Description

The band's second album comes more than three years after their acclaimed debut, Pieces Of Eight. Self-produced and self-financed, Kicking Indifference is a grand, glorious record. Davey calls it "a little bit trashy, a little bit kitchen-sinky with a wee splash of bombast", adding with a laugh: "It’s the sort of record that Queen would make – if they were making it in Ferntree Gully."

Forgetting fads, Davey and Luke had one simple aim – to make an album of great songs.

"It did seem quite dire for a while," Davey says. "Lots of things were going wrong, the band was falling apart, our managers gave up on us, I wondered if we should pack it all in."

"All we had was this bunch of new songs," Luke explains. "So we blocked everything else out and just decided to keep going."

What could have been "the difficult second album" became an artistic triumph.

"It was a fun record to make," Luke says. "I'll always look back at it fondly."

"It brought Luke and I closer together," Davey adds. "We thought, 'Fuck it all, we're in this together – it's just you and me'. We engineered each other's vocals and propped each other up when one of us was falling down."

They brought in a couple of special guests on drums – Davey's You Am I buddy Russell Hopkinson, and Joel Ellis from Mink Jaguar and Nunchukka Superfly – and Davey also had a bash on a few tracks.

The album features horns, Mellotrons, Hammond organs, and lots of backing vocals.

Davey says. "There really isn't any kind of common thread through any of the tunes."
Luke: "Well, that's the common thread."
Davey: "The common thread is there is no common thread. The only other constant is that they’re all fuckin' amazing songs."

From the wonderfully instant first single, "Can You Hear It", to the twisted psychedelic funk of "Give It Some!" and the rollicking "So Long, My Friend", Kicking Indifference is quite a trip. Then there's Luke's ballad "Cabin Fever", an epic in just 3 minutes and 35 seconds.

"I guess it probably should have some sense of cohesion," Davey smiles, "but I've always been a fan of records that throw the listener a curveball or two."

Kicking Indifference is an album of curveballs, killer choruses and a wonderful crescendo.

Yep, make no mistake, The Pictures are back.

Can you hear it, too?

Track listing

Side A

I Am The Day
Give It Some!
Can You Hear It
Cabin Fever
Thank You Honey
Nowhere

Side B

Better Let Go
So Long, My Friend
Maisie Rose
To The Top
I'm Safe
The Lion's Share Of You

Release details

• Limited edition of 500
• Individually hand numbered
• White vinyl
• Gatefold sleeve
• New artwork designed by Davey Lane
• 2 new tracks not on the CD version

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