Melbourne four-piece The Hovercrafts will be rolling up to Revolver this week for the Bootleg and FasterLouder Xmas bash. We caught up with the lads to talk about new personnel, that elusive debut album and keeping the mood light.

Firstly, what have The Hovercrafts been up to since you were last in the spotlight with the wonderful The Get Around EP?
I think we may have got a little side-tracked with the other bands we all play in to be honest (we each play in at least one other band). The Hovercrafts have always been in the forefront for each member but when we’re all not pulling strings at the same time, it’s hard for things to get done. At one point our previous drummer Zac was playing with four quite busy bands (the Pictures, the Deserters, the Wellingtons and the Hovercrafts). It was a nightmare just to book a rehearsal, let alone organise a show.

Tell us a little about your new drummer Phil.
Previously of Melbourne’s garage-trainyard-stompers the Swindlers, Phil is an all-round nice guy. He’s easily the most handsome member, is rarely clean-shaven, studies film-making. He’s a vegetarian, and has a cat named Ernie. He also plays the drums like a demon.

Legend has it that you recorded and scrapped your debut album? Why…and what happened?
We took too long demo-ing things, we did it all in bits and pieces at different studios over long intervals. When we’d finally tracked 15 songs for it, they didn’t sit right with each other. By this time, we didn’t play half the songs we’d recorded anymore. When the time comes to do an album, we’d like to do it all at once with songs of the moment. Give it a cohesive feel.

You guys really know how to write a good catchy, pop-rock song, as your new single Asleep at the Wheel proves Have you discovered new music over the past few years worth mentioning?
Yeah, heaps! Always being inspired by local bands. The Greasers, Oh Mercy, Little Red, Fearless Vampire Killers, Smallgoods, Treetops, Dan Kelly, Plug-In-City, Hot Little Hands, The Drones, Downhills Home, The Vandas. These are all local bands that have definitely inspired us. More recently on a global scale, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Midlake, Fleet Foxes, The Redwalls, Jim Noir… Heaps more, but they’re the ones springing to mind.

You’ve had a good relationship working with producer Matt Maddock in the past. Did you use him this time around as well?
Yes, Matt has been our live engineer from quite early on and he understands us and our songs. It makes sense for him to produce us in the studio. He’s a busy boy, though, so for how much longer we’ll have him, we don’t know. But he’s great.

Your videos and live shows seem to be largely about having fun. How important is keeping things light-hearted for the band?
I think if you have little to no budget and set out to do something all serious, powerful and meaningful, it’ll turn out a joke. Or maybe that’s just us and our shortcomings. But our singles so far have been quite upbeat, so we don’t mind getting silly for the camera. In fact, I don’t think us four guys can stand in a room with a camera and not get silly. We need to get a director to blame I think.

What do you hope for The Hovercrafts in the near and distant future?
Hope to have a great new EP on the shelves early next year, get on some tours and festivals, and get to work on Chinese Democracy 2.

The Hovercrafts play the Bootleg and FasterLouder Xmas Party at Revolver Upstairs on Thursday 18 December.