Words by Jade Adam
Gerringong natives The Bungalows released their third album SOMETHING’S GOING ON in May and we haven’t stopped listening since.
With a killer 15 songs, The Bungalows have created something super special for every fan to bounce and jam along too. Grungier bangers and softer ballads combine nicely highlighting the diversity the band brings to the surf-punk genre for local and international fans alike. For a band that’s been around for over a decade, they still have the cutting-edge.
Catching up with G Gannon, the vocalist and guitarist for the band, we discuss their long hiatus and what that meant for the creation of the latest album. If you wanted to see them in all their glory, you can catch them at Yours and Owls down in The Gong on October 5th (info here) and make sure you’re well equipped by listening to SOMETHING’S GOING ON on Spotify and other streaming services.
Congrats on the new album guys, it’s been 8 years since your last release – have you been creating throughout the 8 years or did all the inspiration come more recently?
Thank you. The new album is a bit of a mix of older songs that we’ve written over the years, and also some new songs that we made up recently from just jamming together. It was a pretty long time between albums so we had a few tunes in the stockpile.
What sounds have inspired you in this new album. Do you think it builds upon your earlier work or is it in its own lane?
I think our music is still influenced by the same bands and sounds that we’ve always loved since when we started, bands like the Strokes, the Clash and heaps of others. Our new songs are pretty similar style to our older stuff, maybe just a couple more softer ones in the repertoire now.
What made you guys come back with this album?
We were jamming a bit and playing a few gigs over the last couple years and just decided that we had enough songs to make a new album. We always love the whole recording process so we were keen to get back in the studio and make some new songs.
Having listened to Something’s Going On, it has a lot of cool whistles and bells in the 15 tracks. How was the creative process in the studio?
Usually we practice heaps and have all the songs pretty tight before we head into the studio, so that gives us a bit of time to tinker with different sounds and add other instruments etc. Our mate Oly Marlin who recorded our new album, is pretty handy in the studio, and he helped to add some extra layers and sounds on the songs that needed it.
The whole band is involved in the creative process, so ideas are always flowing. We like to have a bit of a laugh and keep the process joyful. Matt always makes delicious sandwiches for everyone too.
How is it playing the album live since this has been the first release in a long while?
It’s always more exciting for us to play our newer songs, but we like to mix our live shows up with a few new ones, and a few older Bunga classics (laughs)
How was the experience in creating the new music video for ‘Davola’s Funhouse’? Are there any more vids on the horizon?
Making the video was a bit of a laugh. We had fun filming that and I think the lads enjoyed putting makeup on and dressing up. For sure some more vids to come.
During your 8 year ‘release hiatus’ you have played shows in support and also on your own what’s the next thing lined up?
We didn’t record for a few years but we still kept gigging around town and up and down the coast. We supported Sticky Fingers at a couple of their sold out concerts in Sydney, so that was nice.
Are you stoked to be back at Yours & Owls this year? What do you make of the new popularity of the festival?
Yes that should be good. We played there a few years back and had a real fun time so hopefully it’ll be another top weekend.
