Tired Lion Go Behind the Scenes of New Album, ‘Breakfast for Pathetics’

Just two months ago, Perth’s Tired Lion marked the third anniversary of their debut album, Dumb Days. An acclaimed record upon its release, it managed to peak at #21 on the ARIA chart, score triple j’s Feature Album slot, and even help put the group’s name in the minds of countless new fans in the process. Needless to say though, they had no idea what the next few years would hold.

Months after its release, the group announced the departure of founding guitarist Matt Tanner, and while a new song would arrive by way of “With Or Without”, it was unclear when a new record would emerge from the group.

Fast-forward to 2020, and movement in the Tired Lion camp was seen by way of the single “Waterbed”. A few months later, and it was revealed that the group would release their new album in November.

Working again with Violent Soho’s Luke Boerdam as producer, the new record is called Breakfast for Pathetics, and sees Tired Lion’s Sophie Hopes even listing a number of alt-rock icons – such as Archers of Loaf, Urusei Yatsura, Duster, Pixies, and Pavement – as influences of the new album.

To celebrate its upcoming release, Tired Lion have taken Rolling Stone on an exclusive look behind the scenes during the recording of their new album.

Sophie Hopes of Tired Lion playing guitar during the recording of Breakfast for Pathetics. (Photo: Supplied)

“I don’t know what we were thinking, but we had only booked in ten days at The Grove Studios to record the full record from start to finish,” Hopes explains at the start of the video, as shots of the studio, gear, and conversation flash by.

“A massive ask considering everything was single-tracked and wasn’t the classic ‘full band’ live setup either.”

Speaking to Rolling Stone about the recording of the new album, and what the group learnt from the experience of their first record, Hopes explains that a greater sense of preparedness was imperative for the approach to Breakfast for Pathetics.

“If you have a clear vision for something, you need to work tirelessly prior to heading into the studio,” Hopes advises. “Work out all your parts, experiment, change keys, try new versions before you get in there.

“You’re always so limited for time and this will make for a way more pleasant studio experience where you can actually sit back and enjoy yourself and the process rather than being underprepared and stressed out.”

Tired Lion’s Breakfast for Pathetics is released on November 20th via Dew Process/Universal Music, with pre-orders available now.