Fresh Talent: Albion Place
Fresh Talent: Albion Place
Taking its name from a street on the band’s home turf of Dunedin, Albion Place formed in 2011 and currently includes Micah Davis-Rae on guitar and vocals, Hugh Fulton (synthesiser), Tom Kelk on bass and drummer Mackenzie Hollebon.
The band has a dynamic sound which founding / lead member Micah describes as reggae-infused indie rock with a touch of electronica.
Micah cites B.B. King and Leonard Cohen as influences on his work, both within the band and beyond.
“B.B. King wasn’t the best guitarist in the world but he managed to play with such passion that no one else had seen, and Leonard had some of the most authentic lyrics sung in the most raw voice.”
With a first EP released in 2014, the band is now hard at work crafting a new record set for release next year. Sydney-based Australian producer Lyall Moloney has been helping them with the new EP.
“We had these songs that we bought to him and we managed to choose four of them as each showcased a different genre,” Micah explains.
“The first single we dropped in October [Running] was our pop kind of song, and the one we dropped before [Levitate] was the reggae-indie rock one. We’ve got two more songs to release in December or January, then we’re gonna jump on a national tour. From there, we’ll record another album and do another tour.”
A key decision in their second EP’s recording was regarding location.
“We had to decide if we should do it at an expensive studio or could go out to a holiday house in Wanaka and set up a recording studio there, where we’d have no time constraints.”
Deciding to head out into the wild to record, the band found this freedom with time creatively beneficial.
“We did most of the vocals past midnight when you’re really in the vibe.”
Taking some initiative has already paid off for the talented group and Micah is stoked by the support Albion Place has received from a number of people.
“I would have never imagined in a million years that Lyall would be keen to fly over to the South Island to make music with us but the world is so small. As soon as you start reaching out you’re broadening your audience and people are keen to help as they love it too.”
