Playing sold out shows around the country and with an upcoming US tour locked in, brilliant rising Aussie band THE TESKEY BROTHERS are wowing music fans everywhere. So, we got the boys to take us through their new album, Run Home Slow, track-by-track to see what all the noise is about…
1“Let Me Let You Down” (Brendon): “There is a false start we decided to leave in the intro before this song begins. It’s a bit tongue in cheek and in a way is what the song is all about — allowing someone the freedom and space to fail. We were all sitting around discussing some difficulties we were having in each of our relationships and the phrase “let me let you down” just came out. This song was quickly written around that concept. It’s about asking your partner for a little empathy and understanding and to not set the bar so high that you will inevitably fail. It’s a plea to trust in each other so that little problems, or each other’s shortcomings, can be forgiven. At the end of the day, nobody is perfect.”
2 “Carry You” (Josh): “This was one of those tunes that took a long time to get right. It changed and then changed back and had bits added then taken out again. It’s funny how some songs can have such a clear direction, from the beginning, and other songs take a bit of work. I like how on this song it was a real group effort putting together the lyrics and all aspects of the song. The general idea with story is when you need help in hard times, remember to ask for it.”
3 “Man Of The Universe” (Liam): “This started out as a poem written by Josh. The band developed the upbeat shuffle groove to support the lyrics creating a positive vibe to carry the weight of the lyrics. The song speaks of different scenarios with a common theme. As touring musicians we are rarely in one place long enough to feel connected to a single place on the road. Every day is a new town or city. At times our minds and hearts are back home in Melbourne and it’s a daily battle to live in the present while making the most of the amazing opportunities and freedom we experience daily.”
4 “Hold Me” (Brendon): “The song essentially is about giving your support to someone but in a way that helps them personally develop the strength to grow as an individual. Sometimes we are tempted to do everything we possibly can to help someone in need or when we are confronted with a difficult situation, this can often not help in the long run. There is a push-pull that goes on and “Hold Me” is about learning that it is important to love yourself before you can love others.”
5 “Paint My Heart” (Sam): “This is about keeping together long distance love, a theme that comes out a lot on this album. Trying to adjust our relationships to a touring lifestyle, it’s about trying everything and working with the challenges that get sent our way and not giving up. It also brings light to the idea that the love you send will be the love you receive. The colours you choose to paint will be the colours you and others see. This being said, people may see the colours you paint but may not know the ones that are underneath. In trying to show your true colours and not giving up the journey to finding them, genuine love will connect.”
6 “Rain” (Josh): “I’m just loving this tune at the moment. Well, always really. It’s a song for anyone who has ever lost anybody in their life, friends and loved ones. So there was a real effort to try and represent the pain of what that’s like in the vocals on this song. It’s been one of the most amazing songs to play and sing live. I just love it.”
7 “So Caught Up” (Brendon): “This is about the struggle of balancing your home life and your work. You can be away from your loved one because of work or some other circumstance in your life and you can become so caught up thinking about them that you are taken away from the moment. You can equally be so caught up whilst in the presence of your loved ones by being distracted by work or other stressful factors in your life. As we have been touring our music over the last few years we have all at times struggled to find that balance at times. This song is about trying to find the positives and to be thankful to have someone or something to be caught up on.”
8 “San Francisco” (Sam): “This describes a point of a relationship where its future is uncertain, it was written in Jackson airport terminal, on a journey to San Francisco and as you wait in transit, so does the relationship. It describes the feelings and thoughts when not knowing whether your lover has decided to board the plane from London, to meet you in San Francisco. There’s the hope that they’ll “ride down upon that warm change of wind, with steel wings and open lace”. It’s about strength and also vulnerability. Letting that white bird fly is in reference to making peace with the mistakes that brought the relationship to this and also physically getting on that aeroplane. These two things will reunite these lost lovers.”
9 “Sunshine Baby” (Brendon): “The story of an old man. He sits and laments his high school sweetheart who has passed away. All he is left with are his memories and a shoebox of old photographs. He sings to remember her and ruminates on the idea of one day joining her in the stars up above. He is fearful of losing his memory, as it’s the only connection he has to the past when they were happily in love together. There is a reoccurring theme throughout Run Home Slow that looks at the duality of holding onto the past and trying to live in the present.”
10“Sun Come Ease Me In” (Liam): “Originally, this song was going to be a longer psychedelic piece but during the recording process it was cut down to an interlude so that it would fit on the record. It was recorded almost entirely live in the studio which lends its self to the psychedelic music of the ’60s we love so much. The song was initially written about the end to a long, hard night anticipated by climbing a hill and waiting for the sun to rise. It’s a metaphor for knowing that no matter what you are going through, it will be ok and that you can handle it.”
11 “That Bird” (Josh): “A strange little song this one. It was written in the middle of night camping on the Colorado river in Utah, U.S.A. I woke up in the middle of the night with a melody in my head and jotted down a bunch of lyrics and did a little voice recording. I listened to it in the morning and the basic idea of the song was pretty much there. There are a few different themes, but basically it’s this idea of the song bird landing on you and how songwriting can feel that way sometimes. A crazy little idea lands in your head and you just need to be the vessel to interpret it and put that little bird onto the page and into music.” ■
The Teskey Brothers’ Run Home Slow is out now through ivy league records
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