Storm The Sky

While the Melbourne unit are a man down after the departure of Daniel Breen, their sophisticated style is stronger than ever. Vocalist William Jarratt has stepped into the spotlight and is preparing to share songs that are soaked in authenticity with fans across the country. We caught up with him to chat about the release, their upcoming tour and onstage fashion mishaps.

Where did the album title Sin Will Find You come from?

I started writing extremely honest songs for the first time – almost like diary entries from my life about growing up in Melbourne, the drug culture and a lot of the things that go on around here that the general public would view as sin. No matter how hard you try to be a good person, you’re always going to fuck up, and there’s almost a beauty in that. That’s kind of life in itself, and you’d have to live in a bubble not to do that. The general vibe is not to celebrate sin, but just to not be scared of it.

What do you convey to your listeners throughout the record?

There’s a song at the end of the record called ‘Burning’. It explains how my dad basically saved my life by just saying a few words when I was in a shit way in high school.

Did it take you long to become comfortable writing about your personal experiences?

For ‘Burning’, there are only five lines in the whole song that I could get out and it took me seven or eight years to say anything at all. Then there are other songs that just [took] five minutes. One night I wrote two songs in the bathroom of my ex-girlfriend’s house in ten minutes. I don’t ever sit down and try to write because I feel it’s situational and comes to you when you least expect it.

How has the departure of Daniel Breen changed your role in the band and the band as a whole?

It was more not having to think about two people’s point of views when writing: I could just sit down and be 100 per cent me, which was freeing. I think the biggest change is the onstage dynamics. It also took a while for us to come into our own and for me to take over a whole stage alone.

You’re headed out on tour with Pierce The Veil, Silverstein and Beartooth – how does it feel to be a part of such an epic lineup?

We’re just stoked and really humbled. We are really excited to learn a lot – we are the type of band that try to progress in being able to play as well as we can and I think going on tour with these big bands really gives us the opportunity to watch and learn from people who have been doing it for years.

What do you like to wear onstage?

I’m quite out there and I work in fashion as well so I think you need to have something that really defines you and stands out. With this tour I’m actually working with a designer friend of mine and she’s helping me design a few custom pieces. I like to have one-offs that you can’t really buy; I think that’s really cool to have in a live setting so that if people wanted to wear it they couldn’t unless I gave it to them [laughs]. I wear Converse quite a bit. I’ve got these off-white, canary yellow high-tops… I like to wear shoes that can cop a bit of a beating.

Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction during a show?

I had these jeans, they were actually a girl’s – she left them at my house when we stopped seeing each other. They were these really nice skinny jeans. One day they just kind of ripped right down the middle and I didn’t notice. I kind of squatted to sing to the front row and this poor girl who was probably about 12 years old looked like she’d seen a ghost. It was just underwear [laughs].

Who is the most fashionable member of the band?

Andy [Szetho]’s got this really cool vibe going on, kind of vintage baggy pants and a band T-shirt. Alex [Trail] is probably the most stylish though. He’s actually just started his own clothing brand with his girlfriend Candice Vitali called Toka Mi. He knows everything there is to know. He’d kill me if I didn’t pick him so I kind of have to [laughs].

If you were to give an emerging band any tips or tricks, what would they be?

The main thing would be don’t cut corners monetarily and take your time. If you’re writing a debut album or EP and you haven’t established your band, take a year [or] a year and a half because you have no time limit.

Andy, Alex, Benny, Lachie and Will wear the Converse Chuck Taylor II Canvas. Part of the Counter Climate collection, the Chuck II Canvas are water-repellent for rainy days, breathe in summer and have a micro-suede lining to keep your toes warm in winter. Shop the full collection at converse.com.au

[Storm The Sky photo by Kane Hibberd]

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