Newcastle’s RAAVE TAPES have become a mainstay in the Australian music scene over the years; known for their passionate, inclusive live shows and a penchant for writing some of the grimiest, catchiest dance-punk tracks around.
After a few line-up shuffles and a complete stylistic overhaul, the band have found themselves deep inside alt-pop/hyper-pop territory - and have put together an album of irresistible dance-floor fillers in the process.
Today they release their self-titled, debut album; 12 songs of pure pop-bliss that range from out and out club-ready ragers (‘k hi’, ‘Goodbye’ ‘Braces’) to perfectly-crafted pop songs (‘I Just Wanna Be Alone’, ‘Wake Up Next To You’), and everything in between. Thematically, the album discusses the different relationship situations we find ourselves in, and how drastically these relationships can change over time.
“The most integral themes of the album revolve around the interpersonal relationships we have with the people around us, to the nearest and dearest, as well as those who’ve become distant and not so dear. It’s a pretty broad and universal overarching theme for sure, but its one that heavily impacted our writing process. At it’s core, we were a few good friends locked in a room with no phone reception for long periods of time, and that encouraged plenty of D&Ms, late night soul-searching & a level of introspection that pushed us in a more earnest & personal direction.” JOAB EASTLEY, RAAVE TAPES
The bands signature sound isn’t completely amiss here; all the hard-edged energy found on earlier releases has transferred into this new sound effortlessly - evident immediately as Joab’s signature hype-filled vocals kick off the record on ‘Braces’, which is brought to a close with an outro that overwhelms all the senses - setting up the album perfectly.
Time and time again bands have tried and failed when looking to update their sound this radically, but on RAAVE TAPES the band feel fully reborn, and a lot of that stems from the incredible work from producer/mixer/best friend Fletcher Matthews (Dear Seattle, Trophy Eyes, The Buoys).
“Fletch works so bloody hard hey. We are so lucky to have him. He has been such an integral part of the RAAVE family for so long now that he has perfected the art of gently taking our hand and leading us in the right direction. He brought so many tools out of his kitbag with this record - different songwriting approaches when we hit a wall, suggestions of writing topics because he knows us both so well, or fresh ways to treat our instruments/production when the tried and true wasn’t cutting the mustard.
All of this while still understanding and respecting the RAAVE TAPES project and grounding our decisions within those blurry, ever-changing boundaries. All of that said, Fletch’s biggest impact was his unwavering quest to make sure the melodies are the best they can be. He pushed us so hard to juice every last drop out of those lead vocal lines especially. While we love playing around with fun sounds and production, these songs simply had to be anchored by strong top lines and we reckon that really comes through in the final product.”
JOAB EASTLEY, RAAVE TAPES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzbsOZ6-VZs&pp=ygULcmFhdmUgdGFwZXM%3D
The album was recorded at the childhood home of bassist/vocalist Lindsay O’Connell on his property in the Hunter Valley. Lindsay’s father Scott has turned their old home into a fully functioning studio with accommodation, which allowed the band to experiment into the early hours without any time or noise constraints.
“We did the bulk of the recording at Lindsay's family home turned recording studio - Durham Studios. It's out in the Hunter Valley bush with 0 noise restrictions, allowing us to fully tap into the late night party energy. Spending time with Scotty & Esther is good for the soul too. They're the best <3”
JOAB EASTLEY, RAAVE TAPES
The four previously released singles from the album (‘Goodbye’, ‘k hi’, ‘I Just Wanna Be Alone’ and 'Braces') have all enjoyed plenty of attention from radio and DSPs alike, with first plays on triple J for ‘Goodbye’,‘k hi’ and 'Braces', Unearthed rotation and RAGE rotation for ‘k hi’, countless spins across community radio DSP support from Apple Music, Tik Tok Music & Spotify.
RAAVE TAPES have worked stages across the country relentlessly over the years, playing shows with the likes of The Presets, Northeast Party House, Slumberjack and many more, as well as festivals such as BIGSOUND, SXSW, Laneway Sydney, Groovin The Moo and Festival Of The Sun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybe7UuAibuw&pp=ygULcmFhdmUgdGFwZXM%3D
The band have already shown they have a strong support base for their live show, and with the release of their self-titled debut, RAAVE TAPES are out to prove they have what it takes to become one of Australia’s most beloved bands.