STACK #193 Nov 2020

MUSIC FEATURE

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to Brisbane, to be with musician, producer and partner Luke Boerdam of Violent Soho), the album hollers ‘more’ from its adventurous recording techniques to the scream which opens first track Diet Sick – much like the clarion call which opened the band’s debut. “I call it the pterodactyl scream!” Hopes smiles. “It’s funny you mention that scream, because in Japan [from debut Dumb Days ]… the rest of the guys were like, ‘I don’t like it’ – so I had to really fight for it,” she says. “But for Breakfast For Pathetics , I had all the control. So I [did] it again but this time, way bigger! I did all the demo’ing at home by myself; I put heaps of distortion on a microphone and I think I had a couple of drinks, and went death metal on it. Pretty happy with the result.” You’ll hear another vocal rib in Waterbed (a song which contains so many nostalgic salutes, from the kazoo to the whistling to the Eels-like opening organ chords to the title itself): an announcement of the impending guitar solo. “So, I love Pavement,” says Sophie, “and they always do quirky little things like that. But I kind of did it as a joke, ‘cause… I’m actually playing the solo. I was taking the piss being like ‘Guitars!’, because ‘guitars’ is me.” The magic was solidified by what Hopes calls “Studio Land” – her term for the experience of recording, sleeping, eating, essentially living at The Grove studios on NSW's central coast. “It became this whole different world. To me,

INTERVIEW

SOPHIE HOPES TIRED LION

Lush grunge guitars, bright yet burnt vocals, and a certain kind of slacker grace:Tired Lion's sophomore LP sees singer-songwriter Sophie Hopes hitting her stride with almost lackadaisical poise. Words Zoë Radas

T here’s a line in Tired Lion’s break-out hit Fresh (2017) which goes: “Idiot, you made me rhyme.” It’s a reference to the sobbingly- delivered poem in beloved ’99 teen film 10 Things I Hate About You, which is an amended version of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 141 (1609). But there’s an even more direct nod to the Bard in new album Breakfast For Pathetics : a song titled Drama Club , which pleads “Please tell me you’re into Shakespeare.” “I have always been a drama kid,”

from A Midsummer Night’s Dream , and I was Titania, the queen of

the fairies. When I’m drunk I tend to rattle off a bit of Shakespeare – it’s just fun – but it’s weird though, because when you play the character, it’s not you. I think it’s more daunting

I tend to rattle off a bit of Shakespeare when

Studio Land versus real life? I want to live [in Studio Land] forever. It's just the best. There’s no worries, you’re just dedicated to the music, and I remember feeling 100% on top of the world,” she enthuses. “I felt like, ‘This is supposed to be what I’m doing, with my life.’” ZKR

I'm drunk... it's just fun

getting up on stage and playing [your own music]. It has so much vulnerability behind it.” If it’s intimidating lifting the veil on personal feelings within her music,

Breakfast For Pathetics by Tired Lion is out Nov 20 via Dew Process.

Hopes has met that challenge entirely head-on with this new collection of searing, beautifully melodic, grunge-bathed tracks. Written solo after moving plumb across the country (from Perth

Continue to read the full interview online at stack.com.au

frontwoman Sophie Hopes admits. “For Year 12 practical assessment I chose a monologue

Push The Blues Away . The title refers to the feeling not the genre, as this album is a glorious celebration of the sound. When The Teskey Brothers appeared on Ain’t My Problem on Ash Grunwald’s recent solo album, Mojo , Grunwald had yet to meet the Warrandyte wonders, but he’d heard that he’d been an influence. Now, Grunwald teams up with Josh Teskey – with SamTeskey in the producer’s chair – to deliver a stunning collection of stripped-back blues. The album features covers of Elmore James’ The Sky Is Crying and Son House’s Preachin’ The Blues plus six originals that sound like standards. The result is instinctual and intoxicating. One for the blues purists. Jeff Jenkins BLUES FOR TWO: TESKEY & GRUNWALD TEAM UP

Push The Blues Away by Josh Teskey and Ash Grunwald is out Nov 13 via Ivy League.

74 NOVEMBER 2020

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