Dustin Tebbutt’s debut release The Breach caught indie fans’ attention with its melancholic lyrics and infectious guitar twangs, making it into the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2013.
Now, after collaborations with the Kite String Tangle and a spectacular set on the Splendour in the Grass stage, the singer-songwriter returns with a new single Home, a seven-song mini album and a national tour. Here he talks about how his after-school ritual became a career and why he dreams of moving to Spain.
How do you describe the evolution of your sound?
Everything has become more refined. The last couple of EPs were me learning how to record and learning how to sing. They were a process to gather the tools that I need to be able to start communicating what I wanted to do musically. This time around I had a solid base to start with so I’ve been able to explore musically what I’ve wanted to do.
You wrote, recorded, produced and performed all seven songs by yourself. What are the best and worst things about doing it solo?
The best thing is the moment inspiration comes along. I don’t have to find out when someone is free and then two weeks later get in a room and record the parts. As soon as an idea comes into my brain, I can start working on it straight away. Even though the recordings are quite developed and I’ve put time into crafting the sound, they’re all a very immediate translation. The song will come around and in a few days it will be recorded. There is not much time for it to sit and stew, and you’re capturing something really quickly.
But it’s also really hard because I have to make all the decisions. Sometimes it would be nice to have someone to go “That sounds silly, you should probably rethink that part”, or “That part sounds really good,” so you don’t have to constantly question yourself. It’s like being out at sea and you don’t have a map.
You’ve hooked up with Danny Harley from Kite String Tangle. How did that happen?
We both started at the same time, I kept an eye on his progression and listened to his music and really enjoyed it – and he was doing the same thing. We got chatting after a show and got along really well. Next time I was up in Brisbane, we hung out and ended up writing a track together that became Illuminate. It wasn’t planned, we just got along really well and some music happened that we were both happy with.
Which song has taught you the most about music?
Radical Face did Welcome Home Son, and the first time I heard that track, it was a complete journey. All of the sounds in it, it was a complete world, and I think that’s really what music is for me. It’s an escape, it can transport me somewhere else, and that’s what I really enjoy when I’m listening to music. Bands like Sigur Ros and the National and Bon Iver have this way of creating a world within whatever they are doing soundwise that I can jump into. I’m trying to create that thing too.
Do you remember the musical experience that set you on this path?
[Growing up] we lived on a big property and there was space and time to do stuff. Time felt slow. I remember coming home and playing guitar for two hours. I don’t remember learning it – it being a real struggle. It just started becoming part of my life straight away. I think it was that daily ritual of sitting down, lighting the wood fires, playing guitar, then helping Mum cook dinner. It was an after school ritual. I never thought about choosing to do it, it just happened.
You have quite a distinct sound. Would you ever do something completely different under a pseudonym?
Absolutely. There are a few little projects that I’d like to do. What I’m doing at the moment is defined by a lot of things sonically, but I’ve been dreaming of getting a house with a piano in it maybe in Spain for 10 days, and each day trying to write a very short, solid piano piece. Lately I’ve been doing electronic stuff, there is so much technology around these days and so much of the music now has elements of electronic, so those influences are starting to permeate.
You’re playing different venues on this tour from the last one. Which are your favourites to play?
So far I’ve got the most out of the slightly smaller rooms. The ones we are doing on this run will all be the perfect size, because you can feel a real connection to everyone in the room. There’s quite a lot of space in our live set, we’re not really trying to rock out, it’s quite an intimate performance. [In] those smaller venues where you can engage with everyone in the room, you can feel everyone’s energy. We did Splendour in the Grass this year and it was amazing but getting to that size, with the physical distance between you and the people up the back, you lose that connection.
What other Australian artists are you keeping an eye on?
#1 Dads have wrapped up now [but] that project was incredible. And there is a project called Tigersapp from Szymon Borzestowski – he committed suicide a few years ago but his friends finished his body of work for him and it’s absolutely beautiful.
Then there’s a woman called Woodes who has just collaborated with Elkkle. She’s an upcoming singer-songwriter in Melbourne who does really luscious electronic pop stuff. She’s great.
Who has had the greatest influence on you musically?
Thom Yorke has always been a big inspiration, the way he’s always pushed the boundaries and done the creative thing, as opposed to the commercial thing and managed to find a way to build a career out of that. Without a role model like that, it would be very easy to get swept up in trying to do the current thing.
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Dustin Tebbutt plays Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on 18 September, followed by Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth
