After spending their first couple of years refining their sound and learning their craft better, Gold Coast rock outfit Chavez Cartel are finally starting to bear the fruits of that labour, having also managed to conquer the UK and USA in recent years.
With a classic rock sound embedded with elements of grunge, Chavez Cartel found pieces falling into place earlier this year with an appearance at Big Sound 24 introducing the band to a wider range of possibilities and contacts than ever before.
Harnessing this renewed vigour, the band headed for the studio to begin the next phase of their musical journey, with the result being new single All I Know, which showcases the evolving sonic world in which Chavez Cartel find themselves gravitating toward.
HEAVY caught up with frontman Ben Simpson to get more details.
"It's a little bit 90s sounding - like a lot of our stuff is, I think," he explained of All I Know. "It's got some 90s elements in there. It sounds like a dirty Oasis track to me, if I strip it back. A punky, dirtier Brit-Pop song. The song itself is about grinding, day-to-day life. Stuck in traffic. Back and forth from work, feeling like you're wasting away. It's a bit of a miserable approach to working class life, but it's got a bit of life in it, so it's not a miserable song. It just touches on the misery of some days."
In the full interview, we discussed All I Know in greater detail and its potential inclusion in their upcoming album. Ben described the song as a bit of a miserable approach to working-class life, but with a bit of life in it. We also discussed the concept of the film clip that reflects this theme.
We spoke about the band's transition from releasing smaller EPs to an album. Ben expressed his dissatisfaction with EPs, stating that they are not as valued as albums. He mentioned that the band is now ready to release a full album, having accumulated a body of work. Ben also shared that they have learned more about production, including vocal layering and counter melodies, which will be incorporated into their new album. The conversation also touched on the changing attention spans of people due to social media and the internet, with Ben expressing his preference for longer, more immersive music experiences.
Ben touched on the band's continued musical growth and clarified that the changes were natural and not a deliberate strategy to veer off into different genres. He explained that the band started as purely grunge, but over time, they added elements from punk and Britpop, while maintaining their grungy sound. Ben confirmed that the singles they released were a good representation of their current and future sound.
We also spoke about upcoming shows and plenty more.