A New Album From Custard Peers Behind the Suburban Curtains

Custard are one of Australia’s longest running musical legacies, having formed in Brisbane in 1989.  In the ensuing years they have released nine full studio albums, with Suburban Curtains being their latest. 

The band responsible for Australian pop-rock classics packed with acerbic lyrics such as ‘Pack Yr Suitcase’, ‘Music is Crap’ and’ Girls Like That ‘(‘Don’t Go For Guys Like Us’) have retuned after four years since their last album with a new found energy, outlook and sound and a 21- track album. 

“It’s made us concentrate on the essences of the songs to fit them all on one CD,” Dave McCormack, guitarists/writer, Custard said. 

“We’re all getting on and you don’t have many chances to make a record, so let’s make a full one.” 

 Custard finds a new stride from the first track

From the first track ‘Diplomat of Love’ the listener is aware that these old horses have found a new stride, now featuring a sound with strong , uncluttered guitars parts, clean drum sounds, all worked in with melodic bass lines. 

How this came about is down to the changes in the ways that the band worked together on the compositions. 

“Normally when we do an album we don’t do much pre-production and we turn up at the studio and frantically try to learn each others’ parts,” McCormack said. 

“Before we went to Tasmania to record we met at Glenn’s place at Culburra Beach, and we sat around for two days showing each other their song ideas and writing the chord charts, which I think gave Matthew (Strong) the freedom for his guitar parts. 

“I think that these great chords just cut through everything very effectively.” 

Think Supergrass at their best, or The Beatles Rubber Soul era. 

 Custard drummer Glenn Thompson expands his role

The other change in the band’s sound McCormack puts down to longtime drummer Glenn Thompson expanding his role in the band, which shines on his composition ‘Coat of Paint’  a whimsical melodic mini-masterpiece of economical writing. 

“I feel he is in his George Harrison Abbey Road period and now he is really starting to take the lead with these beautiful, fantastic and interesting songs,” McCormack said. 

“Now he mixes and overdubs everything on our albums and he does all the artwork.” 

Suburban Curtains recorded at MONA in Tassie

The recording of Suburban Curtains occurred mainly in Tasmania, at an art gallery of all places. 

“Glenn found this studio at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) and we recorded to an 8-track via a desk that The Beatles used at EMI to record some of their early stuff,” McCormack said. 

“It’s ex-Abbey Road and is a REDD-17 console and there are photos of The Beatles using that console, which as a Beatles fan I was thrilled about.” 

Like their last three albums, Suburban Curtains is being released through ABC Music, an unusual proposition to a band used to large record company contracts.

“We met the two wonderful gentlemen from ABC Music, Basil and Nick, and we licensed our last three or four records though the ABC, which is great because imagine having a record distributor who is also a national broadcaster for radio, TV and streaming, so it is like a dream promotional outfit,” McCormack said. 

Custard touring nationally with The Fauves

To further promote Suburban Curtains Custard will be touring nationally with many supports by their old friends, The Fauves. 

“We toured though the 90s together and they are wonderfully dysfunctional older gentlemen like us,” McCormack said.