job.
HAPPY: On October 18th, you’ll be launching the EP live! What can people expect heading along to a Rat Tamango live show?
DAN: We honestly we can’t wait! It’ll be a huge night. Expect it to be noisy, groovy and fuzzy, with a couple of classic singalongs thrown in there for good measure. We are planning on whipping out something a bit crazy for an encore, but you’ll just have to come down and find out. We’ve got our brothers from funky mothers Slick Arnold and Indiago on board for supports, both are sick bands so there’ll be quality from the first chord.
HAPPY: Are there any other artists you’re all currently loving at the moment?
DAN: We’re massive music nerds so we’re always finding and listening to new music. For me, I’ve been really digging Psychedelic Porn Crumpets lately, and obviously new Tool is off the hook – don’t expect any 13 year waits for some 10-minute prog epics from us though…
HAPPY: What’s next for Rat Tamango beyond the new EP? Any other exciting new plans in the works?
DAN: Back to it straight away! We’ve had these songs for a while, so we’re keen to get back into writing and recording a few more. Who knows, there might even be another single to bring in the new year!
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
DAN: Cheers Bill!
Jelly Tube is out October 14th.
