Avarice In Audio interview on dark beats, creative risks and blowing genre lines apart!
Avarice In Audio
Australian dark electro duo Avarice In Audio, composed of Gerry Hawkins and Lawrie B (Strudio-X), have made a striking return with their latest album, “Tear Heaven In Half”. This ambitious release traverses a spectrum of genres showcasing the band’s commitment to musical exploration. In this interview, Gerry Hawkins delves into the organic evolution of the album, the creative process behind blending diverse styles, and the collaborative efforts that enriched their sound.
The album is available from Bandcamp.
S-L: Your latest album, “Tear Heaven In Half”, is described as your boldest and most unpredictable work yet. What drove you to take this daring approach, and how does it differ from your previous releases like “Our Idols Are Filth”?
G. It was a very organic process honestly. We never “stop” writing music, and we tend to experiment a lot. Not every song does get released. We do try to make releases cohesive, but this time it was much harder. Instead it ended up being two halves, with the first half being heavier and the second being softer/more futurepop inspired.
S-L: With 17 tracks spanning genres from Drum N’ Bass to techno and hard rock, “Tear Heaven In Half” feels like a journey through multiple musical worlds. Can you tell us about your creative process and how you managed to blend such diverse styles into a cohesive album?
G. We just write what we feel like what doing at the time. Since the behind the scenes stuff can be time consuming, we ended up adding a few more songs than expected. As a sort of “sorry for the wait”. But since buying music these days is getting phased out in favour of streaming, I wanted to give people some bang for their buck.
S-L: The album features intriguing titles like “Coffin On The Dancefloor” and “Wicked Die Alone.” Could you share the stories or ideas behind some of these standout tracks? How did they come to life in the studio?
G. “Coffins…” easy. Many years ago Nine Inch Nails did an April Fools announcement for a joke album called Strobe Light, and it was filled with absurd titles. Other bands started taking these titles and making “covers” of these non existent songs. Standouts include Angelspit’s “On The List” or The Gothsicles “Black T-Shirt”. I wanted to make my own mark on it as well, albeit 10 years too late. (laugh)
S-L: Collaborations seem to play a significant role on this album, with artists like STATIC LOGIC, VIRTUAL TERRORIST, and STUDIO-X. What inspired you to work with these artists, and how did these collaborations impact the overall sound of the album?
G. Collaborations have always been beneficial to Avarice In Audio, in both exposure and a different perspective from our own. Working with Static Logic in particular was an enlightening experience since he has such a different process than ours. We’ve done many collaborations now, some have turned out great and some just “alright” but we appreciate everyone who dedicated their time to working with us.
S-L: Many of your tracks feature dark, aggressive, and often chaotic themes. What draws you to these darker soundscapes, and is there a particular message or feeling you aim to communicate through them?
G. The sounds are just what we like using. A lot of the sonic textures in the singles come from Static Logic while we ourselves tend to keep it simple. I wanted “Tear Heaven…” to be constantly in your face from start to finish, but thankfully Lawrie knows better than me.
S-L: After a period of silence following “Our Idols Are Filth”, you’ve returned with a high-energy release that defies expectations. How did that time away influence this new album, and did it change your perspective on music or creativity?
G. We are always writing new tunes. As soon as one album is finished we keep on writing, and see what takes shape for the next release. For example, we have five songs finished for the next album now, and “Tear Heaven In Half” has been released for a few months. We also have a plethora of demos and concepts laying around, so it’s just a matter of what ends up taking shape. So while we aren’t always releasing, we are always writing.
S-L: Looking ahead, are there any upcoming projects or new directions you’re excited to explore after this album then?
G. Album seven is already coming together in title and concept. We are thinking of a shorter album this time around so there won’t be so long between releases. We have used guitars in the past a lot, since Lawrie loves doing guitar solos. But the current material has a sort of shock rock vibe to it, like “Who The Monsters Are” off “Tear Heaven…”. We hope to show more off soon when we can.
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