- Hey Rob! “Marie Antoinette” is out now—congratulations! Can you tell us a little bit about the song’s inspiration?
Marie Antoinette explores the idea of a relationship that is almost working, but not quite: You both need to go away, evolve, grow and develop individually. And in the end, although at the time you feel things are falling apart, actually it is good for you- and a blessing in disguise if you like. It is a song inspired by personal experience, and also the observations of those around me. My experience of life is that we start out quite optimistic, hopeful and almost ‘naive’ about how things work: The hollywood/ traditional representation of romance if you will. And life doesn’t tend to work like that- people are complex, relationships are hard, past trauma is almost impossible to escape and can only be addressed through hard work and deep reflection and professional guidance. So Marie Antoinette as a song explores that part of life when things start to ‘go off the rails’ personally and in a relationship: “The revolutions coming for you.”
- You’ve described the song as having a balance of melancholy and optimism. Can you explain what that means?
Well it is melancholy because it is about the death of idealism and naiveté. It marks the metaphorical evolution from an immature, romantic, idealistic view of life and relationships, into a more evolved, mature one (that is hopefully not cynical or jaundiced!). The fictional couple in Marie Antoinette cannot stay together- they need to go away and work on themselves. And their whole worlds are falling apart at that moment, but in the end “don’t you know, crisis can be good for you”. It is inspired by the idea that “pain is the touchstone of spiritual growth” it is often in our darkest, most painful moments that we are catalysed into growth, action and personal development. Both people will go on to lead better, happier lives. So in the end there is an optimistic theme to the song. That’s a theme I have experienced myself and also seen in so many of my friends and family. So it felt pretty natural to capture it in a song!
- What was it like recording your upcoming album New Horizons back in Sydney after so many years in New York?
Super exciting! It was great to come home and then in the first week being back I got in touch with Dan Frizza and we met to discuss the album. So it was pretty cool how things moved so quickly!
- Speaking of New Horizons, what can we expect from the album?
I hope fans will enjoy the flow of the album. We have thought pretty carefully about the flow of the album. So it definitely oscillates a bit between high, up tempo rock and more chilled, slow paced ballads. We hope listeners will enjoy that flow and balance!
- You’ve worked with some incredible musicians on this album. What was it like collaborating with them?
It was an awesome experience! Miles Thomas (Lior, Ronan Keating, Montaigne) on drums, Oliver Thorpe (The Whitlams, Matt Corby, Meg Mac) on guitar, and Brendan Clark (Meg Mac, Montaigne, Jack River) on bass; and Dan Frizza as producer (Tones and I, King Princess, and Gurrumul) definitely brought incredible professionalism, creativity and brilliant arrangement ideas to the tracks.
- There’s a personal theme in New Horizons about feeling stuck and wanting more. Can you tell us more about how that plays out in your songwriting?
I think those are ever present themes for me. I have to really work hard to reframe things in my mind, to kind of stop and smell the roses, appreciate the here and now. Because I am always planning the next thing, the next project, and driving things forward. Which is a good thing in terms of productivity, but can have its own challenges of course!
- “Marie Antoinette” feels like a song that could have a big impact—what’s the message you want listeners to take away from it?
Just that whatever you are going through in life, you are doing it tough- there is always a solution. There is nothing new under the sun. a good friend of mine told me that once and it changed my life. Life can be hard, life can be messy, but there is always a way forward, keep going, keep putting one foot in front of the other, “this too shall pass!”
- You’ve lived all over the world—from Burma to the UK to New York. How has this nomadic lifestyle shaped your music?
Musically, I think being exposed to different musical influences, from UK Britpop to Americana Rock/ Alt Rock, has certainly shaped my music. Lyrically, I think living all over the world has exposed me to different and interesting themes and ideas.
- How does your work with the UN and living in conflict zones like Afghanistan influence your songwriting?
I think it has helped me to see different cultures, perspectives etc, and to see the shades of grey in life; as well as the complex choices people often have to make in order to survive. And it has taught me to try to always stay humble and make an effort to understand others’ cultures, ideas and ways of doing things.
- You’ve mentioned that New Horizons is set against the backdrop of global changes—how do you think the current world events influence the music?
Well the last 10-15 years (and even earlier) have been pretty momentous in terms of some of the political, social and economic events that have shaped our contemporary world. From the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Global Financial Crisis, the growing threat of climate change, to the various conflicts that have proliferated- they all provide a rich tapestry for any songwriter to explore.
- “Marie Antoinette” is just the beginning, with the full album due out in December. What’s next for The Nomadic after that?
We have some interesting projects in the works, including another full band album “American Dream” and an acoustic album! So yes exciting times ahead!
- Last one—what’s the most exciting part of releasing Marie Antoinette today?
It is of course incredibly exciting to see the whole New Horizons project come to life, embodied by the release of Marie Antoinette. It feels like we are crossing the line of a long marathon! Hopefully the crowd appreciates the effort and the final performance which we trained so hard for!
