Tell a band they’ve outdone themselves with a release and they then want to road test it and prove its success as much as possible. This seems to be the ethos behind British India’s new album, Nothing Touches Me, and with critics claiming it as the best British India release, they’re not sold on the statement until they’ve had the chance to take it to the fans in a live setting.
“This is kind of the best period of what we do, you work hard on putting the record out and you feel terrified for months upon its release. All the critical acclaim is really lovely but you’re really proved by your public acting and we won’t really know how this album is until we take it out on the road,” frontman Declan Melia says.
“But watching people react and singing back lyrics that you wrote on a whim, when you were walking home drunk on a Wednesday three years ago, and to see people be moved by it is a pretty unique and awesome thing. We’re going with our friends Tired Lion and Grenadiers so it’s going to be a real travelling circus.”
Talking to Declan it seems the band are a lot tougher on themselves than they should be, but with every criticism they place on themselves it garners a brilliant release – much like their newest. Though in saying that, Declan is quite proud of what they’ve come out with.
“We’ve always kind of promised that if we put out a record that wasn’t as good as the last one then we should reassess whether we should keep the band going, but it definitely felt as we were making it that we were doing good work,” he says.
“I think we’re feeling really good, when you’re making a record and with the other record we really felt like we were doing good stuff. It was coming easily and sounding good to us, but there’s always that X factor as to whether or not it can connect with the audience at large. That’s why great records come out and nobody notices them and terrible records come out and they receive all sorts of accolades, so it’s a pretty testing time on your nervous system during pre-release.”
Having spent a considerable amount of time in Berlin, it’s allowed for a new influence on the album that could be one of the reasons behind why Nothing Touches Me has received so much praise.
“It’s just amazing, I’m not sure if you’ve been, but it just seems to be a city in it’s adolescence that’s just in a good place. It felt for the first time since we made our first record in Sydney that we were in the right place at the right time. The production of every other album had felt slightly compromised but this one just felt like we were exactly where we needed to be,” Declan says.
The release also saw them pen such songs as ‘Wrong Direction’ that was recorded completely in the moment, something that doesn’t seem to come around much in the perfection of the recording process these days.
“I would love to record everything like ‘Wrong Direction’. It’s just beautifully easy and when you look up at each other and you see that spark and feel that the song has worked – it’s a real magical feeling. But the one thing I’ve learnt after doing this for so long, or just writing songs, is that no two songs ever work the same. ‘Wrong Direction’ and ‘Angela’ came instantly and it’s really hard to be logical about it and really tempting to think, ‘Well where did this song come from?’ But you’ve just pulled it out of your sleeves,” Declan says.
“Then there are songs like ‘Suddenly’, ‘Come Home’ and the ‘Departure Lounge’ that seemed to take months. They take on different identities every time you play them and you really have to work at them to get them where they need to be. So you’ve got to approach each song differently. You’ve really got to have an elastic mind when you’re coming at songs in this way because if you have a certain vision for a song it can really hamper it. The songs as you like them you’ve got to try not to box them in and just let them do what they’ve gotta do.”
Through the speakers Nothing Touches Me sounds like a brilliant 12-track release that is best taken as a whole. As Declan has already said, the ultimate test is how it will go on stage with a couple hundred listeners to judge.
Luckily playing live is something Declan thoroughly enjoys, so even if things don’t pan out as well as planned – though they surely will – then at least there’s some joy to be had from the experience.
“It pumps me up, it’s an incredible stamina potion. I’ve seen Nic and myself curled up in balls with agonising hangovers, the flu or just tiredness and you get up on stage, you take on that persona – I suppose – and it just cures all ills. By the time you come off stage you feel much much better,” he says.
At each gig, while Nothing Touches Me will be going through a test run, Declan welcomes any and all requests for songs. Though don’t count on Declan to look you in the eyes while singing it.
“I don’t look at the crowd, I’m usually too terrified to see anything, I’m usually blinking my eyes and praying that I don’t lose my voice. I just look around on stage and usually after everyone will be like, ‘Oh did you see that guy or that girl on someone’s shoulders?’ and I’m just oblivious – it’s like it never happened. I think you kind of just go up on stage and you’re in your own world, or I certainly am anyway,” he says.
When & Where: Karova Lounge, Ballarat – May 6, 170 Russell, Melbourne – May 29 & Workers Club, Geelong – May 30
Written by Amanda Sherring