Civic had little more than purity of the Aussie punk aesthetic in mind when it made 2023’s Taken By Force. The result is a bracing, if one dimensional, statement of intent that served the Melbourne band well on the road as it set about blowing American minds with its visceral live performances. For the new Chrome Dipped (ATO), the quartet was looking to get out of the house (literally) and expand its stylistic horizons a bit. Was it worth the trip to Tasmania to do so?
MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland got some answers from Civic guitarist Lewis Hodgson.
Civic has always done a great job of balancing the personal and the sociopolitical in its songs. Where does Chrome Dipped fall on that continuum in terms of subject matter?
Well, thank you. Whereas the previous album was about warfare and personal warfare, Chrome Dipped ventures into new themes of modern isolation via technology. Meanwhile, we’re still writing on a personal level about human themes—loss, love, lust and addiction, among others—to give it some contrast.
From a musical standpoint, how is Chrome Dipped a progression from the more purist punk feel of Taken By Force?
Taken By Force was about nailing it and paying homage to Australian punk while giving it our own twist—or kick up the arse, if you will. We played it a bit more by the book in songwriting style and performance. We abandoned that with Chrome Dipped, bringing in styles and influences we’ve previously left to the side but have an affinity for. Rather than look for retro validation, we’re doing something more contemporary, I believe.
How was recording with Kirin J. Callinan in Tasmania different from the experience you had with the last album?
Kirin has always impressed me with his production and he has heaps of experience with studios, so it made sense for what we were setting out to do. Kirin and (engineer) Chris Townend would put so much care into the tiniest detail—almost too much. We’d go down rabbit holes chasing the perfect vocal delivery or loud clang or pedal combination. It was completely immersive at points. Taken By Force was banging out a punk album in the country at [former guitarist Jackson Harry’s] dad’s house. No sound-proofing—just leads running all over the house into rooms dividing amps and drums. Different scene, but still a great way to do it.
You guys made quite the impression at last year’s South by Southwest music conference. How would you describe your relationship with American audiences right now?
If they’re not buying a T-shirt, they’re buying you a beer or offering you a floor to sleep on. Truly hospitable people who know how to party.
What have been the challenges of translating the fury of your live shows to the studio?
I don’t think we ever planned on translating the live show to record. We’d done that with our first release. Recording is more a fun place to explore ideas you might not even be able to replicate live. To me, they’re separate entities. The amount of work people put into making things sound like they aren’t overproduced could be utilized better for things—like overproduction.
See Civic live.
