Energetic surf indie rockers Caravãna Sun are back following a massive European tour and have come back swinging with their infectious upcoming EP Silver Linings (due for September 14) which sees the band draw upon the personal connections within their lives; in love, perception and ultimately death, providing a full body experience release of dancing and self-reflection. We chat to vocalist and bassist Ant Beard about their latest offering, their time overseas and what’s on the horizon for the sun-soaked Sydney-siders.
You guys have come a long way since your first show here in Torquay in 2016, how do you feel looking back on the time that’s past?
It’s been a really awesome experience, we’ve spent a lot of time touring mostly overseas, so nice to be able to come back and tour in our home country. Somethings always connected for us around surf spots – not only in Australia, but also in Portugal, the Netherlands and U.K. We’re really looking forward to coming back and playing some more music
When you look at locations to tour, do you prefer to pick somewhere and base it on where you’ll be able to surf?
Yeah definitely. I think more when we were younger we’d head up the east coast and find the best spots to surf and then as you get older the shows get better and you don’t really have much time. Once the tour bus pulls up, and within the first 2 hours you have interviews and soundcheck, then you ply the gig and leave at 7am the next morning – I’m definitely not complaining, cause the shows are getting better, but I love to surf around them.
You guys just came back from a massive 21 date European tour, can you tell us what that was like?
It was awesome, we were over there for about seven weeks. We played a lot in the summer festivals over there. We’ve been playing together for seven years now, so it was nice to go back and be gaining some momentum. It was an awesome experience
Do you have a favourite show or location from the tour?
We played a couple of shows that were open air festivals, that only had a couple of bands on and basically everyone would come down, and there would be between 4000-6000 people. those sort of memories, not even the amount of people, but the attentiveness of the crowd was pretty overwhelming, when you look out and there’s 5000 faces really glued to what you’re doing, as an artist and a performer, those moments are enriching.
How did you guys go spending so much time together?
It’s an interesting one, we’ve been doing it for a while now, so I think everyone knows the others certain tendencies, and knows when the warning signs come up and are acting a certain way. You learn not to take things personally, and the most important thing is just to take space. I think the dynamic between us is part of the reason the band is doing so well, you need to nurture that and take time and space for sure.
You just released your newest single ‘Come Back’, which is a song really close to your hearts, how are you finding people have been responding to it?
It’s an interesting one, when you write a song and put something together that is art, it’s a journey, you put so much time putting it together. Once it leaves the studio I try not to put have much attachment to it, it begins a life within the listener. As far as expectations go, I would be happy if people connected to it in some way. It’s been pretty overwhelming, the response to it how people have felt behind the song, and how they’ve found themselves within it. We went into the process of releasing the EP and were picking through the the songs to lead with the first single, and to lead off an Ep with a song like that helps set the tone, but at the end of the day when you’re writing songs and you’re in that business of making people feel, this song has a special feeling, so it was nice to head out with this song and get peoples feedback.
Congrats on the new EP Silver Linings; can you talk us through the song choices for the album?
The whole basis on this is that at the moment were all living in different spots, so a lot of the songs were kind of formed together in our own places, but then sent to each other until we got to the spot where they got to. There’s a few songs about the concepts of love, there’s a few songs about modern love and what it’s like with a partner and having this attachment to your phone, being in contact with someone that you love. The thing that’s kind of tying it all in was the actual process of writing them.
You’ve just kicked off your Australian tour, how are you feeling about it? Is there anywhere you’re really excited to go to?
It’s going to be really nice, we have a couple of weeks to kind of just chill out and spend some time with our partners. Ultimately the aussie tour is looking great, we’re heading back down to Torquay, and spending a bit of time up in the Kimberly’s, which is such an appreciative time for us, as it’s such an incredible place. When we’re in Europe it’s such a great experience playing for the crowds, but as far as the connection to country goes it pretty distant, so coming back to Australia, the connection back to the land is pretty integral when it comes to touring Australia. We’re looking forward to it.
Now that you’ve done both, do you guys prefer touring around Australia or overseas?
It’s so different, the common thread among Europe and Europeans is this deep sense of appreciation, and an importance for music within life and culture. Countries and continents like Europe spend a lot of their year in winter and indoors, so you aren’t really soaking up the land or the sense of nature, but when music, art, food and culture become a lot more important in people’s lives for feeling connected to one another, and in Europe that has a huge impact on how people then receive your songs and what you’re bringing to them. In Australia we definitely have that in our culture, but more so we have this beautiful country that we spend so much time in it, that the sense of aloneness is a lot more of a thing in Australia, that whole sense of going out on country and being connected. When it comes to Europe I love playing for the people and I love connecting in that way, but also in Australia I love some of the places we get to play and get to go and experience. two different beats, but both equally as good as themselves.
What can we expect to see next from you guys?
At the moment were just shaping up the tour, into the summer I think we’re just going to be playing lots of festivals and spending time. But we’ve got this big writing wheel happening at the moment where there’s a lot of output coming from the band, just kind out outputting as much as we can and seeing how they exist on stage. There’s also just plans for next year, we’re going to head back to Europe a couple of times, sow some more seeds there. But ultimately just more writing and playing for sure.
When & Where: Torquay Hotel, Torquay – Saturday October 27.
Written by Chloe Cicero
