There have been a few sightings of them lately – however rare. Rumour has it they spent the North American winter hibernating in a warehouse in Philadelphia. Now back on home soil, that funky bunch, charged with breathing new life into the Melbourne soul scene, are pleased to announce the release of their third studio album Sorry I Let It Come Between Us, out June 12.
That’s not the only news generating out of the Saskwatch camp. They’ve said ‘so long’ to Will, Sam, Nic and Ed (horn section and drums), only to return as a fortified six-piece. With the welcome addition of Sam ‘Storm’ Raines on drums, they’re bursting at the seams to show us their new flavour. “This is a new chapter for Saskwatch,” smiled Liam McGorry, the band’s trumpet playing, all round nice guy.
“There have been some big changes within the band – a new line up and a new approach. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t daunting, but it’s a really exciting time for us.”
Stepping out of their comfort zone in more ways than one for their follow-up to 2014’s Nose Dive, the band braved the blistering conditions of a Pennsylvanian cold-snap to work with one of Liam’s musical idols. “Scott [McMicken] from Dr Dog produced the record and his friend Nathan Sabatino [Flaming Lips, Dr Dog] worked as the engineer,” he explained. “It was so much fun – I’ve been a fan of Dr Dog for what seems like forever, so it was a pretty surreal situation.”
Of their time spent in the US, Liam joked that contrary to popular belief, it (isn’t) always sunny in Philadelphia. “It got dark at about 12pm every day, so the sun was fairly short-lived,” he smiled. “Unfortunately we were stuck on the outskirts of town at Mt Slippery, in a big old warehouse for three weeks, 24/7.”
From all accounts the change of scenery was just what they needed. “Scott and Nick were so positive, and we came up with some really interesting ideas for songs and new sounds. They brought something completely different and we needed their fresh opinions on our music. You can hear that we’ve taken a different direction on this record.”
Sorry I Let It Come Between Us is soulful, bluesy, even a little melancholy at times. This album reflects the musical maturity that all the members have acquired through years of gigging around Melbourne pubs and clubs before receiving national attention.
“It’s the full band – all nine of us play on these tracks,” Liam clarified. “It was a bitter sweet album to make. Things happened between then [the recording sessions] and now. It’s always very tough to have ‘that talk’ amongst friends – we’ve been through so much together. All the guys are doing their own thing, so there’s no ill feelings there and it’s going to be pretty interesting to see how we can re-create the sound live!”
Like a funky-sounding shape-shifter, Saskwatch continue to evolve. So to be one of the first to see them in all of their newfound glory, catch their one-off show at the Hi-fi in Melbourne on May 8. Or for those lucky enough to have snapped up a ticket to Groovin the Moo this year, you’ll get a chance to see them in action – you may even catch them in the wild: “I’ve been out of the loop lately, there are lots of bands in the line up that I haven’t heard of, so I’m looking forward to heading out into the crowd and listening to some new tunes.”
When & Where: Groovin the Moo, Bendigo Showgrounds – May 2 & the Hi-fi, Melbourne – May 8
Written by Natalie Rogers, Photo by Jamie Wdziekonski