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Frank Turner is about to release one of his most raw and personal records to date, Tape Deck Heart. It will be Turner’s fifth studio effort as a solo artist, and it has us excited! GroundSounds had the chance to get on the grind with Frank, check out the interview below!
Hey Frank, thanks for talking to us here at GroundSounds. How are you doing?
I’m good thanks, in San Antonio today doing a warm-up show for SXSW.
Now I read that you actually recorded Tape Deck Heart out here in LA. What was it like recording out here in Cali?
It was great. I was a little nervous about recording in California, only because it’s such a cliche, English act does well and relocates to LA, you know? The music I make is self-consciously English, I want it to sound like where I’m from. But the actual recording was great, I didn’t actually leave Burbank really, just head down, working very hard, with the amazing Rich Costey at the controls.
England, Keep My Bones had a lot of material that was very much about being English. Does Tape Deck Heart have that same English vibe?
Well, I hope it sounds English, but the song material is different – I said what I needed to say about my home on the last album. This one is a more personal record.
What was the inspiration behind your new song “Recovery” and who came up with the idea for the music video?
The song is about the moment when you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere and need to do something about that. My songs are all, generally, autobiographical. The music video was done by the excellent Mr. Tom Lacey, who does the artwork for my records as well.
Do you have a favorite of the new songs you’ve written?
It’s hard to pick just the one, but I think the last song on the new record, “Broken Piano”, has a pretty special place in my heart. Musically it heads in a slightly different direction, nodding towards my taste in post-rock, and lyrically I think it sums up the entire record very well.
Recently you played some new songs acoustically in Hollywood. One song you mentioned almost didn’t make the record because it was too harsh. Tell us a little bit about this particular song.
That song is called “Anymore”, and it’s a very raw song about a breakup. It pulls no punches, it’s about the moment when love has died, and it’s difficult for me to sing.
What is the main difference between performing in the US and performing in the UK?
People in the USA have much better manners, and drive further for gigs.
You have a ton of gigs coming up, China, Australia, a few more US gigs, where are you most excited about going?
I’m excited about heading back to China. I’ve been there before and had an amazing time. Very eye-opening.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
On stage, hopefully.
If you were on a deserted island and could only bring 3 albums with you, what albums would you bring?
Argh, agonizing question. Uh, probably “August & Everything After” by Counting Crows, “Reconstruction Site” by The Weakerthans, and “The First Four Years” by Black Flag.
