Crooked Colours have been on the alternative dance music scene of Australia for 10 years now and they’ve also been making quite the splash overseas in the US. They’re third album, ‘Tomorrows’ has just been released to the excitement of fans as they prepare to make a touring return to the States. We had the privilege of chatting to them to discuss the record.

FMM: Third album now in six years. In comparison to your other albums so far, what’s been the main differences?

CC: It’s the first time we’ve had a dedicated studio space to work out of. The first half of the process we were touring a lot, we were in the US. We were doing a lot of sessions and working in and out of other studios and then obviously the pandemic hit. So we just built a studio here in Fremantle and I guess it’s the first time we’ve had a base with all of our staff and just a dedicated space to make music in which has been really nice. It’s definitely opened up a lot of doors in terms of equipment and experimenting with gear I guess.

FMM: For a dance group like yourselves, how do some of your ideas take shape when it comes to releasing new music? What do you do in terms of thinking about what people want to hear or dance to?

CC: I guess it’s just enjoying what you make – make stuff that you would dance to. I think the moment that you start making music that you think other people might like, you probably start not making that kind of music –you’ve lost that flavour. We’ve got the (mentality) where if we can groove to it then you can groove to it.

FMM: Do you use any other artists for inspiration?

CC: We have a wide range of music that we listen to. During Covid we were just listening to everything – from rap to electronic to garage even. We just draw on all those as inspirations rather than pinpointing one or two artists. I think that’s why we have such a wide variety of sounds in our music.

FMM: Having performed a few recent shows as well, you’ve been able to debut a few songs from the new album. Is there one in particular you’ve been really keen to play?

CC: We’ve been playing the title track ‘Tomorrow.’ It’s been going really well especially for a song no one’s heard before. People are dancing and getting some hands up in the air so that’s been really positive. On the record, there’s a lot of dancier tracks. The first two albums were a bit of a mix but this one is definitely a bit more upbeat. So we’re really excited to play it. I think it’ll work well in a live situation.

FMM: What’s the feeling like when you’re playing something new for a crowd for the first time? When you create these songs with the intent of crowd enjoyment do you get a bit nervous on the crowd response?

CC: Yeah you’re definitely more aware of what people are doing and stuff. We’ve been doing it for so long now we’re just like this is it, you either like it or not (laughs).

FMM: Some of your Spotify stats are particularly impressive too. It shows you’re getting more popular by the day but do you read into the numbers at all?

CC: Our manager loves that kind of thing, he loves to look at the stats and stuff. I think for us you probably can’t delve too deep. We just got to try and make music we really like and just hope that everyone else likes it as well.

FMM: A lot has gone into the production of the album. Writing has taken place in different locations and you’ve linked up with other talented people. Can you shed a bit of light on the behind the scenes of the making of this album?

CC: We did some writing sessions with some really talented writers. The first two records we just did everything ourselves apart from the features so this was the first time we tried to actively get into sessions. Basically just try and see how other people work and try and absorb as much as we can in terms of process. So we did do a couple of tracks on this album that were co-written with a few other really talented writers like ‘Love Language’, ‘No Sleep’ and ‘Don’t Give Up on Me.’ After two records you just get into the same pattern and same methodology of writing music and it’s really hard to get out of that and approach song-writing in a different way without seeing how other people do it so it’s worked out really well. It was really enjoyable.

FMM: How’s the opportunity arise to work with these other writers?

CC: We’re signed with Atlantic Records in the US, just before Covid happened. That opened the door for us to work with a whole bunch of artists and writers so that’s how all that came about.

FMM: After the Australian shows you’ve just performed, you’re returning to the US and going to Canada for some shows. How exciting is it for you to return?

CC: Yeah it’s been 3 years since we played in the US so absolutely stinging to get back there. We’ve been super fortunate to have a really loyal, proactive fan base in the US right from the start so I think it’s (a good time) to give it back a bit over there and we can’t wait. It’s so much fun touring over there because the cities are so close together and they’re so big. You can just drive from city to city.

FMM: What’s it like to be able to have that reach to the US? What’s the difference between making it in your own country in comparison to overseas?

CC: Good question. It’s kinda crazy. It makes you really appreciate what you do because you always feel – being far away from home – feels kinda lonely and then you get to a show and people are singing your lyrics back to you. It’s humbling definitely.