In recent years, the vibrant city of Berlin has consistently topped the polls as the place to be for up-and-coming artists. And while Melbourne’s Husky have no shortage of devoted followers across Australia, frontman Husky Gawenda admits he and his musical collaborator (and cousin) Gideon Preiss were seduced by the German city’s mix of splendour and spunk when they relocated there for the best part of 2015.
“Berlin is the city of nocturnal experiences,” says Gawenda. “It comes to life when the sun goes down. Pretty much anything you’re into, you can find there – and I mean anything.
“I think it’s important to have wild, adventurous, untethered times, to just move through the world and meet people, see places and have experiences, and feel things, both good and bad.”
Almost three years on from the release of Husky’s much-celebrated second LP Ruckers Hill, the APRA Award-winning songwriter seems to be content with life, and happy to be back surrounded by family and lots of new-found friends. “A lot has changed since [Ruckers Hill],” Gawenda says. “I really wanted to get away and just live life, but there was never any intention to stay away from Melbourne permanently.”
Indeed, Gawenda says he was keen to return home, inspired and armed with hundreds of fresh ideas to begin work on their third album Punchbuzz, set for release this week. “For me it was important to come home and find a safe spot with a desk by a window, where there’s a bit more peace and quiet, and to bring all of those experiences and bits and pieces that I wrote together to start to form these songs.”
He proceeded to search out new digs, and stumbled across a sprawling old house he affectionately named ‘the hotel’. “I’m speaking from the hotel now – I’m still living here,” he explains. “When I moved back from overseas at the beginning of 2016, I moved into an old mansion. It’s a share house but also a kind of artists’ collective, a late-night hang, and shelter for artists of all kinds and troublemakers.”
As 2016 wore on, Gawenda and Preiss, along with long-time Husky drummer Arron Light and bassist Jules Pascoe, came to thrive artistically, embracing everything the new living quarters had to offer.
“I wrote the songs surrounded by creative eccentrics throwing parties and devising schemes late into the night,” Gawenda says. “It was an incredible environment to be in – we all enjoyed it, and it was great to have Jules a part of it.
“He came on board just after we recorded Ruckers Hill but he’s been touring with us for a while now and he’s also a very old friend of me and Gideon. We’ve played with him a lot over the years in other bands and projects since high school. He had a big involvement in the demoing and the recording of the songs. He was great to have around – excellent ideas and beautiful playing. He’s definitely an integral part of Husky.”
Punchbuzz comes as a departure from Husky’s signature folk sound. The combination of darker lyrics and dynamic, driving melodies knocks you out on the first listen. “It was a great experience to make this record locally, with a local producer and local musicians, and I think we will always lean towards doing it that way,” Gawenda says.
I wrote the songs surrounded by creative eccentrics throwing parties and devising schemes late into the night.
This time around, Husky chose the lauded producer/mixer Matt Redlich to join them on their burgeoning project. “First and foremost, working with Matt was fun and exciting. Those are two things I think are underrated when it comes to making records or being creative in general.
“For me it’s really important that everyone involved is super excited about what’s happening,” Gawenda adds. “He’s a guy who’s always thinking about the world or the universe and very much into the details. Often [Gideon and I] would arrive at the studio and spend two hours talking about anything and everything. It could be anything from the US election or an asteroid prevention plan,” he laughs. “Or we’d get the space station 24-hour live feed up on the computer and watch that for a while.
“We were all just excited to be working together, and I think that translated across to the music we were making, and ultimately the album. On top of that, [Matt is] an incredible engineer and a very creative producer. He knows how to run a studio and how to get the best out of you, and he’s someone that we will work with throughout the rest of our career.”
Punchbuzz is somewhat of a revelation for the already seasoned musicians that make up Husky. Each song has light and shade, from the unpredictability of the lead single ‘Late Night Store’ to the mood-altering ‘Cut The Air’ and the dizzying heights of ‘Spaces Between Heartbeats’. Husky’s desire to throw caution to the wind moving forward is undeniable.
“In the past we may have limited ourselves. For example, before we would use the same instrumentation with different types of arrangements, whereas this time around we didn’t contain ourselves, and I think that Matt reinforced that attitude … [Punchbuzz is] a bit less introverted than our music in the past, perhaps. It was very enjoyable to make those songs and they’re really fun to play as well, so we can’t wait to bring them to the stage when we hit the road next month.”
Punchbuzz is out Friday June 2 through Liberation. Husky play Oxford Art Factory on Thursday June 29.
