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Interviews

Stripping away self-doubt and leaving no stone unturned: Oliver Tank opens up on the process of OT

Over the past several years, Oliver Tank has effortlessly encapsulated the dreamy, downtempo pop Australia has been slowly falling in love with. A wispy vapour of reverb, heavenly vocals and enough chill to knock a grizzly bear into hibernation, Tank has been turning heads since day one.

His experience culminated in the release of his debut album OT last week, a full-length shot of everything we’ve come to expect from the producer. With the record doing the rounds and a supporting tour kicking off in mere days, we took five with Tank for the latest.

Battling self-doubt, finding an introspective side and leaving no stone unturned. Oliver Tank talks about his full length OT.

HAPPY: OT has had a week to sit now, how have you found the initial reactions from friends and fans?

OLIVER: Everyone has been really positive about it. I’ve mostly seen good reviews. A couple of people said they weren’t feeling it as much but I try and avoid the bad reviews cause they make me feel down when I read them. Overall it’s been a really rewarding experience finally getting this music out after such a long time.

HAPPY: Being a debut LP, are there any songs you’ve been sitting on for a while that didn’t make it into earlier releases? If so, what made them work in OT?

OLIVER: Yeah Circles and Unreal are quite old. I cycled through a lot of different songs for the album. Eventually I picked my ten favourites and just knuckled down and finished them. Some were really old, others were much more recent. Those two in particular I always liked but had never finished. I don’t like to leave tracks unfinished if I think they have potential. Thats the main reason they made the album.

HAPPY: On the other hand, were there any songs you wanted to include but couldn’t, for one reason or another?

OLIVER: Yeah there was one song I had to take off the album. I’m going to try and put it on a future release, I think it has a lot of potential but because of certain time restraints and clearance issues, we weren’t able to get it on the album in time. It’s a shame cause it was one of my favourites but it’ll see the light of day eventually.

HAPPY: How does the relationship between subject matter and sound work within your music? You seem to touch on issues like anxiety and self-doubt yet manage to come across as quite relaxed.

OLIVER: I always found music to be very therapeutic for me, whenever I was feeling down or stressed I could turn to my favourite songs or my own music and find some comfort. I’m a very chilled, relaxed person so I think it just comes across in my music. Obviously I’ve had some struggles with self doubt and being down, I wanted that to come across in the lyrics but for the music to still be relaxing and peaceful, hopefully a place where people with similar struggles can find solace.

HAPPY: You’ve mentioned before that some of your songs are written from less of a personal perspective, rather appreciating those feelings without necessarily having experienced them yourself. How has that changed, if at all, over the course of your last few releases?

OLIVER: Well this release is entirely about my personal experiences. Earlier I just used to make up lyrics and if they sounded cool I’d run with them. Often I’ll start writing lyrics and they’ll take on meaning as the song develops. The time I spent between releases and the general experiences in my life over the last few years is what the album is about. In some ways it was easier because I had something to draw on for inspiration that was real. In another sense it was harder cause I was really putting myself out there with some of these lyrics.

HAPPY: You’ve previously worked with Fawn Myers and Wren on your EPs, and now also on OT. Do you find they have a particular influence on the tracks you’ve worked on together?

OLIVER: Well Fawn has an incredible and unique voice. I love it when she sings on my tracks, her delivery has so much meaning and weight behind it. This adds a lot to my music and I feel it’s why people are able to connect with it in a special way. She’s really talented and brings an originality to the music. Wren (Jess Graham) is similarly an amazing singer but also a very talented violinist. Her strings are so integral to my music. They really add a depth and feel to the tracks that I think separates me from other artists making similar music. I usually just give them a little direction and what sort of mood I’m looking for and they always come up with something amazing. Looking forward to working with them on future releases.

HAPPY: Do you think there is something about Australia specifically that keeps creating such introspective, dreamy artists like yourself, Hayden Calnin and a few others?

OLIVER: There are a lot of Australian artists making really incredible music. I’ve never quite been able to figure out what it is about Australia that might influence this. I think it just might be the general lifestyle and attitude of Australians, the weather and culture can have a big impact on people and it comes through in the music they make I think.

HAPPY: You’re taking the album live starting May 4, are there any songs in particular that were tough to transition into a live format? Why?

OLIVER: Some of them are easier than others. When I’m making the music I don’t really think about how to play them live I just want to make the best music possible and worry about the other stuff later. I think the main thing is to not be afraid to change the songs a little for live shows.

HAPPY: Are there any lessons you learnt in producing OT that you will take with you into future releases?

OLIVER: Yeah I learned a lot. I’m always trying to keep learning in terms of production. Working with Jono Steer (co-producer) down in Melbourne was a huge help, not only in finishing the project but making it the best it could be. Working alongside someone like Jono instead of just on my own was probably the most valuable thing I learned. It can get quite lonely making music on your own a lot of the time. I’ll definitely do something similar for future releases.

HAPPY: What’s up next, once you hang up your boots after the tour?

OLIVER: Almost got enough music for another EP so I’ll probably just lock in and finish that up. Really excited about some of this new music I got. Feeling very inspired at the moment.

Oliver Tank is on tour this month, starting Thursday in Newcastle. Find the full run of dates below, and grab your tickets here.

Thursday 4th May – Small Ballroom, Newcastle NSW
Friday 5th May – Wollongong Uni Bar, Wollongong NSW
Saturday 6th May – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney NSW
Saturday 13th May – The Foundry, Brisbane QLD
Friday 19th May – Transit Bar, Canberra ACT
Saturday 20th May – Howler, Melbourne VIC
Friday 26th May – Jive, Adelaide SA
Saturday 27th May – Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth WA