“Trying to make a little conversation with the demons in my mind”
Music is often measured by how popular it is and how well it charts. For Sydney quintet Castlecomer, the point of the band was for five friends to play shows and travel the country. For years that’s exactly what they did: managing themselves, playing in houses and backyards before building up to booking their own shows in venues that gradually grew bigger and bigger. Most importantly, they were having fun. As what tends to happen as bands get bigger, they signed to a label.
It didn’t last. New single “Fire Alarm” was written the night the band parted ways with their label: “a few of our parents got sick so we stopped touring for a while. Everything quickly got confusing and started to feel weird… the five of us sat around exhausted and scared, feeling guilty that all our problems paled in comparison to those around us, however not wanting this band that we’d worked so hard for to end. That night Bede had a dream and the next morning we had Fire Alarm. He played it to us, we all picked up our instruments and started to play and it felt new and different and fun. We booked studio time the next week with JP Fung who we knew could produce the track how we wanted it, and he absolutely nailed the intention and the sentiment.”
We’re glad they’ve turned this corner and worked through a difficult period to continue with a project that brings so much joy. Real music is a two way street. It works best when the artist enjoys writing and playing to fans that share in the pleasure. All you have to do is listen to their Lone Survivor EP and you get a sense of the fun the band were having. Tracks like “Rosie” and “Danny’s Den” drip with an unbridled and infectious jubilation. “Fire Alarm” isn’t as boundless. You can sense the tests they’ve been through in the grit and attitude that is punched onto every note: “[the song] can be anything to anyone, but for us it’s a war cry for anyone who has experienced love, death, failure or success.” Castlecomer are back and ready to fight!