When it comes to the release of their new EP Haunt, local lads Residual know they’re on to a good thing. However, the success of their dynamic new single ‘All For You’ came with a heavy price. “It’s a break-up song,” says guitarist Andy Rankin. “I’m not sure how much [front man] Sam has given away in other interviews, but the song is basically about him giving his all to a relationship that he knew was going to end”.
In a candid interview with Forte Magazine, Rankin talks about feelings of past insecurity within the band, reveals highlights of their time on the road, and takes us behind the scenes of the making of their latest release.
“On the day we were recording ‘All For You’ I remember Sam coming to the studio, literally right after a discussion with his girlfriend. He was sitting in the outdoor area rewriting the lyrics whilst we were tracking guitars, I think it’s a big part of why the song has so much emotion”
“It’s almost a blessing in disguise that he was having relationship problems,” Rankin jokes. “The band really benefited from his misfortune!”
All jokes aside, the Geelong-based four-piece are on the rise and Rankin admits that, thanks to this release, they have found a renewed sense of unity. “In the past we’ve been our own worst critics, it’s hard not to be judgmental of your own music”
Despite their debut self-titled EP peaking at #11 on the Australian iTunes Charts, he says they were never 100 per cent happy with what they were producing. “Before [Haunt] when releasing new music we would always question whether we could have made the songs better, but this EP is something that we’re truly proud of!”
Haunt is a stunning taste of what these young musicians can achieve. “Before we went into the studio we put a lot of time into the writing process. The majority of the release was recorded at Sing Sing Studios – which is an incredible place. The owners are really nice people and it’s got a great vibe. There’s so much history there and I think that’s one of the big things that sets it apart.”
“Our new EP was produced by Malcolm Besley who has worked with other artists such as City Calm Down and Northeast Party House. We released our track ‘Silver and Gold’ a while ago with Malcolm and couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. It was an easy decision for the band to continue our EP with him.
Rather than just leaving the guys to their own devices, Rankin says that Besley supported them throughout the process and was always there to bounce ideas off. “We enjoyed working with him because sometimes when you go into the studio to record a song, some people just hit record and put it all together – but that wasn’t the case with Malcolm. He improves the songs and gives his input, and after being so close to a song for so long it’s nice to get a fresh opinion” Rankin says.
With everything falling into place, the guys enlisted the help of Geelong’s own acclaimed indie film director Jesse Leaman. “We worked with Jesse on the ‘All For You’ video, he’s amazing at what he does!” Rankin says. “He recently worked on a short film with Guy Pearce that’s been selected to screen at multiple film festivals, after working with him it’s clear to me now why he’s doing so well in the film industry”
The clip depicts singer Sam [Burtt] as an actor in a handful of scenes that are forced upon him by apathetic stagehands, resulting in a meltdown and eventual destruction of the set. “When we watched the first edit of the music video we were like,‘Wow! This is the first time we’ve truly felt like a real band’, we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”
Reflecting on his role as one of the uninterested stage crew, Rankin says it was the first time he envied his bandmate.
“I think we all wanted to be the lead man after watching Sam destroy the table with a baseball bat in the last scene of the music video”
To celebrate this highly-anticipated release, Residual have signed on to appear every Monday in August as the resident band at The Workers’ Club in Melbourne. “We’re so excited to get out and play shows, we haven’t played a show for what feels like forever. The Workers’ Club is a great venue and it’ll be good to build our Melbourne audience, as well as bring up some local support acts with us from Geelong”
Despite their plans to take their new EP on the road nationally, Rankin insists they’re loyal to their hometown fans. “We’ve just announced shows in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Warrnambool & Sydney. We feel that the timing for this release is ideal – we’ve got a really strong team around us and we’re surrounded by the right people.”
Check them out before they leave town, because home is where their heart is.
Written by Natalie Rogers
Image: Lucinda Goodwin
Release: ‘All For You’ is available on iTunes now, Haunt EP available from August 26 (but preorder is available)
When & Where: Workers Club, Melbourne – residency on August 8, 15, 22 & 29, Kubu Studio, Geelong – August 12, Tap House, Bendigo – August 13, Karova Lounge, Ballarat – August 18 & the Loft, Warrnambool – August 20.