The Kite String Tangle

It’s been a busy year for Danny Harley since his solo project The Kite String Tangle’s release of ‘Given the Chance’. The song took the internet by storm, amassing over one million plays on SoundCloud; he also played two sold-out tours of the country, as well as local festivals, and even made it to the US to play at the massive South by South West and Coachella music festivals. Yet somehow he still found time to record and release his debut EP, Vessel.
“It was pretty time-consuming, but a lot of it happens on a laptop, so I can do it on the road,” explains Harley. “Once it gets out of the laptop I mix on ProTools in a studio and record the live instruments and mix it, so that’s the time-consuming bit.
“This is my debut EP, so it’s kind of like the first impression that I will get to really have people know my sound as a whole. It’s versatile and varied but still really cohesive, and that was intentional because I wanted to experiment with what suits me the most, what I like the most, what other people like the most, and kind of head in that direction for the album.”
The Kite String Tangle has had some great support from fans and radio stations alike, but it was the backing of triple j that really helped boost the act’s profile – a source of exposure that can often make or break young Aussie acts.
“I’ve had a number of acts with varyingly levels of success with triple j,” says Harley. “I’ve kind of been on both sides of the fence; I know the frustration of doing everything right and not having that one thing fall into place – which is triple j play – and it can hurt you, but you can’t let it deter you from your ultimate goal of doing music. I’ve had the other side as well, where they have really picked it up and run with it, which has had a massive impact. So I’m grateful.”
To coincide with his EP release, Harley will be playing a series of tour dates during August and September throughout Australia, but there are also other countries and continents firmly in his sights.
“I definitely have global ambitions, mainly because the music industry is so strange these days,” says Harley. “It’s like a single release market, so you have to have constant releases and you have to be working all territories to make a career out of it, which is what I want to do. I’m going on tour in the US hopefully in late October and the UK shortly afterwards.
“I think trying to recreate a little of the story that’s happened in Australia overseas is going to be challenging, but within the realms of possibility … I hope.”
The constant releases won’t be too much of a problem for someone as productive as Harley, as he reveals he has already started working on a full album release.
“I’ve started writing the album and it’s probably looking more like coming out early next year,” says Harley. “I’d love to get something out at that point and keep momentum going, but again you can’t release something unless you’re completely happy with it. I think that’s the most important thing, writing the best album I can write.”
When&Where: Star Bar, Bendigo – September 4; The Karova, Ballarat – September 5; and The Corner, Melbourne – September 6 & 7
By Zach Broadhurst