Interview: Australian Power-Trio ADJUSTER Talk About Their Self-Titled, Debut Album
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“I’m just proud of the band as a whole, and the fact we finally got there after a difficult and challenging two years. Future releases should be a lot easier and we’re definitely more productive now we have a solid and reliable line-up”
Congratulations on the release of your debut album "ADJUSTER"; how long did the project take to complete and were there songs recorded that didn't make the final track list?
Thank you! I wrote some of these tracks almost a decade ago as they were floating around the repertoires of my previous bands 'The Harry Macintosh Project' and 'Justice For Dragons'. However, quite a few of them were either not priority songs or hadn't been learned by the band properly just yet.
The “Adjuster” album has been in the works for around two years as we had run into several line-up issues with bassists. Luckily a year ago we met Brodie who is totally on the same page as Rob and I so everything has fallen into place.
There were no other tracks recorded for the album even though we have another two album's worth of songs. We felt these eight all fit together really nicely and represent the initial stage of the band really well. We've already started work on album number two!
How did you guys decide to form the band and where did the name ADJUSTER originate?
I moved to Alice Springs in March 2017. I had previously been the guitarist and main songwriter in 'The Harry Macintosh Project' and 'Justice For Dragons' back in the UK. I had a bunch of leftover songs for those bands and also a load of acoustic demos which never saw the light of day. I was keen to not let these songs go to waste, so I advertised for a drummer and bassist on a local music forum and almost immediately received interest from our drummer Rob and original bassist Kyle.
We got together and gelled really well. Kyle played our first four shows with us, but due to busy work life, he was forced to leave the band. We went through another couple of guys that didn't work out before Brodie came along and stuck with us.
Our original bassist Kyle came up with the name 'ADJUSTER'. He simply said during a rehearsal one time that he's always wanted to be in a band called ADJUSTER, so we said okay, and ADJUSTER was officially established!
Where is Alice Springs in Australia and what's the rock music scene like there? Are locals generally supportive of home grown talent?
Alice Springs is a small town in the Northern Territory which is smack-bang in the centre of Australia. It's in the middle of the desert and is regarded as one of the world's most remote and isolated towns. Despite that, there is a thriving music scene here.
It is extremely diverse with all kinds of different genres kicking around. Compared to my experience in the UK, Australians seem to care a lot more about local artists and love coming to shows. Everyone is really supportive and interested in each other's work, it's great.
"Wipe It Up With a Towel" is a great track; how did you decide that it should be the lead single off the album?
Thank you! We felt 'Wipe It Up With A Towel' ended up being the best-sounding track on the album. The production and mix just seem to sound a bit more crisp and clear than the other tracks. I also had a chance to use my new Electro-Harmonix 'Mel9' pedal which can be heard during the main melody. Our co-mixer, masterer and label manager Dave Crowe also added some extra synth to the track which gives it a bit more depth. It's also probably our most instantly-accessible track from a commercial perspective.
What are you most proud of with the "Adjuster" album and how excited are you to get on the road and promote it with your fans?
I'm just proud of the band as a whole, and the fact we finally got there after a difficult and challenging two years. Future releases should be a lot easier and we're definitely more productive now we have a solid and reliable line-up.
We're really excited to hopefully get the opportunity to tour once the COVID-19 situation has relaxed enough to allow us to do so. We were hoping to launch the album at Wide Open Space Festival on release day, but unfortunately, the festival was cancelled.
Read our in-depth review of the “ADJUSTER” album - HERE