Cowboy Dan finally have an album coming out! And heaps of other news!

Cowboy Dan, those fine jangly happy-sad rockers who have been on our favourites list for so long, have all sorts of great news today. A new single, 'Change'! A new album, their first! Plus a gig at Last Place next month! With Bitter Defeat! And the False Waltons! And another trip to Hamilton in October!

So we got Leighton (guitar/vocals/looking exactly like Jared the drummer) to talk us through it all.

Hello! It's been a year and half since we last heard from you. What's new?

Leighton: Kia ora, it's been a little bit huh! I think the last time we spoke we were playing Hamilton to celebrate the vinyl release of our Two EPs record. We’ve definitely kept fairly busy since then. We went on a couple of North Island tours, which were a blast. We have also finished recording our debut album, Dreams That Feel Like Falling, which is set to be released on vinyl and streaming September 19th. We are super stoked with it. We have just dropped 'Change' too, the third single. We'll tour the North Island to support the album in September and October. But before all that, we are stopping by your wonderful city on August 30 to play alongside our buddies, Bitter Defeat. So lots of good times coming. 

Your recent single, 'Whole Thing Round', is about half as long and twice as loud as any other Cowboy Dan song I can think of. What led to the change of direction?

This one came about after we had recorded the first half of the album. Before committing to the tracks that would make up the remainder, I spent some time thinking about the balance of it and took stock of the songs we had for the second half. We needed something a little more driving and intense to balance out the album. I set a couple of parameters, it needed to be short, and it needed to be direct. It started almost as a joke, like, yeah, sure I can write a punk rock song. But then I got a feel for something and the lyric, "I will turn this whole thing ‘round", sounded kinda cool being repeated over and over, almost like saying it enough would make it true. A quick verse was in order to make it a song so I decided the verse would be 4 short couplets, one set per season, to paint a romanticised picture of a year; Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, all in a very short space of time.

​When I took it to the guys we fought the urge to flesh it out too much, and agreed that it could not go much past a minute. We loved how it turned out, both the energy and sentiment. We released it as the second single from the record as it just seemed like a fun point of difference for us. ​

'Autumn Leaves', which came out last year when you first announced the new album, has your familiar happy-sad jangle. How did you approach song-writing for the album? Should we expect any more surprises?    

Yeah, 'Autumn Leaves' felt like the right vibe for a first single. As you say, jangly, happy sounding, but with a definite sadness at its heart! It was one of the first songs that was written for the album, too, and it kinda set the tone. To us, an album remains a journey and therefore the songs that make it up, and the way they flow, needs to be thoroughly thought out. The songs that ended up on Dreams That Feel Like Falling have been carefully worked on over an extended period, to subtly push our palate in slightly different directions, whilst remaining true to our feel. At their core, these are still thoughtful, jangly, fuzzy rock songs that we enjoy playing live, but we have allowed ourselves to try a few new things within that world. We have focused a lot on different dynamics within and across the songs, and hope the result is an engaging whole that ebbs and flows a little. 

I hate to admit it but I missed your last Hamilton show with Search For Yeti in March, so I have to ask: have you been playing new material this year, or keeping it under wraps?

That was a fun show. Search for Yeti are a fantastic band, we love those guys! We definitely played songs from right across our catalogue. No hiding or saving tunes for us! We have played everything on the album live at one point or another. To start with we played them to kinda cement structures and parts. Then after finishing recording, towards the end of last year, it has been a natural process of them all finding their way into our sets. Some, like 'Change' and 'Autumn Leaves', have been staples since writing them, so they are well worn in. Others have slotted in fairly regularly, whilst others are rather mood dependent!


When it's far enough in the future to look back on recording your first album, what memories do you think will stick out?

I think in particular it will be little moments that really cemented the songs into the form that they took. Some tunes are ready to go from the moment they are written; easy and natural. Others may feel like a vibe, or are interesting in some way, but are missing something, or require a slight shift in perspective. I think the memories I'll hold are the little moments for each song, when it became clear they were needed for the album, and then the moments when we knew they were ready for the album. Sometimes there’s a good deal of work in between those two points, but that’s kinda the joy of the whole thing too, right? 

Cowboy Dan's Edwards twins: Leighton (either L or R) and Jared (either R or L).

Quick, what are the top 3 reasons for people to leave the house and see you guys play on August 30?

1. Our happy-sad music is damn danceable. You’ll find even the most reluctant attendee tapping their toes, possibly even with a smile on their face, without realising the song is filled with dread, the breakdown of a relationship and a world spinning out of control. Fun for all.  

2. Our bassist Steve has been trying out a new shirt, it's fairly bold, but we are supporting his decision to wear it. He’s still a little unsure though. A little support would go a long way to boost his confidence in the wardrobe department. Steve needs you. 

3. Bitter Defeat are playing and they rule. Support your local artists, and reluctantly see us Aucklanders too.

Interview by Max.