Stage Reviews 24, Ball Park Music

Words by James Robertson

With their seventh album Weirder & Weirder, Ball Park Music went into recording with nothing to prove. Forgoing meticulous planning, the band got together in the midst of 2021 with no aim in mind.

“It was mid last year when we were really bored and wanted to hang out together in the studio and just have some fun,” says guitarist Dean Hanson. “Sam Cromack (lead vocalist and guitarist) had a few ideas floating around he wanted to try. It was at this point we hadn’t decided to start a record or anything. We’re lucky enough, we have our own studio and produce all our own stuff so we have the opportunity to go in and start recording things whenever, without any real plan.”

This laidback approach clicked for the group, allowing for a moderately fast writing and recording process. “It was happening pretty easily and the songs we were making were pretty cool.” Ball Park Music couldn’t escape the grasp of the pandemic, as bassist Jennifer Boyce had to make a quick decision: stay in New South Wales with her partner as a lockdown approached, or drive up to Brisbane to record with the band. “Last minute she threw all her possessions in her car, called her partner and said ‘I’m off to Brisbane, I don’t know when I’ll see you’.” Her sacrifice didn’t go unacknowledged. “She’s such a trooper,” says Hanson. “Last year she made so many sacrifices so that Ball Park Music could keep going.” Keep going they did. Hanson and the band launched themselves into the production of this new LP with abandon, relishing a sense of freedom after the release of their self-titled album in 2020. “We didn’t have any unfinished business with our last record. We didn’t release that thinking there was anything we could’ve done any different. And then sometimes when you do have a record out with unfinished business, you may have all of those things playing on your mind. But this time didn’t feel like that at all.”

“It almost felt too easy,” Hanson recalls with a chuckle.

“It was the easiest album we’ve made. You do start questioning if it’s really as good as you think it is, because you didn’t have to work as hard for it. But we’re all unbelievably proud of it.”

Weirder & Weirder certainly feels like the band pushing their sound forward, realising the best parts of Ball Park Music that fans love them for. All their weird sonic and lyrical oddities are dialled to eleven, exploding crunchy psychedelia through the lens of 21st century quirkiness. Their album title works as both a mission statement and a comment on the undeniable conditions artists such as themselves are creating in today. “Some records you’ve made are influenced by what’s going on around you; like the pandemic, of course. But nobody wants to make a Covid record,” quips Hanson. Hoping to encompass the general state of the world, he shies away from singling out one issue. “This isn’t about one particular facet of the world. It’s literally the whole thing. The themes of the record overall relate to this weirder and weirder attitude, about the world in general just getting weirder and weirder.”

This sense of weirdness permeates the entire album, tracing down to the lyrical content of the title track. “I first remember thinking holy shit, these are bizarre lyrics. But no one else can get away with that. Sam just has a way of putting shit in songs. If I wrote that down on a piece of paper, I don’t think I’d ever show a soul.” Recent singles, ‘Manny’, ‘Sunscreen’ and ‘Stars In My Eyes’ show off just a taste of the weirdness to come, with eclectic guitar and synth coupled with relentless, driving drums. But even choosing these songs as the first preview for fans was tough. “We’ve never had an album where it’s been so difficult to pick what the singles might be,” says Hanson. “There’s so much depth on this one. It’s a good problem to have, but still a problem when you’re trying to pick a single and you’re not sure which one to go with, because all of them could play a role. I’m so excited to get feedback from people who aren’t directly involved in making the record.” “It was the easiest album we’ve made. You do start questioning if it’s really as good as you think it is, because you didn’t have to work as hard for it. But we’re all unbelievably proud of it.”

This feedback is crucial for Ball Park Music. Reflection on their previous six albums has often enforced where the band goes next, particularly in regards to where they’ve pushed their sound in the past. “You think in the moment that you’re pushing it too far. We think at the end of every record; we did push it, but we could’ve gone further. Maybe it’s when you get to that last moment in the mixing, you get a little bit scared that you’re making an alienating record, or it sounds a bit too polarising, so you shy away from it. But I think with every record we get a little more confident about it.”

Confidence is not only emblematic of their recording process, but within their attitude towards the music industry. Working with their own record label Prawn Records has allowed the band to guide themselves, making their own bold decisions. This is exemplified by their recent response to the delay of Weirder & Weirder’s vinyl release.

“We did everything we could to get the vinyl here on time for the tour and the record, so we had to be finished at the start of January, really pushing to have it mixed and finished. But then five months down the track we got the call from the vinyl printing plant that they can’t get nickel, because of the war in Ukraine, so they said the earliest they could get stock was December. It was the most down in the dumps I’d been in ages. But this is completely out of our control. We tried our best and there’s no one to blame.”

“The earliest we could have the record out on vinyl was by July, but we’ve got the album tour starting in June,” Hanson laments. “So we were faced with this dilemma of whether to push the whole album back or not. But we can’t go out on our album tour without our album being out.”

Frontman Sam Cromack said in a statement that “after more than two years of our industry suffering non-stop setbacks, we’ve decided to give this situation the middle finger and run in the other direction.” The simple solution was laid out for them. “Let’s just move it forward,” says Hanson, recalling the conversation with their distributors. “Hey, is it possible to change absolutely everything and move it forward a week?”

Weirder & Weirder is out now via Prawn Records. Ball Park Music are playing The Forum on July 16, 17.

Crooked Colours are down to the wire on their third studio album.

Words by David James Young

Credit Matsu

It’s just within their grasp, according to keyboardist Leon Debaughn – as he speaks to Beat from the trio’s native Perth, the others are in an adjacent studio working on what he describes as “the last 10%” of the as-yet-untitled album. “It’s been in the works more or less since the last one came out,” he says – referring to their 2019 record, Langata. “It’s been a turbulent time, to say the least, but we’ve still been writing this entire time. We must have sent thousands of ideas back and forth, building up all these songs. We’ve ended up with a real surplus, and it’s come down to picking the right songs that fit what we want to go with.” It’s asked of Debaughn, then, whether the album that they initially set out to make in the wake of Langata’s release is the same one that will eventually end up in fans’ ears later this year. “We all have a different outlook now,” he replies. “I think these last two years have really allowed us a sense of re-evaluation. In a way, it was a good thing to have that time just to sit back and go, ‘alright, where do we want to go now?’” Indeed, two key changes have factored into the making of the third Crooked Colours album. The first was them signing to Atlantic “I think it encapsulates the Records, marking their first major international whole album, in a way. If deal in the process. “That really opened our eyes to we were going to pick any America – going over there and, going into their big song as a sounding of the studios and seeing the way alarm – like, ‘this is it, the that they do things over there,” says Debaughn. At album’s coming’ – I’m glad the insistence of Atlantic, the alternative-dance we went with this one.” band experimented more with collaboration and co-writing – something they’d only touched on in the past. The fruits of those labours are evident on two of the already-released singles: ‘Rather Be With You’, which features Hayden James, and ‘Light Year’, which saw them team up with Masked Wolf and Jasiah. Debaughn describes the latter, in particular, as “unlike anything Crooked Colours have ever done before.”

“It’s definitely a lot more steeped in the hip-hop world, which we’ve never really tried,” he says. “It was really cool to get the opportunity to dip our toes into that sort of sound – and it was something the three of us had always wanted to try, as well. It definitely points to a different vibe that is a part of this album – we definitely felt more at liberty to dabble in different areas rather than just staying in our lane. We really wanted to make a point of letting the music be its own thing.” Said liberties are also reflected in the group’s most recent single, ‘Feel It’. With its lively synth-bass, choppy samples and driving beat, it’s kicked off Crooked Colours’ eventful 2022 in style. “When we showed it to Atlantic, they really caught onto it,” says Debaughn. “I think it was the catchy guitar line that really hooked them in, but as soon as we played it for them in the studio they were just loving it. It’s been simmering in the background since then, and I think it’s become one of the strongest songs on the entire album.

“I think it encapsulates the whole album, in a way. If we were going to pick any song as a sounding of the alarm – like, ‘this is it, the album’s coming’ – I’m glad we went with this one.”

A national tour in support of ‘Feel It’ has been announced, which will see the band playing some of their biggest headlining shows to date. Although Debaughn expresses nerves about the band going “straight into the deep end” as he puts it, there’s also a real excitement within the camp as Crooked Colours starts anew.

“It’s all a little daunting in its own way,” he says. “Straight off the bat, everything is really feeling sink-or-swim. Even so, we’re in the designing stage at the moment and it’s already looking like we’re bringing something big to this tour. The venues are all really good, and this run feels like it has greatness ahead.”

Crooked Colours are playing Margaret Court Arena on September 9. Tickets on sale now.