Sydney-based four-piece Array have quickly built a reputation as one of the best live bands to see in the city. Known for their eclectic sonic mix of ’90s English rock, modern American alternative and technical chops, the boys have added even more spice to their musical stew with their latest single, “The Dark Side of Summer”.
A huge departure from their usual sound, “The Dark Side of Summer” features a unique blend of live instrumentation, aggressive EDM synths, and haunting guest vocals from Sydney singer-songwriter SHIRIN.
Its music video is accordingly enigmatic, featuring spooky visuals of frontman Stanley Doyle. We got the chance to speak with Doyle about this momentous new track, and what it means for the future direction of the band.
Best Before: 2020’s seen the release of two singles from you guys – “Memories” and now “The Dark Side of Summer”. Both tracks are wildly different to your previous releases. What has inspired this change of direction?
Stanley Doyle: I think it was when we began to reflect on our first EP ‘Save Face’. It didn’t take off quite like we had hoped, and so I personally — and, I’m sure, the other guys — spent a lot of time thinking about why that was, and what we should try to do differently next time round. Around the same time I started working on the demo for “Memories”, and it clearly had a different sound and vibe to the tracks off ‘Save Face’. It was more vibrant and colourful, and to my ear it had better hooks than anything we’d done before, whereas ‘Save Face’ consisted mostly of darker, moodier UK alt-rock.
“You also have to balance the concern of getting the track sounding how you want it to sound, versus how you think millions of Spotify users would want it to sound.”
“DSOS” features guest vocals from SHIRIN, who listeners might recognise from your live performances. This is the first time you’ve recorded a track with her – what does she bring to the performance?
I met SHIRIN about two or three years ago. Weirdly enough, our dads were working together at the time, and had somehow ended up discussing their kids’ musical endeavours. Turns out she was looking for a guitarist, so she sent me a few of her demos and I replied straight away, because they were f**king amazing! So I’d been playing with her as part of her live band for ages, and she’s supported Array a few times at various different venues.
In the middle of the demo stage of “DSOS”, I had been recording my own vocals doubled at different octaves, but some of the melodies sounded a little weak in my falsetto upper register, and I figured that a quality female vocalist like SHIRIN would have no trouble doing a better job in that tricky range. On top of that, some of the lyrics I’d written lent themselves to a male-female vocal combo, for example, “My girl flies above me.”
The fact that our voices ended up blending so well together was a complete bonus, as we’d never tried singing together on any previous tracks. She also has a solo vocal part on another of our new tracks, and I can assure you she sounds as good on that song as she does on “DSOS”. SHIRIN is exceptionally talented, both as a vocalist and as a songwriter and producer, so I think future collaboration is inevitable!
“DSOS” leans in a very strong EDM direction. Are we likely to see more of this kind of sound from you boys?
“DSOS” actually started off as a bridge section in another song I was working on, and it sounded so good that I just kept making this bridge longer and longer until it demanded to become its own separate track.
I’d always been inspired by electronic acts such as The Presets, Daft Punk, and RÜFÜS DU SOL, and listening to the track again now these influences definitely reside in “DSOS”. I’m particularly interested in the concept of making electronic music with acoustic instruments, for example, the acoustic guitar part and acoustic drum samples. For us, “DSOS” is the first iteration of that. Given the reaction we’ve been receiving on this track so far (it’s hit #10 in the charts), this style is absolutely something that we’ll be pursuing in future Array tracks. Especially given the fact I bought a $4000 Moog synthesiser this morning — eek!
“DSOS” marks the first time you’ve solely produced a track for the band. How does it feel bringing production in house?
Yes, it was the first time I’d done the final production on any Array track. And it was really hard. There are so many things to think about, so many tiny little concerns or issues that kept me up at night. It was above all a mental test, because it’s so easy to second guess yourself on any decision you take with production.
I spent a solid two to three months on post-production for the new EP, which with the benefit of hindsight was probably way too long. I changed my mind on basically every aspect of every track at least once, and spent heaps of days going round in circles wondering what sounded best.
You also have to balance the concern of getting the track sounding how you want it to sound, versus how you think millions of Spotify users would want it to sound. Other than that, getting it finished and sounding polished was a great feeling, and I’m really glad that everyone seems to be enjoying the track so much so far.
You recently expanded with two new additions to the group. Now that there’s four of you on stage, will your live shows be even more raucous?
That would be to imply they can even get any more raucous! Thom [Henderson] and Joel [Kelett] have been great additions to the band, both excellent musos technically but, most importantly, really high quality lads. We were sad to see our old drummer, Gally, go but these guys have really softened the blow, and we’re sounding better than ever!
Thom might look cute and cuddly, but he’s an absolute beast of a drummer and has started to contribute drum parts to some new music we’re working on. Joely is an animal! Blessed with absurd musical talent (guitar, bass, drums, keys, vocals — WTF?!), he leaves nothing on the stage or on the Lansdowne strip pole. Pepp [James Peppercorn/bassist] and I count ourselves fortunate to have found these boys so quickly. They’re helping to propel us to the next level.
What can we expect next from Array?
There may be more music on the way. The only problem is that bastard COVID, because we need to plan our releases around gigs. But stay posted — we have a lot of music coming out soon!
Watch the video for “The Dark Side of Summer” here: