That’s true, but they’ve been hard at it, working on ‘Book Of Lies’, the follow-up to their self-titled debut album of 2005 and encountering quite the journey inside that very process.
End of Fashion’s debut rocketed them into prominence on the Australian music scene. Singles ‘O Yeah’ and ‘The Game’ embedded the band in the charts and in the hearts of fans across the country, with ‘O Yeah’ winning two ARIAs and a nomination for the prestigious APRA ‘Song Of The Year’ Award. Over the next two years, the band toured Australia and overseas doing what they do best – performing live.
By early 2007, it was time for the band to wind down and put serious thought into their follow up record. Events in singer/guitarist Justin Burford’s personal life lead to the songwriter heading to New York for a few months; to get lost in a big city and to some degree, stumble upon inspiration.
“I had been through quite an emotional upheaval, which was fueling my compulsion to write as much as it was fueling my insecurities. I had to fight the temptation to wither away on my couch watching ‘Back to the Future’ over and over,” laughs Justin. “It was a strange time.”
Fortunately the desire to express these conflicted emotions resulted in the kind of soul-searching that lyricists come to thrive upon and work began in earnest once he got home. Justin says if there is a difference between the first End Of Fashion album and the new one, it’s that “hopefully I’ve grown up a bit, I’ve experienced more. I’m a bit more cynical. A bit more aware that not everything is good – but that doesn’t mean life isn’t good.”
In the process of gaining this fresh perspective on their new material, the band invited some outside voices in. By late 2007, Justin was working on vocal arrangements with fellow Perth musician Andy Lawson, of acclaimed WA outfit The Avenues and a respected producer/arranger in his own right.
As Justin turned out fresh song ideas and explored writing on different instruments more extensively, guitarist Rodney Aravena and bassist Tom King worked on the song arrangements. “The process of making this record was really positive,” says Rodney. “It drew us together as a unit.” Original End Of Fashion drummer Mike Hobbs also leant his talents to the recording (drummer at the time Nick Jonsson left to pursue his own projects). “Hobbs is the walking End Of Fashion encyclopedia”, laughs Aravena. “Our biggest fan”, adds Justin.
