Why use Bootikins for a title? Well, apart from its promise of all things brutal and aggressive, which are after all our traditional stylistic weapons of choice, I found that I was writing a lot of songs with a narrative voice that belonged to the more corrupt, venal, ambitious and callous incarnations of my character. Deliberately I was mining the misanthropic and the resigned, the “worn out man” in me next to the ambitious, energetic grafter in me. For better or worse this collection is peopled with angry, uncertain, trapped shades, Manes, from the Ancient Roman - they will become worse the more love they have for inflicting injury. They fear and desire youth because they are not young, they rail against death only because it refuses to claim them entirely. Grown arch and cynical because in truth they cannot cope.

On to the back story to the recording. A fair bit was done piecemeal like the last one, between Melbourne and Hobart and whatever houses and sheds opened their doors in between. Several were begun as four track demos in Hobart, did the rounds in Melbourne, then found themselves back in Hobart for overdubs. But a good chunk we also made like a proper band, in a great, dirty, old fashioned studio, to a gorgeous old 2 inch tape machine, live and kicking. And what made this already rare and special experience a thousand times more special was the unexpected emergence from retirement of the legendary, sadly now passed, Tony Cohen who wanted to make good on a promise to himself that he’d one day do something with our band. This was news, amazing news, to us, and it still amazes me that we got a chance to work with the man. The moments are ours and we will cherish them, it only suffices to say he got us feeling like, and playing like a real band again after a long interim, and we made some very good music together.

Tracklisting:
1. Fake Jive
2. Mephistopheles Perverted
3. The Third Drink
4. The Long Wait and See
5. The Heaviest Stone
6. Bootikins
7. When I Am Old
8. Tomis
9. I Woke Up in Borgolombardo
10. I Hurtle Back to a Conservative Locker
11. Bitter Clingerzz

Read the ‘Bootikins’ Track by Track
Read about the ‘Bootikins’ Artwork
Read the ‘Bootikins’ Bio

Released: February 23, 2018