Alunah: Waking Up From A Fever Dream
ALUNAH have been an uncompromising force in the UK’s hard rock scene. Hailing from Sabbath City (aka Birmingham) and gaining a reputation for hard hitting tracks that channel the greatness of the 1970s and delivers it with the gritty punch of modern times. The band’s seventh studio album, Fever Dream, is unlike anything the band have released before, yet is still unabashedly ALUNAH. Whilst keeping their signature big riffs and the old school jam room style of writing, Fever Dream is a ballsy, emotive and surprising album that you definitely don’t want to sleep on. We sat down with drummer Jake Mason to discuss how the album was made and Chinese takeaway.
When it comes to writing an album ALUNAH have always been a band to write on instinct; “Whatever comes out is reflective of where we are at as a band at that time. Once you try writing to order then you are effectively chasing fads and trends which isn’t something that interests us. With tracks like Sacred Grooves, Far From Reality etc., we were definitely still feeling the doomier elements as we rehearsed them, but perhaps with new ways to shine a light on things. I don’t know, we try not to over think it,” Jake explains. “One thing that was apparent this time round compared to say Strange Machine, was the feeling of extra groove and swing in the album. We put this down to the music having been worked out even more between us in the rehearsal room rather than having to endure the obvious limitations that the COVID period had in terms of logistics and being together as a band. ALUNAH very much feeds off being in the same room playing our instruments together. Without that feeling it becomes just more like a project to complete, and that takes away a lot of the enjoyment for us.”
The album explores new territory for ALUNAH with flute passages and subtle keys parts, but the band are very aware of who they are, Jake says, “I think most bands with longevity will dabble with adding extra flourishes here and there. We’ve done it previously, and for context on the new album Matt [Noble, guitars] also added some subtle keys in to the mix as well as his usual guitars. But we are also very conscious that at our core ALUNAH is guitar, bass, drums and vocals playing the heavy rock we want to hear. Anything outside of that is there for added colour where we feel it works rather than as a statement or new prime instrument. As a band we are very aware there is a fine line between experimentation and pretension.”
This awareness of who they are and what they represent is imbued in their collaborative process. Especially because they do it the old school way when it comes to recording, Jake elaborates. “We are always pretty much in the zone by the time we to record. The pushing normally comes more during the writing process. Does this work? Does this flow? Is everyone happy? Can we try something here? Will it work live? All questions that are important to us in making the album sound organic. We don’t record with click tracks, never have/never will, so the rhythm section always has focus on collaboration right from the start when pulling things together to give a solid base for the guitars and vocals to shine.”
It was recorded at picturesque Foel Studios in Welshpool, when asked what it was like to record in such a scene place Jake states “It’s peaceful and does give the feeling of serenity and focus. There aren’t really any outside distractions, which means you end up living the album while you are there,” he continues. “With the right preparation we can work fast but without feeling any pressure with regards to time constraints.” But there’s one thing that stands out especially highly for Jake, “all that being said however, the Chinese meal we ordered in on the last night of tracking was a definite high point!”
Fever Dream was produced by Chris Fielding, a stellar producer and now firm friend of the band, who knew what the band wanted this time around. “We’ve worked with Chris numerous times now so consider him a friend rather than just our producer. He knows how to tell us what is shit and what needs doing again without driving us insane. Plus, the open way that he can suggest things to us, normally with an Alan Partridge quote thrown in for good measure makes it a pleasure to spend the time with him without the recording feeling like a hard gruelling task to get through. Chris knew we were after a slightly warmer, thicker sound with this album so certain aspects were recorded with that in mind, different cymbals, room mics, guitar tones etc. Naturally we are probably getting tighter all the time as well. Myself and Dan [Burchmore, bass] have been together for what seems like a lifetime in the nicest possible way, and Matt has now been with us four years so things have become almost telepathic with regards to that area of the band.”
Despite the band’s recent turmoil, with long term singer Siän Greenaway leaving the band to pursue her solo music, there is a strong sense of togetherness and drive to make Fever Dream succeed. Something that will carry ALUNAH onwards into it’s next era. “Well, although it’s no secret now that things have come to their natural conclusion for the lineup on the album, we are still very keen for this to be just the start for Fever Dream and we are currently looking in to ways of how to make touring the album possible. Ultimately, that’s the point of creating music for us and we are hopeful that we can make that happen soon.”
Fever Dream is out now via Heavy Psych Sounds.
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