You’re about to release your first single, Shiver and Shake. Can you tell us a bit about the recording process behind the tune?
We are having a lot of fun in the studio. The whole thing has been really natural, low-key and enjoyable. After running into producer John Castle (Bamboos, Washington) at the pub and deciding that we should work together, we went over to his studio and messed around for an afternoon with some songs and some sounds. The first song we recorded was Shiver & Shake. We thought we were making a demo, and as it happens it’s our first single! We really love how it’s turned out.
Any plans for a full-length album?
Yes! We will be releasing our debut album “Dear Departure” in March 2012.
You are known for your haunting storytelling; from where do you draw your inspiration?
Shiver & Shake is based on a Grimm’s fairy tale about a boy who went out into the world to learn what fear is. Like a lot of Grimm’s fairy tales, there doesn’t seem to be any moral to the story; a whole lot of strange things happen, people die, the hero gets the girl…The End. We really love some of the language and imagery in this story. The main character is an archetypical fool, so we decided to set the song in the happy-go-lucky tropical key of ‘D6’. As songwriters, we often look to stories and themes with a dark undercurrent, and find new ways to tell them.
What else has been happening lately in the Sweet Jean camp?
Things have been pretty busy lately, and in-between making an album, playing a couple of festivals, and moving house, we’ve just finished a video clip for Shiver & Shake. We shot it at this amazingly strange place in Anachie, and the clip is “Svankmajer” meets “Funniest Home Videos”. We’re not sure if it’s “high-lowbrow”, or “low-highbrow”. Either way, it was a lot of fun to make and it’s coming together really well.
When and where is the single launch?
Sunday December 4 at The Toff in Town, with the Heel Toe Express kicking things off, and DJ Lance Ferguson (Bamboos) closing the show with a 60’s exotica DJ set.
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We strongly urge you to get down to the Toff on Sunday.
If you can’t make it, buy the single Shiver and Shake and join them on facebook!
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