Salarymen tell us about their new EP
Sydney-based indie band Salarymen have today returned with their sophomore EP, Head In The Sand. We had a chat with them:
Hi Renee and Thom, how’s things?
Pretty swell, the sun is shining which is very rare right now (so it must be a good omen).
You’ve got a new EP, Head in the Sand, dropping soon. What does the title refer to?
Renee: For the last few years it’s felt a bit like the world has been falling apart around us. We’ve found comfort in writing songs and keeping busy as a band to help distract us and alleviate the anxiety of the current global situation, so we thought ‘Head in the Sand’ was an appropriate title.
And what can you tell us about the songs on the EP?
Thom: It’s an eclectic mix of songs with varying influences so you definitely won’t be bored. You’ve got the opening track, which is an upbeat, fun song about waiting for summer to begin. On the other hand you’ve got ‘Toe to Toe’, which is about the complexities of a friend being trapped in an abusive relationship. We cover a lot of emotional territory over the five songs so strap yourself in!
How do you feel with the EP set to be unleashed into the universe? Nervous? Excited?
Renee: Both! We pour so much energy and time into our music so we are nervous that no one will hear it with all of today’s modern distractions. On the contrary, we are very excited to finally have another body of work out. We’ve been playing these tracks live for a little while now and the response has been great so it will be nice for our fans (and potential fans) to connect with the recorded versions too.
You’re heading to Japan on tour next month. What do you enjoy most about touring overseas?
Thom: Touring overseas is literally our dream and Japan is one of our favourite places of all time, so to say we’re excited is an understatement. Japanese audiences are generally super attentive and lovely so we can’t wait to get over there. We’re currently learning a cover of a Japanese song from a Studio Ghibli movie so it will be very interesting to see their reaction.
We’re also very keen to check out the local music scene, it’s always nice to get another perspective!
Finally and perhaps most importantly the food! Ramen, gyoza, okonomiyaki; We’re going to consume enough to feed a small army.
And what do you most miss about home while you are away?
Thom: Easy, our red cattle dog named Chili and our cockatiel called Ringo.
And then a tour of the East Coast is coming in 2023. What can fans expect from that run of shows?
Renee: It’s our first interstate trip so we can’t wait to meet some new fans and try out some new venues. We’ve been working really hard on our live show so we’ll be giving it our everything. They can expect to hear some mind melting guitarmonies (guitar harmonies), some awesome covers to sing along to and hopefully our t-shirt cannon will be ready to fire merch to the back row. Maybe we’ll try our first ever crowd-surf, who knows?!
What were the past couple of years like for you? What was hardest about being a band during Covid, and did you discover any unexpected upsides to the world coming to standstill?
Thom: They were pretty tough to be honest. We literally played two shows before everything shut down and killed all momentum and buzz, which you never get back as a new band. The only upside to covid has been working from home in our pyjamas and having a sneaky nap without the boss knowing.
What are you going to do now that you’ve finished this interview?
Renee: Practice our Japanese and watch some Kath and Kim re-runs. Sayonara!
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Interview by Bobby Townsend. Photo by Tom Wilkinson.
Listen to the new EP here, and keep up to date with the band on Insta.
