Coming clean with Bully Hay
Photo credit Eden Meure
Tasmanian singer-songwriter Bully Hay has released his brand new track ‘Wash Off The World’. The new song is the first single to be delivered from Bully’s forthcoming debut album ‘Black Dogs and Songbirds’ which is due out on Wednesday the 30th of October and has been mixed and produced but the one and only Jeff Martin from The Tea Party. We caught up with Bully to ask him about the new music, his creative process and what it was like to work with Australian music royalty.
For those that haven’t heard your music before, what genre box does Bully Hay fit into?
Thanks for having me Michelle. There are a lot of genre boxes around today! But I would say Bully Hay is a bit of a mish-mash of Rock, Roots, Alternative with a hint of Acoustic and Folk at times.
You have not long released your new single 'Wash Off The World' Tell us about your new song. What does this song mean to you?
Wash Off The World is a piece of self-admission, feeling like a cog in a machine of repetition. We humans do tend to fall into self-repeating patterns. The song came about from noticing I (like most people) am just “Running on the wheel”. The wheel is the social construct of our lives. Eat, work, make money, procreate, sleep, repeat. We do what we have to do to survive and sometimes thrive but it’s rarely a joy being on that wheel. So the verses are snippets of life that relate to professional life and relationships that bring the vibe of feeling sucked back into that cycle. And the choruses identify the peaks and lulls of life and that it’s natural to feel like we’re running on the spot.
“I didn’t really know what I was writing about until it was finished.”
When writing this track, what came first, the music or the lyrics?
9 times out of 10 for me with any song (including this one) the music comes first. The opening guitar line you hear in the track was the first piece of the puzzle. I had the vocal tune laid out from the start and the lyrics followed later almost as an afterthought. I didn’t really know what I was writing about until it was finished.
'Wash Off The World' has its own music video. Who came up with the concept for the visualiser? Were there any memorable moments during the making of it?
The video was produced and directed by Thomas Roach of Roach Media. I asked Tom to listen to the track and create his own concept of what he felt when he heard it. So it was Tom’s idea to have the guy in the car, kind of having a freak-out moment, bail from the car and run to the sea and dive in. I thought it fit well with the message and it came out great. Funny story on the making of the video when it came to the live band footage. I had recorded Wash Off The World with Jeff Martin and my mate Drew Castles (Drummer) in between studio sessions across Tasmania and the Sunshine Coast. Between the 3 of us, we put that song down in the studio with us playing all of the instruments. So when it came time to do the film clip, I had only just pulled together a band of guys that I would be playing the actual live shows with, but we’d never actually played together yet. The day we filmed that film clip was the very first time we were all in the same room together and also the very first time that I met the bass player (Paul). So the rest of the band (bar me and the drummer) were all playing and learning the song for the first time. We just happened to be filming the music video at the same time!
Your new song will feature on your forthcoming album 'Black Dogs and Songbirds' which is due out later this year. Is there a delivery date yet and what can fans expect from the LP?
There is yes. The full album is set for release on the 30th of October this year.
Will there be future singles releases before the album is released or is 'Wash Of The World' the only teaser we will get?
Yep, absolutely. In fact, we now have a second single out now which is the title track ‘Black Dogs and Songbirds’. That one is a departure from the larger rock sound of Wash Off The World and would fit more into a dark folk acoustic ballad genre. Black Dogs has its own music video too which is up on YouTube. Next up there is a 3rd single dropping in September called ‘Bushfire Moon’ which is a song that was inspired around the time of the Dunalley Bushfires in 2013, It was a pretty serious event that took out a large swathe of the Tasman Peninsula. The song tells a semi-fictional story of a volunteer firefighter who realises it’s time to get out of there and find the love of his life amidst the chaos.
“I have been a huge fan of Jeff Martin since I was a teenager. The Tea Party are my favourite band. ”
You worked with Jeff Martin, who is Australian music royalty, on the new album. What was that experience like? Did you have star-struck moments during the process?
I’ll just preface this by admitting that I have been a huge fan of Jeff Martin since I was a teenager. The Tea Party are my favourite band. So not only having the opportunity to work with Jeff but to have him as the producer for my record was enough to blow my tiny mind. In the beginning, I was a bit star-struck as we really didn’t know each other and I was living at Jeff’s home and working up in his home studio day by day. I wasn’t quite sure how to behave at first and was really curious about how he would approach my songs from a producer's standpoint.
At the start, he was testing me here and there finding out what was working/not working and we both had our walls up so to speak until we’d spent enough time together and realised we connected well and became great friends. Jeff let my songs breathe then and once he knew my capability when it comes to writing, playing and structuring songs, the whole process became very easy and free-flowing.
My favourite moments were when I’d have finished tracking guitars or big lush vocal harmonies and Jeff would get inspired and I could see the cogs turning in his brain. He’d say “Wait til you hear this” and then grab a guitar and just overlay some really cool guitar line over the top that I would never have thought of. Or could be an organ or mandolin or whatever musical flavour he had conjured up from magic. Something I’ll never forget for sure.
Is there a chance we may see a Bully and Jeff collab in the future?
Well, there’s another bucket list item of mine. I’d like to see that happen in future.
Are there plans to tour for the album after its release?
Yes, I’m touring with Jeff Martin prior to the album release first off. There are some shows coming up in Melbourne, Belgrave, Adelaide, Newcastle, Cronulla, Sydney and hopefully Hobart over the next couple of months. These are acoustic solo shows, so I’ll be playing a few songs off the album as stripped-back back intimate versions of the songs.
Then January/Feb of 2025 will be a full national tour with the full band, so we’ll be back in those areas to launch the album but will be adding on QLD shows and Perth hopefully also.
“Living on the island also sometimes creates a bit of a mental barrier for artists wanting to get their music out there”
You're a Tassie boy, born and bred, what are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the island state?
Good question! It’s a great peaceful place to live. Clean air, beautiful landscapes and a fairly low population so it’s quiet and lends itself to creativity. My favourite time to be here is throughout the summer which is fleeting but just awesome around the coastline. The disadvantages for me are the winters, short days, long nights and relentless cold. Some people move here for that! But for me, I always get itchy feet in winter and have to head north to break it up. Living on the island also sometimes creates a bit of a mental barrier for artists wanting to get their music out there. Heading to the mainland always seems like a daunting task, but it’s really not. So this is more a mental thing I guess.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
That's Drew Castles. Drew plays drums and percussion on the album. He’s been one of my best mates since I was 14 years old and we’ve been making music together ever since. Aside from being a great mate, Drew is a budding producer in his own right. So he loves to get in the studio with me and we’re constantly fiddling around with song ideas and demos. So many songs have been written pretty much off the back of Drew being bored and calling me and pushing me to get in the studio with him just for some fun and to create music. He has become a bit of a muse for me. Also when you’ve known someone for that long, you start to develop the same sick adolescent sense of humour so we’ll be laughing hard over jokes that only he and I find funny. Always a good time to be had when Drew is on the team!
Do you have a message for the Bully Hay fans and supporters?
A big thank you firstly. I didn’t write this album in order for it to be anything other than a sharing experience. The songs are all very open and honest and aren’t trying to be anything. So I’ve been really curious to see people getting into it so much with just the first 2 singles launched. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I promise the best is yet to come.
The album is ready for preorder, releasing on the 30th of October, you can head to www.bullyhay.com also to find the tour dates so you can catch a live show, either solo acoustic or heading into next year with the full band.
Interview by Michelle Symes
August 2024