CESIRA AITKEN of THE JUNGLE GIANTS: Party Ugg Boots
An interview by Sarah Kidd.
Hailing from Brisbane Australia, The Jungle Giants have been quietly going about building an extensive fanbase over the last seven years.
The four high school friends have honed both their live and studio skills while extensively touring; all of which has culminated in the release of their brilliant third studio album entitled ‘Quiet Ferocity’. Positively brimming with buoyant melodies, crystalline guitar riffs and vocals that sum up the title of the album perfectly it has certainly garnered The Jungle Giants an entire army of new fans!
Returning to New Zealand for only their second time their show promises to be a night filled with beguiling hooks and synth-pop tunes with a distinctly indie rock edge. I caught up with the wonderful Cesira Aitken – guitarist extraordinaire – to chat about the latest album, the growth of the band and just what should kiwi’s should bring to a Jungle Giants show…
The title of your latest album Quiet Ferocity is quite brilliant, and such a juxtaposition – it conjures up images of a fat, sleeping housecat with a lion tucked away inside of it, ready to pounce if provoked!
“Yeah totally. I think a bunch of album names were pitched and I think someone suggested it because one of our songs is quite sassy. I really love that title of the song because it totally kind of encapsulated how the record felt; that title as well, it just seemed so fitting and so rad.
As soon as it was said everyone was like ‘Holy shit yeah! That would totally be the fitting title’. As for an image it conjures up, I probably have to agree with you – you’re right on” [mutual laughter]
Little lion inside a little fat housecat…
“Yeah, yeah – so good!”
Now the album itself has of course done so well; it’s dominated the Triple J Hottest 100. That must be quite thrilling for you guys. But are you also somewhat surprised?
“Yeah. Don’t think we expected it to do as well as it did. It was a cool feeling; we had zero expectations before we released it. Releasing it, it was all about the anxiety and the nerves, putting that record out. But we were just really excited to present it, you know, have it out because we were super proud of it and I think it just felt so tight when we were recording it and then listening when everything was coming together, like the mixes and stuff it just felt like ‘Holy shit, we’ve kinda cracked onto something that we really wanna explore a lot more’
And yeah the record came out and totally, we were blown away by how it was received; it came off really well. We’re really, really grateful.”
I love how a lot of people have described the fourth track on the album ‘Used to be in Love’ as a ‘sleeper hit’ but the first time you hear it – it’s so catchy! It was obvious from first playthrough that it would be a hit!
“That’s awesome! We kinda put the song in a bunch of demos that were in a second-hand batch – maybe we’ll do these ones, but we weren’t super certain on it.
It was like we were just trying to hit the numbers for the record with the songs we wanted; we were revisiting some songs that we had forgotten and that was one of them and then for me when we brought the track up it just felt … as soon as we started it, as soon as we started the session with it, it was ‘Oh shit, it’s gotta come together’ and it came together in like a day!
Like from the demo to where it is, the recorded version on the record; it surprised us but I’m so glad; and we always said how weird the album would be if it wasn’t on there and it nearly didn’t go on. I think it was like the very last song that we did!”
You guys recorded and produced the album yourselves. Do you place much of the album’s success on the decision to do that?
“Well Sam [Hales] has always been such a gun songwriter/producer and he really nailed the production, he had all those ideas down, like really clear cut and he definitely figured the sound that the band is that he wants to, and we want to explore a lot more.
His ear for production is so important, now more than it ever has been. It really shaped the record and it definitely shapes where things keep going, which is great.”
Obviously, you all have a lot of trust in Sam; there wasn’t the feeling that being the third album now was the time to bring in an outside producer.
“Yeah totally. He is so bloody talented, so good at it. And we could tell from the process of him playing it the demos, it was the production part of it was set; he was really kicking it into gear and nailing it you know?”
It’s nice in many ways too – as it keeps the band’s independence. Nobody is going to know your sound better than you!
“Exactly. And since recording we have discovered that this is the sound that we really want to look for a lot more.”
Slight segue – what inspired you personally to be a guitarist?
“I don’t know. I grew up in a really musical – my parents are super musical, they were playing so much music around us when we were kids, so you know I think by the time I figured out there were instruments I had figured out how to ask to play one.
I asked to play drums first and Mum and Dad said no, they said, ‘You can play guitar’ and I was like ‘I’ll take it’ [mutual laughter] I was like anything I can get at this point.
It was really conservative, I was into a lot of The Beatles and a lot of Prince – that really kicked me to play guitar.”
Well if you are going to be inspired by anyone – Prince is certainly the person to be inspired by!
“I know, it’s so cliché but I love everything about him … how he plays guitar so much, it’s so great.”
I think it’s funny too when you said that you asked your parents to play drums first – I think it’s a knee-jerk reaction of all parents to just go ‘No’! [laughs]
“I think I taught myself to play the ‘Seven Nation Army’ riff and then just didn’t stop until my parents hated that song. Then I had guitar lessons for like ten years so that was good, because it got me out of repeating the same track over and over again.”
In all your years that you have been playing with The Jungle Giants – and you guys have toured quite extensively and played a number of festivals – what’s the one act that you have seen in recent times that has really inspired you?
“For me personally, watching what the Queens of the Stone Age guys do with guitars is pretty bloody inspiring, like the sounds that they get. It makes you really dig deep in your own gear and see how you source those kind of sounds.”
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When u start the show and suddenly realise u left the oven on – 📷 @jaysvisuals__
In an interview last year Sam stated that The Jungle Giants “felt like they had finally landed somewhere that they’re happy with and that they want to explore more” – now that the album has been out for quite a while, do you guys – as a collective – still feel that way?
“Absolutely. Really excited about next year when we start working on new music because we really have landed on something with this record that we’re keen on and that we’re proud of. But yeah there’s just so much interest in just going hard at this sound and really exploring it a lot more.”
The Jungle Giants have been described as ‘indie-rock’, alternative-dance’ – how would you describe your music? And feel free to make up a genre all your own…
“Yeah I think, yeah ‘alternative-rock’ or aussie indie pop … ‘alternative-indie’ … I don’t know. I would say probably ‘alternative-pop’ / indie-pop.’”
Playing live for most bands is what it’s all about. What does playing live do for you?
“I like the feeling when it all comes together you know? With the crowd there I think that’s the most enjoyable part of a show going well. When they go bad it feels bad, but when it’s right on it’s pretty … it’s just really fun, and I get to do it with the three fellas and me; they’re my best mates so it always feels like there’s an extra special air you know?
Having it pull together – for all four of us; and I think if all four of us come off happy, I think we’ve won!”
Now taking into consideration that The Jungle Giants formed in 2011; where have you guys seen your greatest growth?
“I think across the board – in the studio, definitely as friends and people. When we started in those really formative years you know, seventeen is really bloody young [mutual laughter] and like coming to now – it’s just a totally different group of people but it’s still going on great.
Definitely the live shows have taken a huge step – they are light years ahead of where it started, and it’s really important for us to match the live show with how we are sounding in the studio and bring our ideas to life on stage reproduction wise, lighting and everything that comes with putting on a pumping gig.”
It’s a fine balance to match the two – the live and the studio version of a band.
“Yeah totally, and it’s important to us to match those two.”
Speaking of live, you guys are coming back to New Zealand for your second visit!
“Yes!”
Now your first show which was at Auckland’s REC bar, that sold out, so I think a lot of fans are excited that you are playing at a bigger venue this time around.
“Yeah, I’m so excited. I feel like New Zealand is like … it doesn’t feel like it’s a different country, it feels like I am playing at home or something [mutual laughter] it’s really fun.
We’re hoping to do it, you know as often as we can.”
Yeah, it’s funny, our countries are so close and yet so far apart sometimes when it comes to bands playing over here.
“Yeah totally.”
So, what is your advice to fans who are coming to the show? What should they bring with them besides a good attitude?
“Their party boots.”
[mutual laughter]
“Yeah. Party Ugg Boots!”
So where to now for The Jungle Giants?
“We are focusing on the rest of this year, we have like several shows up until the end of the year, like two or three a month… but yeah we got a whole bunch of shows all the way up until the end of the year which is cool because it keeps us busy and then in between that hopefully working on some demos and getting the ball rolling for the next one!”
Are you the kinda band that writes on the road?
“Oh, Sam’s got his little like touring rig but like the touring is too intensive in terms of huge amounts of time away so, we can get some stuff done during the week and then go away on the weekends for the shows. Not too pressed for time there.”
And besides New Zealand which is of course going to be the show of the tour because it’s New Zealand and because it’s my country [laughs] what future shows have you got coming up that you are most looking forward to?
“Oh, New Zealand obviously…”
Obviously…
[mutual laughter]
“Splendour in the Grass, Yours & Ours as well … what else do we have. We have a hometown show here in Brisbane – like a beer festival which we are excited for. Love it – we do like a bit of a beer so that will be good!”
The Jungle Giants are performing tonight (Friday 19th October) in Auckland, then again tomorrow in Christchurch as a part of University of Canterbury celebrations.
Image Credits: Feature Image and Tour Artwork – Supplied. Live Image – ZED Pics / Ambient Light.
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