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Interviews

Before they kick off their album tour this week, we chat with Space Carbonara

On boxing day, we were all treated to an extra special (slightly late) Christmas present. We were treated to Space Carbonara’s blistering new album Dolphin Man Returns, and as expected, the album is an explosion of fuzz-laden insanity.

This week, the band will kick off a huge national tour in support of the album, so we caught up to chat about who Dolphin Man is, using characters as a tool of navigating weighty issues, and what the future holds.

Before they kick off a huge national tour this week, we caught up with Sydney lads Space Carbonara to chat their new album, exploring themes through characters, and what the future holds.

HAPPY: Hey fellas, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?

SPACE CARBONARA: Hey! I’m good! We’ve been prepping for tour mostly – lots of practice on the live show and smoothing out all the details. It’s been stressful but I’m excited as hell for it.

HAPPY: Dolphin Man Returns is alive and out in the world! How are you feeling about the record now that it has been released?

SPACE CARBONARA: Woo! Very happy that it’s finally actually made it out alive and well. Those songs were 50% written before, 50% written on stage for nearly two years. I tried recording the album twice before, but both times it was just really sucky. It was like the songs were there, technically recorded, but the energy and excitement I was used to just wasn’t there. So we recorded it live as a band in two days, and it was easier than any other time we had attempted the recording.

HAPPY: Could you tell us a bit about the character Dolphin Man? What makes him tick?

SPACE CARBONARA: I want people to draw their own metaphors and meanings towards the characters in the album, but for me, Dolphin Man is depression. The way it creeps up on you, and almost feels like it wears your skin. He got the title cause he’s the main source of pain.

HAPPY: When did this sort of character-driven songwriting begin for you?

SPACE CARBONARA: I’ve had struggles with mental health coming and going, and for a while and I felt that I could combat it by giving these feelings a body and a name. It kinda worked? It helped me make an album.

HAPPY: What do you think the benefits are of exploring themes through characters?

SPACE CARBONARA: I think you can really hone in on what those themes are and what it means to you. Giving characteristics to things that simply don’t have characteristics is very freeing. There are no rules when it doesn’t exist.

HAPPY: Comparing Dolphin Man Returns to The Space Tape, do you feel like you changed your approach to songwriting in any way?

SPACE CARBONARA: Not really! Everything pretty much came about the same way. I think how it was executed was the main difference. We had the opportunity to play these songs live, and it’s our first recording in a real studio, rather than at home.

HAPPY: You’re about to hit the road in support of the new record. What can people expect heading along to one of the gigs?

SPACE CARBONARA: Big, loud, wonderfully strange! We curated the supports for the tour with the help of HOLY MOLY and we’re stoked to play with some of the best local bands in AUS.

HAPPY: What does the future hold for Space Carbonara beyond this tour? Can we expect more new music any time soon?

SPACE CARBONARA: Yessir more music! I’m really excited about the next record but I’m not letting anything slip just yet. We’ll take a little break and get right back into it.

HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!

SPACE CARBONARA: Thanks!

Catch Space Carbonara live at any of the following dates:

January 17th – Mo’s Clubhouse, Gold Coast
January 18th – Crowbar, Brisbane
January 24th – Newcastle Hotel, Newcastle
January 25th – Waywards, Sydney
February 1st – Tote (Upstairs), Melbourne
February 2nd – Exter, Adelaide
February 3rd – The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
February 16th – Lucy’s Love Shack, Perth
February 17th – Mojos, Fremantle

More info here.