Australian electronic outfit Mansionair are back with their third studio album, Some Kind of Alchemy, out today.
To celebrate the release, Rolling Stone AU/NZ sat down with the Sydney trio to discuss the new record, their first with Sony Music Australia, and the vision for the project.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: You started writing this album immediately after finishing touring Happiness, Guaranteed. Why?
Mansionair: We were feeling really inspired after playing our new album on tour. It felt great to be back out on the road and reconnecting with our audience. We thought, let’s get straight back into a studio in Los Angeles for a few weeks and get started on some ideas, without any pressure to meet a deadline. I think it allowed us to explore and uncover what the next chapter of Mansionair sounded like.
Was there a concern you might get burnt out by not allowing time off between albums?
Burn out is a pretty real feeling and we’ve found when working on an album it’s kind of gonna happen regardless. It’s always on our mind, so we’re constantly trying to find the balance between work and breaks, but fortunately we’ve found some pretty friendly work flows that help us stay productive. Knowing that the breaks are just as important to get perspective on the music was a pretty big game changer for us.
Tell me about signing with Sony ahead of this album and how did it allow or inspire you to return to your electro roots?
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We actually spent most of the writing period of this album away from the label/industry. I think it allowed us capacity to just focus on the music and not sweat the release part. By the time we met Sony we had already realised so much of the record and I think it helped showcase what the record was and set a clear path and vision we had for the album
How does Some Kind of Alchemy compare to your previous albums? What sets it apart?
This is the first album where we’ve had a fair amount of self-awareness around who we are as humans and how we work together as musicians; the good bits and the frustrating parts. There was much more of an ‘experiment’ mindset on this album and we set a bunch of limitations for ourselves to take away having to make too many decisions. Operating within those limitations really helped us stay on track with what’s important.
Can you define what this era of Mansionair is?
Feels like a return and a rebirth at the same time. This album was about stripping everything back to what made us fall in love with music in the first place. We became genuine fans of our own band again. It’s less about chasing something and more about surrendering and appreciating where we are.
Following this tour, can we finally expect you guys to take a break or are you jumping straight into the next project?
Making music is always going to be a part of our lives. We’re at a place right now where we’re so focused on touring and showcasing this album that its so hard to predict what’s next. If it makes sense to get straight back into writing then that’s definitely where we will be.
Some Kind of Alchemy is out now. Mansionair’s headline tour of Australia continues in Sydney and Adelaide next week. Click here for more details.
