Adalita

In August 2009 the Australian music community suffered a massive blow with the loss of Magic Dirt guitarist, and supporter of many upcoming bands, Dean Turner. In the months leading up to his all-too-soon death, ‘Dirt’s frontwoman Adalita Srsen had begun work on her debut solo record. Now, the long-gestated finished product is finally being unleashed on the world. It’s clear the end result embodies the purest definition of a solo record, with a barebones guitar and vocal approach, but Dean’s presence permeates throughout, explains Adalita. "Dean was encouraging me to pull out some of the songs I had just lying around and maybe doing some more for a solo album," she says.

We received first taste of the self-titled album with a handful of intimate performances a couple of years ago, as Adalita recalls. "I had a residency at The Retreat in 2009, which were my first ever solo shows. Dean was really encouraging me to go up and give it a try after hearing some of my solo-sounding songs that I had done," she explains. "It just sort of started from that, but prior to that I did have all these people coming up to me asking ‘When are you bringing out a solo thing?’ Which was the thing for a while – there were a lot of lead singers from bigger bands bringing out their own stuff."

After close to two decades with one of the country’s most beloved rock outfits, the time was right for a slight transition into something a bit different. It almost seemed inevitable that one of the most inimitable figures in rock would release a record of solo material. "It was when Magic Dirt started slowing down with touring, so it was probably a couple a years ago I really started writing for the record," Adalita recalls. "We weren’t really doing that much at all and Dean was really ill, so it was a very different space as a band," she muses.

Even though there is a gaping disparity between the sparse sounds of Adalita and the balls-out rock of Magic Dirt’s grungy back catalogue, the shift from a rock band dynamic into a more personal outlet came naturally. "It wasn’t that big a leap. They way I would write for Magic Dirt is very similar to writing the solo stuff, it’s just a matter of picking the right songs," she details. "I usually sit down in my bedroom or whatever and write a riff, sing over the top of it, and that’s the demo that I present to the band. But, some of those songs just refused to be ‘rocked up’, and brought into a band."

Though distinctly solo in every regard, a few select musicians were bought into the studio to add some finishing touches. Luckily, Adalita didn’t have to stray too far from her friendship circles to recruit some helping hands. "Everything kind of flowed pretty well; everyone I had work on the record was very much on the same page. They knew what I wanted from them, and what I needed," she recalls.

"Dean was one of the producers, so he helped to pick the songs. He knew me inside out. He would help with arrangements and the whole aesthetic, really pushing the minimalism with the vocal-guitar aspect. Then I worked with a friend of mine, J.P. Shilo, who used to be in this fantastic Melbourne band called Hungry Ghosts. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, so I got him into the studio to let loose on a bunch of songs he’d never really heard before. He went sick [and] played violin and waves of guitar. He was like this mad professor with so many ideas. About ninety per cent of what he did I ended up using on the record, on about five songs," she explains.

"Then I got Amaya Laucrica, who is in a band of her own. She came in to do backing vocals on one track, and that was about it. For mixing it was just me and the engineer and we drove each other mental. It took a long time to mix just the vocal and guitar, finessing every single thing: we’re both very OCD. It all flowed very smoothly," she adds with a laugh.

Though there are some telling anchors throughout the album, it’s hard to pinpoint any explicit musical references throughout Adalita’s work. "I don’t listen to music at home so I didn’t have anything playing while doing the album," she divulges. "I mean, there’s definitely Neil Young, P.J. Harvey, Kate Bush and David Bowie – all those artists make my favourite kind of music so I guess that’s part of my music, subconsciously."

"I do love long delays on guitars and all sorts of effect pedals. Just fucking around with the sound, you know? Making it big when it’s fuzzed out," she muses. "There is a song on there where I was like ‘Oh, sounds like I’m trying to be Neil Young’," she laughs.

So can fans expect to see Magic Dirt back in any shape or form anytime soon? "Touring? I’d say no. It’s just too emotional, too exhausting," she says. "There are a lot of questions of what is the right thing to do, you know? We’re all so lost without Dean when it comes to what’s next for Magic Dirt, on a lot of levels. He had the ideas and would plan out the year. So without him we’re thinking ‘What do we do?’"

Magic Dirt completed one final run of Big Day Out shows in 2010, a gesture which the group’s many fans deeply appreciated. "I’m glad we did it. It was like a wake for the fans, in a way," she says. "Dean loved Magic Dirt so much, and it seemed like a fitting way to pay tribute."

ADALITA’s self-titled solo album is out now through Liberation. She launches it at The Toff In Town on April 9 with Spencer P Jones and Amaya Laucirica. Tickets from moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX or thetoffintown.com.