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Interviews

“It’s all been very cathartic”: Candy chats his honest new album

The first thing that sparked my interest in Candy (the solo bedroom-pop project of Calum Newton) was the honesty. All through his latest album Under The Weather, he unloads on weighty topics like he’s speaking to his oldest friend.

So, while he was in Sydney for his latest album tour, we caught up with Cal to chat about the circumstances that led to this album being released, how the act of songwriting helped him navigate certain issues, and how arm-wrestling can really fuck with your head.

Photos: Dani Hansen

I’m not hurt by it all, that’s just the way it is“: We caught up with Candy to chat about his honest new album, Under The Weather.

HAPPY: Starting out, I’m really interested in the timeline of the Candy project. Because you released your first album in 2014, right?

CAL: Yeah, I think it was 2013 or 2014. Something like that. I’ve had this thing for ages. I put out an album when I was like 16 or something, so I put that out on Christmas I think… saying “hey friends, look at my album.” Then I pulled it down like a year later, then I put out an EP. This project has been my bedroom recording project since I was about 16 or 17. But it was only last year that decided I should be more serious with it, and try to get more out of it. It was this bullshit PR thing, saying this is a debut album. There was Waiting For U and Wrapped In Plastic, but we said they were mixtapes. Instead of saying this was the fourth album, we said it was the debut. But I prefer to be a bit more organic… those are still albums. But yeah, 2013… to answer your question.

HAPPY: So there was a specific point in time where you decided you were going to take this more seriously…

CAL: Yeah, I’d say for Under The Weather. That’s when I decided to do that. I finished it in mid to late 2017, then I spent last year getting it to the right point. I got a band, which I’d never done before – I’d always said: “I’ll never get a band for this, it’s a bedroom project for life… yadda yadda yadda.” But then I decided that’s dumb. It’s fun to play shows and go to places. Fortunately, early on, RAAVE TAPES were like “Hey, come play with us,” which I did solo, like karaoke, then I put a band together for a Melbourne show. Does that answer your question at all?

HAPPY: Yeah totally. You’ve got a history playing in various other bands, like Lunatics On Pogosticks and Amyl & The Sniffers. Was your decision to start taking the Candy project more seriously a result of those projects not really happening anymore?

CAL: Yeah, well I pulled out of Amyl… like just before they catapulted to fame and fortune. Maybe not fortune, but fame. Then, after that, I found myself with this really naive view where I thought they wouldn’t be doing much if I left… because I was recording a lot of the stuff. So I was pretty at ease leaving that band, which was a dumb mistake. Bryce, who drums for Amyl, used to play in Lunatics On Pogosticks too… so he was off doing other things. And besides, I kind of didn’t really want to play pop-punk music anymore. There are enough Blink-182 wannabe bands doing that. But hey, no shade on that – it is what it is. I chucked on Enema Of The State last week. That album still bops. But yeah, that was all good reasoning to try and do my own solo thing.

HAPPY: I remember hearing an interview with you on FBi Radio a few months back…

CAL: I love FBi by the way. I was so stoked them playing my music.

HAPPY: Yeah, shout out to FBi. But I remember hearing you talking about the whole Amyl & The Sniffers situation, and I remember being kind of surprised at how openly you talked about it.

CAL: Yeah, well it’s kind of a tricky one. You don’t want to come off as being shitty, because it’s not a shitty thing – it all happened pretty organically. And I also don’t want to throw shade at them, because I still see them. When they’re not travelling the world, it’s all still very nice. Bryce beat me in an arm wrestle last week. My arm hurt for days afterwards… and sucked because I thought it would be my win. I thought that if I could beat him in that arm wrestle, then the rest wouldn’t matter. It ruined me. And Amy was behind him, saying “yeah, go get him Bryce.” It’s bullshit.

HAPPY: Did your band have your back?

CAL: Nah, they weren’t even there.

HAPPY: Bastards.

CAL: Yeah, no backup. My girlfriend was there saying “it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter.”

HAPPY: What really surprises me though, is how honest you are about the whole thing. Was it ever difficult writing about these topics?

CAL: Yeah, I like that you use the word honest. I do appreciate that. I’ve had other interviews where people have said it’s very “vulnerable”. I think there’s a difference between honesty and vulnerability. I think being vulnerable is very important, and I think being honest is very important. But I find that this is more honest than it is vulnerable. I’m not hurt by it all, that’s just the way it is. I’m still trying to come to terms with it myself. But no, I never really found it difficult at all. I viewed it as an interesting topic, so I delved into it. It’s all been very cathartic.

HAPPY: Do you feel like the process of songwriting helped you sort through everything?

CAL: Oh, 100% yes. I sat on this album for a year, and I decided that I should put out a couple of singles and do PR stuff. So, after doing that… hold on, I’ve completely lost my train of thought. I had something good, but I just saw Olive (EGOISM).

(A brief break in the interview, as Olive came over for a quick chat)

CAL: Fuck, what was I saying?

HAPPY: You were saying how songwriting helped you navigate everything.

CAL: Yes, that’s it. Yeah, because even just putting the album out… it was one of these things where even if it wasn’t successful, it was still mine. It’s my thing, and I can take solace in the fact that I’m putting out something that’s my own. If it’s getting any interest, or any words about it, that should be enough for me. People taking time out of their day to have a listen is huge.

HAPPY: Aside from the Amyl stuff, the whole record is filled with pretty melancholic themes…

CAL: Oh yeah, it’s really fucking bleak. So bleak.

HAPPY: Well yeah, but the instrumentation is still really bright. Was that a conscious effort?

CAL: It’s a complete Cure, DIIV rip-off. But yeah, I love more melodic music. I love that chorus-y guitar sound.

HAPPY: Finally, what’s next for Candy?

CAL: Well, I’ve just finished an album.

HAPPY: Already?

CAL: Yeah, well I’m trying to be kind of prolific… not King Gizzard prolific – that’s too hard. But I enjoy putting out music, so I just want to be able to do that. I’m hoping for June or July next year, but I’m not sticking to a timeline, so that’s probably not real. This one’s not happier, but it’s way less dark. I hope it’s a lot less bleak.

Under The Weather is available now.