Having just woken up, Cut Off Your Hands bassist Phil Hadfield is slightly dazed and confused. Upon being asked about their first full length album, You and I, though, he begins to perk up.
“You get more of an idea of what we are as a band on this album,” Hadfield explains in reference to the band’s previous EPs Shaky Hands and Blue On Blue. “We have evolved. Especially with the few key songs on the album.” First single from the record Expectations displays a more refined and polished sound for the band, whilst still retaining the same ’80s pop bent that got them noticed in the first place. Other songs like Happy As Can Be and It Doesn’t Matter bring bands like The Killers to mind, as Cut Off Your Hands set fun, relatable lyrics to hip-swinging pop backing.
For the album the four band members – Nick Johnston (vocals), Michael Ramirez (guitar), Brent Harris (drums) and Hadfield – teamed up for the second time with producer Bernard Butler. Butler has quite the reputation, having played guitar for the now defunct Suede and then going on to produce records for the Manic Street Preachers and The Libertines.
Working with someone of such a high calibre would appear rather daunting, but Hadfield says otherwise. “We’ve got a good relationship with him. He knew what we wanted. Producers are generally down to earth because they want you to feel at ease, you know? Like part of their job is to make sure the band is comfortable.”
Although they may only be a relatively new band, Cut Off Your Hands has already build up the status of being a kick-arse live act. With constant touring, though, surely it must get hard to put on a decent live show night after night? “It can be hard, but when it comes down to it we all really love music and we want to put on a good show for the crowd,” says Hadfield.
This leads on to my next question. Was the decision to base themselves in London rather than stay in their homeland of New Zealand something that they felt they needed to do? Hadfield clarifies. “New Zealand is so small. Nothing you do there affects the rest of the world. Like everything that happens in America or England affects everyone. We got signed to a UK record label, so it made sense to move over here.”
Cut Off Your Hands’ first LP You and I is released Saturday 4 October. Make sure you buy a copy and learn all the lyrics so you can sing along when the band tours in November.
Thursday 6 November – Gaelic Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 8 November – Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne
Friday 14 November – Fowlers Live, Adelaide
Saturday 15 November – The Zoo, Brisbane
