Unknown Truth

It is always hard to be a new band on the Adelaide scene as there is a lot of tough, but healthy, competition. Unknown Truth have been gigging around town for just over a year now and have done their fair share of venue-hopping in that time. Having slogged it out live, they have also been hard at work preparing for the release of their debut EP titled 'The Mistaken View Of The Transitory Collection'.

The band's drummer, Chris Letheby, took some time out to tell us all about the EP, as well as the CD launch which is to follow.

"The recording process of our EP was really quite special - and long! We recorded with Alex Cameron, who, with his wife Vivienne, has a property up in the hills where he has a home-studio type of set-up and these lovely people basically let us invade their home for a full, intense long weekend back in March to lay down some tracks," Letheby says.

"There is some wonderful scenery and clean, clear air up in that part of the world which definitely boosted our creative energies. Alex's unstoppable perfectionism saw us making frequent trips back up on weeknights and other weekends to lay down vocal tracks, do guitar overdubs and so forth."

The whole process took around four months, according to Letheby, but then, from getting the final mixes, it all came together very quickly for the band. At times during those four months, the guys found themselves just wishing it could all be under wraps.

Of course, in the end, it was worth every second, as Letheby explains, "With every CD there's got to be a standout track or a crowd favourite, you know? And I guess that with 'The Mistaken View Of The Transitory Collection' it is no exception. The track we are promoting the most right now and which is probably the most radio-friendly, is Balancing Inaction. I think it's a great song because it's just so direct, short, punchy and straightforward, yet, it says so much. It opens with this staccato guitar riff and very matter-of-fact vocals - 'This song will be dead one day/but I wrote it any way' and it gets right down to business, blasting out an anthemic chorus in the first 30 seconds."

Letheby adds that the song uses the imagery of a journey metaphorically, to conjure up a feeling of the harmony (or tension) between the opposites in life. If there is an ultimate point to the song, it is that, despite the fact that all experience is fleeting and impermanent and that life just slips through our fingers, we still have to keep striving because there is no reasonable alternative.

While there is no doubt that this song will get a few spins thanks to its crunchy guitar riffs and dirty vocals, that is just a taste of what the rest of the EP will be like, as Letheby announces. And, of course, with an EP inevitably also comes a launch - and what an incredible one this will be! With an awesome line-up and a couple of surprises, you would be crazy to miss this show.

"We are going to be launching the CD at the Jade Monkey, which is definitely by far our favourite venue on Saturday the 9th of September. Our supports will be provided by Miracle Hat, who are one of our favourite local rock acts, as well as Three Letter Word who are a wonderful three-piece from Melbourne and who are making the trip over for their first ever Adelaide gig," Letheby says.

The first 20 punters through the door will receive Unknown Truth's EP for free, so make sure you get there early to avoid disappointment. However, even if you miss out you will still be able to purchase both the EP as well as some t-shirts which will be for sale on the night.

"Our set will be excellent - we're going to crank out a couple of funny cover songs and we will also be showcasing songs from the CD and a couple of brand new compositions!

This is going to be the night of nights, we are extremely excited about the thought of getting out there and doing it. It's going to be the night of our lives...We hope!"

Fiona Stafford

Unknown Truth launch 'The Mistaken View Of The Transitory Collection' on Sat 9 September at the Jade Monkey with Miracle Hat and Three Letter Word.