Sitting down at the infamous Piping Hot Chicken Shop in Ocean Grove, it is with great joy that I am able to chat with the boys from Tiny Giants. 2014 was a massive year for the band, as they released their debut album You’re Too Excitable, and looking forwards to 2015, there doesn’t seem to be any signs of slowing down yet. Speaking with the whole band, it was great to get an insight into what has been a busy time of late for the trio. “2014 has been really good,” George Wilson, drummer for the band says. “It’s like we have passed a hurdle that we haven’t been able to accomplish yet with our EPs.”
An impressive psychedelic journey, the ten-track release was recorded in frontman Jasper Jolley’s house, a process that Wilson feels was like “bathing in their own musical juices”. Etienne Mantelli, bassist for the band, feels that the main difference between the production of the EPs and the debut record is the recording environment and the process that was taken this time around.
“The first EPs we recorded in a professional studio, and I think that is why the album sounds a lot fuller. We couldn’t really get talked down by a sound engineer, which made things easier. As kids, recording those EPs we got afraid to ask for things and came up with a second-rate product to a certain extent,” Mantelli said.
In an effort to maintain creative control of their music and the process, the band decided to record and produce the album off their own backs. A more creative flow was achieved as a result and new ideas for the follow-up were also documented at the time. “Giving ourselves time and space to create the album was very beneficial, I think. The recording took four days to do and we stopped to eat a lot of burgers as well. It was all pretty organic. It was a good experience and a big learning curve, I think. It was loose and we didn’t feel that we needed to impress anybody. That felt good,” Jolley said.
Following on the garage philosophies of the band, I was able to get the inside scoop that the band was set to record the follow-up in early January. In 2015, there are a lot easier ways to record an album than spending the big bucks heading into the studio and spending all your hard-earned money. You are able to retain a grungier and organic sound by just recording in your bedroom or living room. In an attempt to follow in their heroes, the band is going to try tracking drums in a bathroom to achieve a natural, spring reverb sound.
One of their upcoming gigs for the new year is a spot on the Live and Local Stage at Motor City Music Festival, which hits the Geelong Showgrounds over the March long weekend. Talking about the opportunity to be involved once again, the boys can’t wait to get back there again. “It’s good to be back and asked to play once again. It was fun the first time, and there were fireworks. We caught the end of Horses and had a bit of a crowd surf. It’ll be sweet and by then we’ll have a whole stack of new stuff to play. Come down and boogie, Geelong.”
When&Where: Motor City Music Festival, Geelong – March 6 & 7
By Tex Miller