Adelaide band MERE THEORY is highly anticipating the release of their second album, Walking In Storms.  Vicki Grozdanovski had a chat to guitarist Nigel Black about what fans can expect.

When asked the meaning behind the album title, Walking In Storms, Nigel summed it up quite simply. “I was literally walking in the middle of the night, in a storm, as you do. The name comes from the idea that life is a struggle and with that struggle comes a sense of satisfaction.  When you make it through the challenge, whatever it may be, that is the feeling of walking in a storm. That struggle and that satisfaction of overcoming it, that striving force to gain shelter or whatever it is.”“On the cover, there is an image of a sea diver jumping off the jetty.  This is the simple effect that defines the notion of walking in a storm, putting yourself at risk to do something, whatever the result.  This is the situation we were in when making this album.  We were going to do this no matter what; we were all committed and focused.  It’s always hard work but you always get results."

The making of Walking In Storms took about a year to record in the attempt to get the sound as pure and as real as possible.  Due to financial constraints it was recorded over three sessions.  Those involved had to fit in the engineering and mastering whenever they could because the band couldn’t afford the big dollars.

When asked if the band changed things up compared to the first album, Black stated, “This album is much more relaxed because we didn’t have the money pressures. We were recording in our home city and we had a pretty casual bunch of sessions.  We were comfortable and confident working really hard on the songs, trialling different things which haven’t been done before.”

When creating music, the band has a collaborative approach.  “As the main song writer, I would generally build the song and the other band members will come in, redefine and interpret the music,” says Black.  “Chris would then come in, fill in the blanks and basically complete the canvas. The guys would give me themes and instructions on what they want to achieve and I would then present it to them. It’s really easy to work that way.”

The band approached things a little different this time round. “We weren’t out to write pop songs as such. We wanted to let the music write itself and had an intuitive approach.  If the vocals sounded too sweet and perfect, we didn’t like it.  It’s the real, emotion and desperation that has a lot more impact in the delivery.”

Describing the album, Black mentions that there is a lot of story telling amongst the songs. “There is a little bit of heartbreak. You can’t escape that but generally, the songs are about struggle and doing the right things for yourself and for your people.  The songs are very poetic”.

When asked what the fans can expect, Black says, “They will be able to relate to everything else they have heard from us.  This album is a step up, a progression and more refined. It’s a more mature recording and not rushed. A lot more experimentation has been put into it and the fans will still be able to connect with the previous recordings done and the live stuff we do.”

Having a few favourite tracks off the album, Nigel was unable to pick just one.    “There are a few thundering ones as well as a few poppy and catchy tracks that people will enjoy for that reason.  A couple of darker and serious songs are thrown in as well, keeping that edge to it. Personally I enjoy this album, it’s quite enjoyable to listen to.”

Walking In Storms is due to be released on the 9^th of September. “ We are very excited about the release and happy to put the album in our fans hands.  Hopefully everyone will enjoy it.  It’s an exciting time for us, especially after working so hard.” says Black.

MERE THEORY will be kicking off their tour in Adelaide on the 24^th of September with their good friends TRIAL KENNEDY.  Black hopes the band gets to Sydney in October or November of this year.

Other news the band is extremely excited about is the possibility of touring in Japan and New Zealand in 2012 however for the minute, is completely focused on writing and touring.  “These are the immediate things that are exiting for us.  There are so many wow factors and I prefer to sum it up as one big moment.  We have been lucky enough to interact with all incredible bands and musicians.”

To sum things up, Black encourages the fans to check out the new album.  “I hope you enjoy it.  Give us some feedback; we would be glad to hear it!”

Mere Theory

http://meretheory.bandcamp.com/