Selective Deafness is out now!
Image: Supplied.
Meanjin/Brisbane-based neo-soul act Menajerie have shared their debut EP Selective Deafness. To celebrate the release, the band have shared with MILKY five things they learnt whilst recording the collection of songs.
"In releasing this first body of work into the world, we wanted to share all facets of the band. The songs traverse heartache, empowerment, frustration, deep self-reflection, and pure, silly joy. And we feel it's a simmering blend of the messy and beautiful melting pot that is Menajerie." vocalist Gracie Mack shares.
PLAN AHEAD
We're a 6 piece band, so scheduling anything can be really hard. We managed to book in one day that the instruments could lay down the track beds but it wasn't even a full day that everyone could be there and so things were missed. Next time, we'll be booking a long weekend well in advance where we'll have majority of the songs completed with everyone together and on the same page.
COMP IMMEDIATELY
Particularly with our vocal takes, we discovered (much too late into the process) that selecting which comps you're going to use for the final version immediately after a session was the most efficient thing to do. It can be tricky when you've only got a small window of time for a session or if you've gone late into the night and are really tired. But selecting the takes you like best there and then will save so much time later
DEMO, DEMO, DEMO
This was something we were already aware was a good idea, but we didn't have a very good recording setup at home to enact it. Over the course of the EP we've levelled up in home studio recording software and skills so this'll be much easier next time. It means that you'll save so much time and money when you go in for official tracking because you have clear practice tracks that you've already workshopped a bunch. And the engineer will have a much clearer idea of what you're going for.
SPLURGE ON MIXING & MASTERING
Nick Herrera mixed and mastered this EP for us, and while it was a big hit to our originals band bank account, it was absolutely worth it. We all as a band decided that 10 years from now, we were not going to regret having the sonic experience of our music elevated in such an awesome way. We know it can be struggle street as a musician, but even if it means delaying the release until you have enough money, it'll be worth the wait for your audience
HAVE A CREATIVE TEAM OF THE RIGHT PEOPLE
We worked with the talented Cameron Bower on this record. He had a million hats from helping us demo, to recording engineer, to editing tracks, to some mixing aswell as producing. He did these all wonderfully, but next time round we'd like to divide up these roles more to several wonderful people. Having a few people that you trust who have different key roles and different takes on things would have made the decision process easier and faster.
Selective Deafness is out now!