Sydney's Far Away Stables have mused released their debut album 'Between Rage and Serenity'. A blistering, complex, interesting, twisting-and-turning album, Far Away Stables might just be one of Australia's most intriguing heavy acts.
They are following up the release with two release launch shows - Melbourne 3rd June at BANG! and Sydney 9th June at Red Rattler.
Tomatrax caught up with Tim Byles to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?The incredible thing about this is we all got together through the love of music. Mitch and I were in a band previously, and he played music with Nick back in high school. And Brendan and Tim met at a concert. When Tim came to Mitch with the idea of starting a band we were all recruited and so began Far Away Stables.
Where did the name Far Away Stables come from?We had nothing and had just recorded our first EP. We needed a name and through no copyright infringement at all we "borrowed" it from a Silverchair DVD. I'm not even going to lie and say we came up with some intricate flow of words that has some deep meaning but hey if it gets Daniel Johns' attention then there's nothing wrong with that!
You've just released your debut album, how does it feel to have it out?In one word, relieved. But to elaborate on that we've been working on this for close to 2 years and had the plan of releasing an album since day one. To be able to finally present this piece of ourselves to the world is great. We are so proud to have been able to create this and are truly ecstatic to have it out.
How does the album compare with your previous two EPs?It almost doesn't compare. I mean we have had the same lineup throughout all 3 records but everything about it is a step up. The production, musicianship, songwriting, lyrics, you name it. We feel it's better in every way and if you know us and have heard any of our music you'd definitely agree.
You've said that this is the album you've envisioned releasing since the band's inception, was it hard to get the actual sound to match what you imagine?It is extremely hard. You have ideas and visions of what you want but they change all the time and you are constantly questioning yourself and your thoughts. Is this right? Is this what people want to hear? But we stayed true to ourselves and made the album we wanted to make. To say this is the exact vision from the bands inception is in a way true because the original idea is there, we wanted this album to be the best representation of us. But through the course of creating it and even to the point of recording and producing it these visions change and mould into what has finally become BRAS (Between Rage And Serenity)
Do you have any visions in terms of your next release?We're always working on and brainstorming ideas together. Whether it be lyrics or themes, or even the feel of the album, but nothing is set in stone just yet. We definitely have some ideas but no real clear vision of what we want at this present time.
Where did the title Between Rage and Serenity come from?It all came from the original feel and vibe of the album. Our first few demos explored those exact feelings with them having hard-hitting energetic parts as well as sections with that calmness and tranquility which you can feel throughout BRAS. The idea stuck and became a theme of the album with tracks named after that juxtaposition between the two.
Do you ever listen to your own music?All the time. As vain as it may sound we love our music. Ok listening to the same tracks over and over to make sure we nail our parts and vocals live can be excruciating at times but overall we love what we've created and truly enjoy listening to our own music.
What other music do you listen to?I don't want to be that guy but I personally enjoy a wide variety of music and so do the rest of the band. One minute we'll be rocking out to some Parkway Drive and the next minute unwinding to some Thrice. However some personal favourites of ours include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Silverchair, Underoath, Circa Survive, Saosin, Dance Gavin Dance, Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Jeff Buckley and I'll stop right there because I don't want you to spend the rest of your day reading this.
Now that the album is out what do you plan on doing next?First thing on the agenda is a few shows to get our album out there. One in Melbourne at BANG! on June 3rd and a hometown show in Sydney at The Red Rattler on June 9th. Along with that we'll be constantly promoting the album and getting it out to anyone and everyone who wants to listen. Then looking at a more extensive tour a bit later down the track but always working and pushing to get bigger and better in every way we can.
Check out Far Away Stable's Facebook page to find out more!