“I’d say there’s a mixture of sadness and loss, but predominantly hope,” Dave says. “Glenn [Mossop, singer] is an amazing lyricist. I love the way he writes songs and he’s taken us on a journey with these tunes. Sometimes it’s upbeat, and a lot of the time it’s very reflective with deep emotions of loss and sadness. But there’s an underlying emotion of hope throughout the lyrics and the songs.”
Three years after relocating to Melbourne from Tauranga, New Zealand, Until Dawn established Bonjah as an engaging blues and roots act with great pop sensibilities. This was particularly apparent on tracks like Colours and Bring Back The Fire, the latter of which featured in the Australian film Matching Jack. Go Go Chaos combines the accessibility of their debut with a more polished and sparse sound. There’s also a more eclectic mix of light and dark and some almost threatening moments, such as the title track, which is also the new single. Dave says they wanted to stretch themselves.
“We sort of consciously made a decision to take the music somewhere else,” Dave explains. “You’re always trying to improve and we wanted to get out of our comfort zone and experiment with light and shade, and also with a lot of space. We went into a lot of the songs with a less is more approach.
“There was also quite a minimal approach to the recording set up,” he says. “It wasn’t really intricate. It was literally just a few mikes and a drum kit in a big room, and all of us jamming together. We came up with the songs but didn’t really enjoy them when we tried to complicate them or use intricate timings. It was so natural to allow for a lot of space and play almost as little as possible. It was very held back, but naturally held back.”
Producer Steven Schram, who has worked with acts such as The Cat Empire and Little Birdy, helped keep the band focused on their approach. Dave thinks he also had a big influence on the drum sound and the guitar tones.
“He was amazing in the studio,” Dave says. “We really didn’t have to tell him too much. He’d hear a song, tweak the sound and get Dan [drummer Dan Chisholm] to play snare softly and loudly. Then he’d tune it down and tell him to play it as softly as he can, but play the toms loud. He was a huge part of the drum sound. Sometimes Dan would say, ‘Is this guy crazy? Is he serious?’ But of course it sounded absolutely fantastic when we listened to it.”
Bonjah now heads out on a 15-date national tour in support of the album, and will play a showcase gig in Auckland in October. They’re also keen to return to Japan – where they’re signed with P-Vine Records – and get on the bill for some festivals in the Australian summer. Dave says it’s a great time to be in Bonjah.
“It’s bloody fantastic,” he declares. “It’s so exciting and things keep popping up every day. It’s just brilliant.”
