In this track-by-track guide to Violent Soho’s eponymous second album, singer LUKE BOERDAM talks about lyrical inspiration, working with Gil Norton and recording feedback “in key” – he even takes some time to respond to recent criticism leveled at the band.

In June 2009 we went to Wales to record our self-titled record, which is a mixture of songs from our Australian release We Don't Belong Here and new material. The idea was to record a debut album for the US and UK, and give Australia seven new songs, while admittedly leaving the already heard tracks on the album. When recording this album I just kept in mind what Dean Turner once told me: "Fuck everyone else, write what you want to write.” He told me, “It’s better to release something and let it go rather than muck around with indecision.” Considering what we have done in the last few months I think he was right.

We aren't forming a grunge revival, we never said we were. We're playing music that’s inspired by a period when it was sincere and honest. Some people don't get that though - I guess they can go party with lame MacBook looping electro-pop hipsters and live under the illusion they are creating high art. Personally I'd rather go watch Dick Nasty or The Stabs.

These are notes about recording with Gil and the songs.

‘Here Be Dragons’

‘Here Be Dragons’ is named after a piece of graffiti outside a rehearsal room in Melbourne we used once or twice when we working with Dean Turner for We Don't belong Here. This song was just so heavy it became the perfect album opener. When writing the lyrics in the studio I just remember thinking of kids becoming animals burning down their parents house in some sort of tribal ritual – similar to Lord of The Flies but more dark, more evil. I wanted it to allude to the concept of “original sin”: born evil until educated to behave.

I remember watching a TV show on MTV about millionaire kids that are turning 16 [My Super Sweet 16] and throwing a party. Their parents follow them around and listen to every command while they plan their celebration for moving into adulthood. This one particular kid wanted to have sheep walking throughout his party for "no reason". The party planner said, “You can't do that, they will stink out the party.” His reply was: “Spray them with perfume!” It seemed he had taken to acting like a modern-day Marie Antoinette. “Spray the sheep with perfume” became the beginning of the second verse. I became attracted to the idea of posing these kids as high society, as if the kids are burning their houses down as a novelty.

‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’

This song is literally about what the title says - I was in a relationship and we broke up over religious differences.

It’s interesting watching how America is digesting the song. Someone sent me a link to a Christian blog based in Texas. They wrote an article titled: “Jesus Stole My Girlfriend - Theme song for those rejected by the Almighty.” The writer was convincing his readers about the dangers of using God as an excuse to break up a relationship. Oh yes indeed.

‘Son of Sam’

Based on the infamous New York serial killer "Son Of Sam" [aka David Berkowitz]. It’s basically a dark love song using his story as a base for imagery. Others have obviously used the character in songs before such as Elliott Smith. The idea to use it for a love song came from the fact he would usually hunt couples while they were making out in their car in a park. The mix of love and tragedy encapsulated in a moment seemed to match the drowning, malicious and raw aesthetic the song carries. I wanted it to sound evil.

We kept telling Gil we wanted to layer as many guitars as possible, but he stopped us at around eight I think. I added a lead line in the beginning of the song and slide guitar with delay in the bridge, which was something I always wanted to do on We Don't Belong Here. [Drummer Michael] Richards also made better use of the drums in the bridge, which made the bass drive better. I think this song benefitted most from having time in a studio with Gil and an engineer. We could actually map out the parts and make the song more dynamic, considering the basis for the track is one big wall of distortion it worked out exactly how we like.

I don't think Rich Costey was too impressed when mixing it though. When he loaded the track up the whole EQ just went up full, it was all red. He just turned around and said, “What the fuck am I meant to do with this? It’s a wall of shit.” I just laughed at him. Gil pretty much made his job impossible with this song. I don't think it was ever meant to be mixed properly at all. Somehow Rich got through it though.

‘My Generation’

This is one of the oldest songs on the album. It’s about disillusioned, desensitised youth - bored and apathetic. It was how I felt when I was younger, everyone thinking the same thing but no one saying anything about it. In all honesty we were a bit tired of this song in the studio, it was the fifth time recording it. However, like ‘Bombs Over Broadway’ it was a must for us for being on the album. The main focus for Gil on the older tracks was to try and sustain the energy we had from earlier demos. At one point we had everyone who worked at the studio, including the owner, in the live room at the same time to record backup screaming and vocals.

“Even with the million dollar studio, what makes it a good song is four chords, a strong lead line and vocals that aren't over thought.”

‘Muscle Junkie’

‘Muscle Junkie’ is about "jocks, prefects" – whatever you want to call them. Those people in life that seem to have the lucky scenario. It questions the obsession we have with them. I like to think of it as that art project every 14-year-old girl does when they go to high school art class; the one where they get a mirror and line it with notes and fake blood, suggesting they are tormented by the way society casts the female subject. This song is not about "that artwork", its about the stupidity of the 14-year-old girl. I got the title from a Woman's Weekly magazine.

When recording this we attacked it like the original. Strong guitars that stay on the beat but drop loose between parts. It was a balance of layering loose Big Muff guitars with tight and snappy guitars. I remember it took three hours to get the feedback "in key" for the bridge, which was a bizarre experiment. I still don't know how we did it but we were against using an EBow. Joe [Hirst], the engineer, was convinced we could record it straight from feedback. I went into the live room and turned the Marshall up 100 percent and started work. Even with ear plugs my head was still ringing afterwards, but it did work. In the end and we got five to seven notes moving up the scale straight from feedback in synchronisation with the track. We kept the room mics on and it dropped in perfectly and gave enough depth to make the middle eight "useful" in Gil's words. In the end, however, it shows that even with the million dollar studio, what makes it a good song is four chords, a strong lead line and vocals that aren't over thought.

‘Outsider’

This was written around the same time as ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’. The approach for the song in the studio was about recording a better version. Same arrangement, but Gil really wanted to focus on vocals and adding strings and experimenting with getting the perfect mood for the song. In the context of the album this song had to be the opposite of everything else - subtle, quiet, modest and withdrawn.

For strings, Gil phoned in Audrey Riley. When I recorded this song with Dean (The version on We Don't belong Here), there wasn't a cellist around, so we went for using a bow and an electric with delay, the effect sounded incredible, and was credit to Dean's ability. In Wales I was really convinced this was the approach to use again. However, Audrey's strings built the song from beginning to end, and this was something I really felt connected well with the lyrics – so I couldn't deny what they did for the song.

‘Slippery Tongue’

Another song about a girl I dated (I didn't like kissing her). This song was about simplicity and letting the chords and vocals do all the work. The lead line was simply using a slide and delay. I remember thinking this song was all about keeping everything slow – we wanted everything to sound like it was just chasing the beat. We experimented with adding more layers and sounds but it just seemed to distracting. Sometimes it’s better to just write a straightforward rock track then convolute it with shit, I guess.

‘Bombs Over Broadway’

I remember when I wrote this song I just wanted to put the word "fuck" in there to annoy my parents. It’s a song about trendy bands we really didn't get along with when we started playing - a political take on our local scene a few years ago. Like ‘Generation’ I guess the lyrics are quite immature. But we've always liked the energy the song carries.

‘Love Is A Heavy Word’

This song is about shallow people that suck. This song makes one of the biggest jumps from We Don't Belong Here in that it has a whole added "middle eight" as the Brits call it. Gil really showed what he was capable of pulling from the band, and that’s what makes him a great producer - the ability to provide direction and not just demand perfection.

We stripped the song back like every other and he let the band naturally build a new bridge from drums upwards. Over the time of pre-production we would keep layering and building the bridge so it would slowly climb. Not once did he grab a guitar, he just sat there and watched us come up with ideas and gave direction. On the first day we said to him out of nervousness, "Just warning you, we're not the tightest band.” He just laughed and said, “I know you’re not tight, but that’s what I love about this.”

‘Narrow-ways’

This song was by far the longest and hardest to record. We were definitely doing something we had never done before: record a mid-tempo song that had a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, with vocals actually sung, not yelled. It took three days just to lay down the guitars. Gil was a tuning Nazi. At one point he didn't even trust the studio tuners, nor me, so he would walk in the room in-between takes and tune my guitar for me - he was obsessed with tuning. In the end we wanted to work on a track with a different dynamic, and we had to make more decisions in the studio than with other songs because it was new territory. But we're happy with the result, and its possibly a direction we will approach in the future.

Violent Soho is out April 30 through Liberation/Universal.

+

HOMECOMING TOUR

Thursday, July 22
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC

Friday, July 23
Annandale Hotel, Sydney, NSW

Saturday, July 24
The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD