TOO EASY

Way back at the start of Triple J's Unearthed project, which began in the Lismore area of NSW, a pair of bands were discovered & jointly announced as winners. One of those bands was Killing Heidi, who are just now starting to achieve what they first showed in that Unearthed announcement. On the flipside, Grinspoon have become one of the most popular acts in Australia, already having a small series of successful eps behind them, plus a quite stunning debut album called Guide To Better Living.

Now we're just seeing the fruits of the band's second album Easy, which again features some fantastic moments right throughout. Around about the time of the release of the band's debut album I spoke with Kristian from the band & again I recently spoke with Kristian about the then impending release of their new album Easy.

The obvious first question is exactly what does the album title mean, which Kristian despatches with consumate ease.

"It's going to sound a little bit stupid I guess, but it's actually about the process of writing the second album. You probably know about the sort of legend of the so-called 'difficult' second album. We all went into the studio expecting to have a tough time writing the songs for this album, but we had it in the can in no time. Everything just seemed to fall into place & we all said to each other - what the hell are they talking about, this is easy & so we reckoned that was as good an album name as any."

There's a little more of a punkish sound to the early songs on the album & I wondered aloud as to whether it indicated a new musical direction for the band.

"Well, yes & no. We had a great time writing all the songs & those are all great songs to play live, but we're about more than just being a metal band, or a pop band or an indie band. We just like good music & that's what evolved. You mentioned liking some of the heavier songs on the album like Violent & Lazy & Signpost, we love those songs too & we'll keep doing them. The next album might well be full of those sorts of songs rather than the poppy ones, but we'll wait & see."

A while back, the band spent some time in the US. Having come back to their home country, you might think the band might want to go touring again straight away, but it's not the case.

"No, the US was great, but we live in the best country in the world. Everything just has to be bigger & better over there, it's maybe like some competition or something but we like Australia the best. We had a good time though & I think we'll be going back, but I was quite homesick & I loved getting back home too much."

One thing that I asked back when I last spoke was about the Triple J Unearthed win. With a couple of years hindsight behind them, I lastly asked how they now viewed that & whether they thought it had helped or hindered them.

"To be honest, I think it was the single biggest step for us altogether. It gave us a huge headstart, especially as we were the first to be announced. I really think we would have gotten where we are now, but it might have been a couple of years down the track. What it got us was a national profile that would have taken us a couple of years to build, in that one announcement & it also opened the doors to our recording deal, which has worked out really well for us. As I said, I think we'd have gotten to where we are now, because we're committed to what we were doing back then & we're still just as committed now."

Check out the band's new album Easy out now through Universal or see them live when they commence touring in support of the album soon.