Sydney trio Sweetie recently released their debut album Dogtooth, an effortlessly edgy record with a punk attitude, great storytelling and a bit of a 90’s grunge sound. You can read more about the album here.
We were keen to find out a little bit more about the release, how the band were feeling and what their favourites were on the record.
Firstly, congrats on the album. How do you feel now it’s out in the world?
It feels great! It was a two year from journey for us, it’s so nice to have it out there after such a long incubation
Can you share some of your musical influences that inspire the kind of music you make?
Sweetie have a pretty broad input of influences, it spans different artforms too. When making this album, we were thinking a lot about the Australian gothic stories, mythologies, female archetypes and the trope of the ‘hero’s quest’. So some influences were – books like Tourmaline and Night Bitch, albums like Murder Ballads by Nick Cave and The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski, films like Lady Snowblood, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Spaghetti Westerns, visual artists like Synchrodogs… and then contemporary bands that we just love and have influenced our sound, like Automatic, Sneaks, Drycleaning and Goat Girl.
And can you give us an insight into the writing or creative process behind the album?
We started by defining a world where the album existed; a kind of liminal space on the outskirts of a regional Australian town like the ones we all grew up in – an eerie suburbia at twilight, right on the edge of the bush. It was a modern supernatural dystopia that then set the mood for the themes we knew we wanted to unpack in the album – the political, environmental and societal pressures of contemporary Australian life, and the unease of our own complicity as white middle-class women within this system.
This is your first album, after releasing two EPs. How did it feel to work on a longer record? And did you do anything differently compared to creating an EP?
All of our EPs to date have been fairly DIY and done as quickly as possible for as little money as possible. We were extremely lucky to receive Sound NSW grant funding for the album, which meant we could take the time in the studio to really craft each song the way we wanted to. It also gave us access to amazing collaborators, such as our wonderful producer Anna Laverty.
What’s the reaction been like to the album? Artists often say their songs take on new meanings once they’re out in the world. Are there any songs on Dogtooth where you’ve experienced this?
It’s always nice to hear which songs resonate with people. It was surprising that a few people (including you!) have singled out Hanging Rock as a fav, which is a bit of a wild card track in the album. We’re mostly known as a ‘rock’ or ‘punk’ band, so it’s nice when the slower, more unusual, narrative-based songs connect.
What’s your favourite track on the album? Or the one you’re most proud of?
I think we probably all have different answers to this, but mine (Lily) is Godzilla. I love that it does a lot with so little, the whole song is 4 chords, barely any melody and a structure that just pushes all the instruments towards one giant climax. I think it’s a song where the story and the sound ended up perfectly aligned – which is harder to achieve than you think! It’s also really fun to play live.
And is there a track you’re surprised ended up on the final version of the album and if so, why?
Ramona was the last song to make it on the album and one we were least confident about in the studio, we just couldn’t make it gel! Anna worked her magic and ended up helping us restructure it on the fly – we ended up swapping all the bits around and creating an anti-chorus.
I guess the next step now is you’re taking the album on tour in November. Which songs are you most looking forward to performing live and what should we expect from the show?
Payrise is such a huge hoot to play live, Rikki singing while smashing the drums is a sight to behold. Expect some chunky overdrive, big hair whips and Lucy breaking at least one guitar string. Expect some awesome local supports and hand made merch on sale. Hope to see you there!
And finally, I always finish every interview by asking for some up and coming artists you’re listening to that you think deserve a bit more love?
GREAT question! We love: My Guardian Angel, Sevilles, Sweet Boy Sonnet, Ponzi Scheme and Perfect Actress.
You can listen to Dogtooth here.
And upcoming tour details are below:
DOGTOOTH ALBUM TOUR
Friday, 30 October – Junk Bar, Brisbane/Meanjin
Sunday 8 November – The Servo, Port Kembla/Dharawal
Saturday 14 November – Thornbury Bowlo, Melbourne/Naarm
Saturday 28 November – Heaps Normal Health Club, Sydney/Gadigal
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