THE HOLIDAYS
Simon Jones is in a candid mood. As the front man to Sydney indie outfit The Holidays, he is relaxed as he discusses the past two years of productivity and relaxation.
“We have a tendency of either touring nonstop or not touring at all and recording so it’s like pretty extreme one way or the other,” he explains.
“We’re kind of in the mixing stage of the record. It’s been a pretty long process so it’s good to have things finally come into fruition.”
The follow-up to their 2010 debut album Post Paradise has seen a plethora of location changes in its creation, most notably in London, Tokyo and Melbourne.
“The way we make records is a pretty fractured process,” Jones reveals.
“We don’t really get together in a room to play the songs, so now we’re in the process of learning how to play them [together] which is fun. Grueling but fun!”
With the past two years being dedicated to time off and recording, the boys are gearing up for just three shows around the country. It will be a welcome homecoming after international sets at revered festival South By South West in Texas, and The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, UK amongst others.
“The UK was hard,” Jones confesses.
“It’s a small country so there is so much competition. They have the music scene so dialed over there that it’s hard to feel like you’re making an impact because so many bands are playing at the same time.
“If you’re popular in Australia, you live a lot better than if you’re semi-popular in the UK, you get bigger crowds, you get to travel further. Australia has a great music culture and it’s good to be in it.”
Though fans will have to sit tight until early next year for the new album, this tour will ease The Holidays back into the grind and feature their recently realised single Voices Drifting.
“Voices Drifting on its own probably doesn’t make much sense in regards to our last album, but in the context of the new record it ties it all nicely together,” says Jones.
“We wanted to use the song as an introduction to the feel and the tone of what is going to come out.
“We didn’t want to sound like what we had done before, that would be a bit soul-destroying after two years!” (CD)
Sep 19, Goodgod Small Club, 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney, $14 + bf, (02) 8084 0587, moshtix.com.au
