INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY CHRISTINE BITONI ☆
Sasha Eisner
RADIO FREE ALICE IS ALL ABOUT READING IN BETWEEN THE LINES — especially on their debut album What’s In Between, out now. After two years in the making, the alternative indie rock band’s newest record builds upon their DIY roots and breathes life into the words that are often left unsaid.
Just three years ago, the Melbourne-based quartet released their first EP. Today, they’re finishing up a series of summer festival performances, spanning America and Europe, while maintaining over 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. This fall will still be plenty busy for the group though, as they embark on a tour with stops in several European music hubs, including London, Paris and Berlin.
What’s In Between is a noticeable departure from previous Radio Free Alice works. Enlisting Grammy-award winning producer Peter Katis, the band blends grandiose production elements with the foundation that first brought DIY alternative indie lovers to the fanbase. The finished project is a record that takes you on a cohesive journey both sonically and lyrically.
It’s been a long time coming for the Australian four-piece group. Read all about how Radio Free Alice created What’s In Between.
Sasha Eisner
LUNA: Congratulations on the release of your debut album! How do you feel?
RADIO FREE ALICE: Relieved. It’s been a while in the works, so it feels good now that it’s out.
LUNA: How long ago did you write the first song for this album?
RFA: It’s hard to say. It might have been almost two years ago. Some of them we wrote around the time we released our second EP and have been holding on to them. Then, some of them happened at the very last minute when we were in the studio.
LUNA: When do you feel you got to that point when you were solidified enough in your sound to put out an album?
RFA: I guess it comes from the confidence of releasing. We developed the confidence to be like, “Okay, let’s start recording and make an album, a cohesive project.” I think the only way to prepare is just by doing.
LUNA: How did you land on the album title “What’s In Between?”
RFA: There’s a song on the record called “What’s In Between.” The themes of that song, as well as the rest of the album, touch on unspoken elements of being a human. Maybe it’s things in between words that have the most meaning. These things are potent and real, but they’re hard to define or explain. Music is a good communicator of those feelings and experiences.
LUNA: I really loved the single “Crying With You.” Its release came alongside the announcement for your debut album. How did you decide that was the best song for that moment?
RFA: I think that song is quite a good bridge between this album and everything we’ve done prior to it. It retains a lot of elements of our sound that have defined us over the years, but then it also alludes to our bold, ambitious intentions for the album.
LUNA: When it came to producing the album, how did you know that Peter Katis was right for the job—that he could really capture what you wanted?
RFA: Interpol was a massive influence for us, and he [Katis] has a lot of credibility. He has a very distinct style, and a really great studio. We love Peter and his production. We were also allured by the setup because we could go and stay in this amazing house in Connecticut. We were sleeping in the same beds that Paul Banks slept in back in the day. With Peter, there was an element of “Holy sh*t! This is the real deal.” It was very exciting.
LUNA: Did you find it jarring to transition from a DIY setup into a professionally set-up studio?
RFA: Initially, especially with Peter, I did recoil from the grandness and polish of his production style. It was like, “How big do we really want it to sound? Do we want to go fully for it?” We had a few arguments about that internally, but I think where we landed is in a good spot. I think What’s In Between has the best elements of both worlds.
LUNA: You have been doing a lot of new things since last fall, like the huge summer festival tour you just finished. How do you feel now, looking back on the past year?
RFA: It went by so fast. When that happens, sometimes it’s hard to remember to celebrate the experiences. Ultimately, it was so much fun being able to tour Europe and America, and play some incredible festivals. We got to see a lot of great acts, and meet them as well. Often, it’s just a matter of reminding yourself that you’re very grateful and you feel very lucky to be doing this.
LUNA: Now that you’ve reached this milestone, what do you hope the future has in store for you?
RFA: The primary focus will always be on making music. We always want to look inwardly and try to write stuff we’re really proud of. Hopefully, we’ll expand on ideas, experiment more and take more risks artistically. But fundamentally, we’re just four guys playing in a room together, writing songs.
