Cinematic alt-folk collective These Idle Hands have recently resurfaced onto the musical landscape with the much-anticipated release of their stunning new long player, ‘Meraki’.
Their previous album, 2020’s ‘Petrichor’ (an evocative reference to the sweet, earthy scent that hangs in the air following a period of rain), established their presence as one of this country’s finest purveyors of darkly rustic, Americana-influenced sounds. And in keeping with the blueprint of choosing intriguing album titles, ‘Meraki’ translates to “doing something with soul, creativity or love, leaving a piece of yourself into what you are doing.”
The album resplendently replicates the vibes of its moniker, the ever-swelling collective’s core sound lovingly embellished with tasteful lashes of violin, banjo, harmonica, piano and gorgeous female harmonising. Be sure to check out our recent review of the album.
We managed to catch up with the bands front man and creative lynchpin, Murray Webber, who enlightened us (amongst other things) on the genesis of ‘Meraki’, as well as the dynamic and logistical aspects associated with being part of a large collective of talented musicians.
Congratulations on the new album, ‘Meraki’. Can you put us in the picture on how it came together over the past 18 or so months?
Thank you. We pretty much kept jamming through the back half of 2020 after ‘Petrichor’ came out and it was in this period that most of the songs, at least the ones I’ve contributed, were born.
Josh’s (guitarist & co song-writer/vocalist Josh Morris) songs came through mostly during 2021 if I remember correctly. I recall that I’d just been through a relationship breakdown and I guess the cycle of emotions that goes with such a thing became a structure of sorts, to pin this particular music and lyrics to.
Strangely enough, I found myself grateful for all the heartache, as it was this headspace that enabled me to produce these tunes. I’m incredibly thankful for Josh’s songs on ‘Meraki’, as they’re so hopeful and warm. They give the album some balance.
How does the song writing dynamic of the band tend to operate? Who brings what to the table and do you come to the table with fully fleshed ideas or is it more of a case of jamming together in a room to develop ideas?
I can’t speak for Josh, but I generally record the guitar or piano first, straight into my iPad, then I’ll drive around in the car with them and see what lyrics / sounds come through. Other times, it’s just working with ideas recorded on the lounge, into my phone, mostly on acoustic guitar. We then take these ideas and present them to the band, either at rehearsals or through file sharing.
Is there any new (or new to you) music floating your boat lately?
Always - I’m a massive fan of music! I’ve been loving the self-titled album by Springtime, which is made up of Gareth Liddiard, Jim White and Chris Abraham. I love Alan Powers’ new album, also, Cash Savage, Pony Face and Mess Esque all have great new releases.
You are quite a large collective of musicians. Are there challenges involved in making an eight-piece line up work (logistically and from a creative input perspective) or do things come together for all quite seamlessly?
Logistically, having an eight-piece band definitely has its challenges. We try and lock in a rehearsal every week. Mostly, any combination of 4 - 5 of the 8 members are able to show up, which can be interesting, because you end up with a different sound palette to play with each week. It can also be difficult scheduling recording time slots. Thing rarely go to schedule.
But it’s definitely worthwhile having a large band, when we all get together to play some real magic can happen, a feeling I think most musicians will relate to. When everything is sitting in the pocket. And, that, I guess, is why I do it, for those special moments when we create something together that’s beautiful or at least interesting.
With everything starting to open up again and live music making a welcome larger scale reappearance do you have plans to gig more regularly again in 2022?
We are all rehearsed up and definitely keen to gig! It’s been stop-start since the band formed. We were feeling a bit of momentum on this front, prior to Omicron jamming another fat stick in the spokes of live entertainment. We’ve got a couple of shows on the horizon – Holler (A Celebration Of Americana Music) at HOTA on May 27 is one to pencil in.
These Idle Hands splendid new album, ‘Meraki’, is out now. And be sure to catch them as part of the upcoming Holler (A Celebration Of Americana Music) at HOTA on 27 May 27 together with Hayley Martsen, Kyle Jenkins and Lily Grace. You can read our full ‘Meraki’ album review here, and take a listen below:
