The Good China are making their mark with their brand new EP We Knew That We Had to Leave. I recently caught up with one-eighth of this monster outfit, Ryan Mason, to chat about the latest release, the accompanying launch shows, and what it’s like to be part of such a big band!
You just released a brand new EP We Knew That We Had to Leave. What can you tell me about it?
It’s our second EP and is a bit different from the first in that it was engineered, produced and mixed by our guitarist Nick. We recorded some drums and bass at Incubator Studios in Melbourne and then put together everything else using Nick’s little home studio setup, which gave us a bit more room to experiment and to put together something we were really happy with. The four songs all have a sense of change to them, from changing places in the title track “We Knew That We Had To Leave” to changing people in “Marcio.” We wanted a new recording to reflect our developing sound and more mature songs and I think that the new EP really achieves those goals.
The film clip for the title track is one of the most entertaining I’ve seen in some time. Did you have much to do with that creative process?
The clip for “We Knew That We Had To Leave” was actually put together by China members Jag (who is part of film and TV production crew Guerilla Creative during his non-China hours) and Adam (who also has a background in film). The whole group workshopped ideas and sourced props and it was filmed over a weekend at Jag and Nick’s flat. Part of being an independent band is working out ways to do things yourselves and we’re really lucky that we have so many skills and ideas to draw on across our eight members!
I also love the idea behind that song of your favourite place morphing into something you barely recognise. Was it based on personal experience?
To some degree, yes; but I think the feelings behind the song are really universal and don’t necessarily apply to one time or place. We all have those streets and places that mean a lot to us at one point in our lives but then over time just don’t feel as familiar or welcoming. It might feel like those places change over time – and a lot of them do! – but what’s also changing is you.
It’s been a little over a year between releasing your debut EP and this one. How do you think you’ve grown as a band in that time?
After we released our debut EP we played a lot of shows and toured a bit, heading interstate to Sydney and Canberra and also visiting a bit of regional Victoria to play shows in Geelong, Shepparton, and the like, and when we got to the end of that cycle we were all a bit burnt out. I headed to Europe for three months to do some backpacking, while some of the others went to Japan. It’s a bit of a cliche, but travel really does broaden your mind, and from a musical point of view it certainly provides lots of inspiration for new songs and ideas. In the four and a bit years since The Good China’s inception we’ve all grown and changed quite a lot but the band is the one constant that we all come back to.
Eight is an awful lot of people to have in a band. How do you keep things running smoothly?
A lot of hard work! Again, the good thing about being a large band is that there’s a lot of hands available to get things done. It also helps that a few of us are compulsive planners!
You’ve recently been playing a few shows to promote the EP. How have they been going?
Really well. We had a great crowd for the Melbourne EP launch and everyone enjoyed the night. We’re heading off on a short tour later this week, playing a free Friday night show at the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay and playing a Footstomp Music showcase at the Tempo Hotel in Brisbane on Saturday. It’s our first time visiting Byron and Brisbane so we’re excited to be back on the road! We only realised a few weeks ago that it’s actually Schoolies season at the moment, so the Byron show could be an interesting one.
What do you love most about being on stage?
Being able to share the thrill of playing music with seven of my closest friends. Cheesy? Yeah. True? Absolutely.
What can music lovers expect when they come to see you live?
A lot of energy and a lot of happy faces. And, occasionally, the odd near-catastrophe when one of us trips on one of the several thousand instruments or cables we have on stage.
As Christmas is approaching, what’s on your wish list this year?
Is it too outlandish to ask for Radiohead to tour again next year?
After you finish promoting this EP, what comes next?
We’re planning on taking a breather over Christmas and the New Year, and working towards some more shows early next year. And who knows? We might even have another film clip to reveal.
See The Good China when they play Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel on Friday night (free show) or Brisbane’s Tempo Hotel on Saturday.