Zebra & Giraffe knuckle down

Does the title, "Knuckles", refer to a fist ready for a fight or white knuckling it?

Greg Carlin: It's taken from the track Knuckles, in which I sing: "White knuckles to show ... ", so it refers more to feelings of apprehension and nervousness. Later on in the song I sing: "My knuckles have bled, beaten to the bone," but this is more of a metaphor, it's a mental fight rather than a physical one.

Eight tracks for an album is fairly light. Why this decision?

When we began the process of writing and recording this album back in mid-2013, we decided that we were going to focus on fewer tracks - quality over quantity. We worked with a new production team and we really wanted to see how far we could push the songs. Many times, because of budget and time constraints, songs just don't get the attention they need and you end up with filler tracks on an album. It's a world of iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and newsfeeds. Information is consumed at such a fast rate that there's really no time for filler tracks. As much as I love the 'rock concept album' those days are dying fast. But, who knows, our next album could turn out to be 20 tracks! It all depends what feels right at the time and where our headspace is as a band.

What was the recording process like? What was it like working with Darryl Torr, Shy and Mark Needham?

On this album we joined forces with two production experts. Darryl has been our long-time producer and has always excelled at crafting our sound and the sonic landscape of the songs. We brought in Shy to push the performance side of things as well as produce the vocals. Recording vocals was always the worst part of the process for me - I'd dread the time when it came around and I'd always tense up. Shy dramatically improved this process for me to the point where I actually wanted to go in to record vocals. I was more comfortable recording, which let me relax into the songs and give them the emotional curve they needed.

This is the first time we've worked with Mark Needham and although he was in LA and we were in SA, he delivered the goods and really mixed the album beautifully. Although it can be kind of daunting, there's also something comforting about working with the top guys overseas - you know you're going to get something amazing back!

If this album was a meal what would it be and why?

I feel like I need to compare it to one of those fancy-tasting menus you get with six to eight courses. Each individual plate is small, but the amount of detailed work that goes into each one is what counts - and by the end you're pretty full!

The popularity of the album as a medium is said to be in decline with the rise of music-streaming services. Younger audiences now prefer access to singles rather than albums. Will you take this into account when deciding on whether or not to produce a full-length album in future?

Yes it's something we definitely have to take into account when creating music and content. The music industry has been in a flux for the past 10 years and it's really tough to figure out any solid 'formula' these days. Although it's definitely all about the single, releasing a bunch of self-contained singles over the period of a year isn't going to work. Artists still rely on the release of a body of work to drive hype and interest, which they then use to tour off the back of. The two-year cycle still seems to be fairly set in place in that regard. We may not record a full 12 to 14 track album again, but we will definitely do smaller EPs and bundle content in ways that are new and exciting for the audience.

You have received rave reviews for your performance at Oppikoppi; how was your Oppi experience?

It was great - dusty, but great. It was only our second full show performance of 2014, so we were a little bit nervous going in, but the crowd was great and we had an awesome show. Oppi is nice because you get to play on a massive stage with great production. A lot of the bands plan unique lighting and visual shows just for Oppi, which makes it really special and really pushes you to up your game.

Photo by Tyrone Bradley

The band has received a fair amount of critical acclaim and accolades; to what do you attribute your success to and what have been some of your personal musical highlights?

I try always to be honest when I write. I've very rarely released something that I didn't feel true to me at the time. I think people can tell when you're trying too hard, and faking it. It's also about creating an emotional connection with the listener, that's the most powerful tool musicians have - to make someone feel something with sound!

A highlight for me is the fact that I'm still a full-time musician, especially in this day and age. If you told a 15-year-old Greg that he'd be a professional musician in 2014 I think he would be pretty stoked!

Got any tricks or treats lined up for the national tour?

We're excited to play some of the new tracks live. We'll always throw in some of the classic Z&G tracks, but I think our fans are craving something new and different and we're excited to give it to them. We're also playing some older tracks that we've never performed live before.

What's next for Z&G after the album tour?

We have some summer festivals we're a part of and we're planning a long December tour down the coast, which is always fun. In-between those I'll be starting to write again and get some fresh ideas on the table.

"Knuckles" will be available from iTunes from 15 September 2014, presales are open now. To view the national tour info click here.

www.zebraandgiraffe.co.za