Sydney-sider Sam Yeldman is Guineafowl . He’s the man behind the memorable songs ’ In Our Circles ,’ ’ Botanist ‘ and more from his 2011 debut EP Hello Anxiety . After a short hiatus from live shows in 2012, Guineafowl is back with a brand spanking new single ‘ Little Death (Make It Rain) ‘ from upcoming second EP I Hope My City Loves Me Still .
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Leah Phillips: Hey Sam, thanks for having a chat with THE RIPE , how are you doing this arvo?
Guineafowl (Sam Yeldman): I’m good, I’m good, thank you for chatting to me.
LP: You’re welcome! Now I’ve listened to your new track ‘ Little Death (Make It Rain) ‘ a few times since its release and it’s been stuck in my head for days since, it’s so catchy! We’re very much looking forward to the new EP. What should we expect from this collection of tunes?
G: I think this EP is about the different angles in which I like to write music. It’s four tracks, so it’s quite even sided like that, and it’s four different ways in which I guess I like to write music. Something a bit heavier, a bit synthy, then something a bit dancier, which will be ‘ I Hope my City Love Me Still ‘ which is the EP title track, and then again another dancer more tradition pop song which is called ‘ Heart Break High ‘ which I wrote with Paul Mac . Then lastly ‘ 16 Tonnes ‘, a bit more of a ballad. It’s really me fleshing out the different arcs in which I will later go into in an album mode.
LP: Taking things back a step here, initially Guineafowl was your solo project, but then quite soon after you enlisted the support of a fuller band, what was behind this decision and how has the band developed from the earlier days of the first EP ‘Hello Anxiety’ to now?
G: So Guineafowl is still me, it’s always been me. I’ve had a few different different versions of bands. I’m never really going to be really able to play my songs by myself, they’re too big. I can’t fit on stage with a ukelele, I have to have a band. But Guineafowl is me, these are my songs. I’ve had some consistent people for a while but I’ve just changed that, Guineafowl is me.
LP: You mention that telling a story is a major element you try to convey in your songwriting, what stories will we hear through the new EP?
G: My first EP Hello Anxiety was stories and observations, it was me looking out the window and seeing a world around me and trying to calculate that. This EP is not my window. It’s inward, not outward. So these stories are mine, these things are about me. It’s sort of narrative takes place in the first person, it’s a lot of “I did, I did” and “I am, I am, I am” and so yeah, that’s the sort of story. I feel like this person, I’ve gone through this.
LP: You played Splendour In The Grass in 2011, and have toured with the likes of Portugal the Man and Foster the People since then, as well as touring in USA. What were those experiences like for you guys, and what did you take away from them?
G: Certainly when I finished the tour with Foster The People, I went “wow” I really really want a sound that’ll make your feet vibrate! Them live, they were so huge that you couldn’t help but move, and I loved that. It made me really think about the first EP that I released and now what I really wanted to do at the next level. And the next level is making something that really makes you have to move, but also has that story telling essence that I was talking to you about earlier. So that’s what I’ve learnt really. It’s the same with Portugal The Man and playing at a stage like Splendour In The Grass it really make you go well hang on what is it that I’m actually trying to do here, what am I trying to do in a live performance. So much so that in 2012 I didn’t play live, I think I just played the Portugal The Man shows and then the rest of the year I didn’t do anything. Because I didn’t want to play live until I know what is it I want to do, and now I know.
LP: So you mentioned the name of the track that titles the EP ’ I Hope My City Loves Me Still ,’ I think you mentioned it was the dancier track, what drew you to using this name to title the the EP as well?
G: I think going into the EP and what follows next is an album, is I wanna establish the start of this story and this relationship with the city. It all reflects the way I wrote these songs, I went on these stupidly big walks around Sydney and just got lost, almost every night just for a good few months and then on the weekend for the past few months. But yeah I just had to deal with some personal stuff through these crazy pilgrimages and that’s where all these songs have come from, these journeys into the city.
LP: Following the release of I Hope My City Loves Me Still , what’s in store for Guineafowl in the next six months?
G: I’m going to start playing some shows again, which is nice. But as soon as I can I wanna go and well, I don’t wanna give too much away, but go and continue recording. It’s been a while since I’ve released music, and I quite enjoy releasing music and I’ve got some more to release. So just expect more music coming from this place.
LP: Yeah that’s so exciting, when I saw you’d released a new track, I was like “oh wow it’s been a while since I’ve heard anything new from him.” I guess I’m saying it was nice to hear from you again.
G: Aw thank-you, yeah I kinda vanished for a while there I suppose.
LP: So what is it you would like people to take away from listing to I Hope My City Loves Me Still ?
Well I want them to enjoy listening to it first, but I think if you can have a feeling in a fraction of a moment where you listen to a song and you can kind of go “hey yeah I felt something like that,” or “I’ve gone through something like that” or, “that line summarises something for me”, thats a definite advantage. Yeah, that’s what I want people to feel.
LP: Previously through triple j unearthed you worked with a National Institute of Dramatic Arts ( NIDA ) director and made some pretty successful film clips, have you got anything similar in the works for this new single, or anything off the EP?
I do have a cilp for Little Death, it’ll be out soon, it’s just being graded at the moment. Kip (Williams) who directed the first two clips wasn’t able to do this one because he’s directing a Sydney Theatre Company show, he’s directing Romeo and Juliet. But I’ve got a great director on board and he’s just doing an amazing job. So yeah that will be coming out soon and yeah visuals are important to me with music.
LP: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with THE RIPE, and we look forward to hearing new music from you and seeing you perform live again real soon.
G: Thank you very much!
I Hope My City Loves Me Still will be released on Friday October 11th.
WORDS BY Leah Phillips
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