THE FAUVES ANDREW COX: ‘TROPICAL STRENGTH’ ALBUM INTERVIEW

Occasionally Wikipedia is on the money. It tells us that “The Fauves are an Australian rock band formed in 1988. The band are known for their witty lyrics, melodic pop-rock and often satirical or evocative exploration of Australian themes.”

For Australian music fans The Fauves are one of the most relatable bands you could ever connect with. Featuring antipodean references and everyday observations in their songs, they are the definitive everyman’s band. From song titles such as ‘Kickin’ On’, ‘Dragster For Christmas’ and ‘ Tell Someone Who Gives A Fuck’, their lyrics romanticise the fortune of growing up in Australia. It’s pub talk with your mates set to music.

Last week The Fauves released Tropical Strength, a new album recorded in Bali between Bintangs. How Australian is that? They whittled down approximately 40 tunes to the eleven which made the cut for the album, which is as good or better than anything the band has done before.

Australian Musician Editor Greg Phillips caught up with Fauves frontman Andrew Cox over a can of zoom, to chat about the band’s career, their upcoming tour with Custard and the making of the new album ‘Tropical Strength’.

MORE ABOUT THE FAUVES
The Fauves lengthy tenure (36 years) has resulted in them outlasting several generations of bands. Long have they posed like big game hunters on the African savannah with their feet astride the lifeless neck of the music industry.

When only Tropical Strength will do, you need a trusted brand. For all your repellent needs, try The Fauves Tropical Strength, now in convenient 12-inch and CD sizes. Guaranteed to repel all music fans, critics and lecherous industry denizens. Fluorocarbon-, microplastic- and hit-free, The Fauves Tropical Strength will not damage you or your family’s hearing so long as you play it at volumes under 5 dB … and the album is out today.

The album was recorded a week in Indonesia in late 2023, strictly during office hours. Later we roamed the Sanur foreshore like shiftless itinerants seeking trouble or some nasi goreng. Next morning we were back at the studio as if nothing had ever happened, which perhaps it hadn’t. Very few Australians have ever been to Bali so we relished the sense of outpost exoticism and a culture completely untouched by Western influence. Here we could work in relative anonymity, far from the complete anonymity that tracks our every move at home. And when we needed some attention, we simply had to say, “We’re the dudes that did that Dog song”. Pretty sure that got us a few discounts, although we had trouble doing the currency conversion.

It’s generally considered that bands don’t reach their peak until their 13th album, which puts us in the sweet spot for success. Two hundred sales would be about par. Five hundred sounds a bit greedy. Over a thousand and we’re running a scam – change your passwords immediately.