On the back of their highly acclaimed 2012 debut album The Time Traveller, Sydney progressive/alternative rockers Breaking Orbit are ready to release the first track from their forthcoming sophomore album, Become The Light. Tomatrax caught up with Mike Tyson, drummer of the band, to ask some questions.
How did the band form?
We have played together in various bands over the years, developing our respective crafts on the backdrop of Sydney’s live music scene. Breaking Orbit formed in late 2009, and we able to use those experiences to quickly focus on creating our own sound perspective.
Where did the name Breaking Orbit come from?
I think the name was a reflection on what we aspire to achieve with our music. In challenging ourselves musically, we aspire for people to join us on that journey. Funnily enough, I think the final agenda item at the last band meeting was How do we become the first band to play live on the moon?”. But seriously, you can read anything into a name I guess. At the time it captured how we all felt about the project, and as far as we’re all concerned it still does.
You mix various sounds and styles into your music, is it hard to get all the elements to work together?
Our song-writng process has evolved over the years, however it is still very much a collaborative venture. In his capacity as both an artist and producer Dylan Mitrovich provides the guiding force as all our creative ideas are woven together. Every song will have a different driving force (whether it’s in the form of a particular instrument or groove), but as both a participant and spectator in the overall creative/production process I have generally observed that the best has come from the subtle touch. Dylan is amazing at combining the various musical textures in order to create a seamless integrated stereo picture. Ideally this provides you with depth and space such that the piece can move and breath in sync with the underlying emotion. Sounds like a bit of a wanky response to your original question, but in all honesty I can’t think of another way to describe how our music tends to transition from embryonic idea to a fully arranged composition.
You’ve received a lot of critical acclaim for your debut album. Has this made you feel any pressure in putting together your follow up album?
We were quietly confident about what could be achieved with the first album, but the response has been nothing short of incredible to us. Obviously you want to raise the bar whenever you deliver something new to your audience, and everyone will always provide some critical assessment in context of the the debut release. However, I don’t think we’ve ever felt any such pressure during the song-writing or production phases. I believe I can speak for everyone in the band when I say we are extremely excited about the new material and how it’s evolved.
You’ll have your second album out soon, how will this compare with The Time Traveler?
Following on from my previous discussion, the context in which the new material has developed is obviously different, representative of our own musical development both individually and as a band in general. We come from variety of musical backgrounds and, between the four of us, take influence from an ever changing array of artists from a variety of genres and creative spaces. Personally I think people will see
When will the album be released?
We are looking at releasing the album some time in latter quarter of 2014. We have an array of tracks at various stages, most fully recorded but some still taking shape. Hence, we are looking forward to latter half of what is shaping up to be a busy year at Breaking Orbit HQ.
What made you pick Become the light as the single and title track for the album?
For us I think Become the Light was one of those tracks that we almost instantaneously latched on to our creative consciousness. It just seemed to come together really well, as well as capturing a lot of the musical elements and textures we like to create. At the end of the day, hearing the raw energy both on the record and feeling it when played live made for a pretty easy decision.
You’ve entered songs on Triple J’s Unearthed page, has this had any impact on your music’s exposure?
Obviously JJJ Unearthed is a key element to all Australian artists who are coming through the ranks, and we have always had a presence going as far back as the band’s inception. While some may not always feel as positively towards JJJ and their role in supporting Australian artists at all levels, I feel it’s important that people understand how lucky we are to actually have a national broadcaster (whether it be JJJ or the new JJ digital station) in comparison to Europe or the US. Based on this I can definitely say the unearthed page has had a positive impact, remembering that this is just one of the many avenues available to artists for developing their profile in Australia.
You’re about to tour round Australia, what can fans expect from your show?
I’m envisaging a plethora of energy for this run. We will also be previewing more of the new record which we’re all extremely excited about, and of course playing some of the Time Traveller favourites. It will be great to get out on the road again and see everyone around the country, playing some really iconic venues.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Absolutely…I think we’d be ignorant not to. Mind you, every artist is different. Personally I like to re-analyse things I’ve done previously either in the studio or live as this provides me with a good measuring stick as to where I’m at with my own musicianship.
What other music do you listen to?
Personally I listen to a vast array of stuff…from EDM, classical, metal, pop, indie and beyond. I hate becoming stagnant with my songwriting and I think in order to really stoke my own creative fires I need a broad brush. But everyone in the band has their own perspective, whether it be in terms of genre or the nature of the production of a particular piece. You’d be hard to nail down a particular album or artist amongst the four of us, but the guys just referred me to the new Anathema album…looking forward to wrapping my ears around that shortly.
What do you plan on doing after your tour?
After the tour we are straight back into the studio to record the remainder of the album. No rest for the wicked.
Check out Breaking Orbit’s s website to find out more!