Something to be proud of

Bradley Hanan Carter, third from right, is up front with band NO. Photo supplied.
Bradley Hanan Carter, third from right, is up front with band NO. Photo supplied.

Former Balclutha boy Bradley Hanan Carter moved to the bright lights of Los Angeles more than a decade ago to chase a musical dream. He has no money, but he does have a debut album, writes Shane Gilchrist.

He might be described by NME as ''Hollywood's latest working-class hero'', but Balclutha-born, Los Angeles-based Bradley Hanan Carter doesn't actually have a regular job.

''Music is what I do,'' the lead singer of Californian alt-rock group NO explains by phone from Los Angeles as he and his band-mates Sean Daniel Stentz (bass), Reese Richardson (guitar), Ryan Lallier (guitar/keyboards), Simon Oscroft (guitar) and Michael Walker (drums) prepare to spend the next few months on tour in support of recently released debut album El Prado.

Named one of Filter Magazine's ''most anticipated albums of 2014'', El Prado has some serious sonic muscle at the helm: mixed by Billy Bush (Tegan & Sara, Foster The People, Jake Bugg) and mastered by Joe LaPorta (Foo Fighters, Vampire Weekend), it has been released on influential Toronto-based label Arts & Crafts Records.

''It's good to have it finished,'' Carter, previously a guitarist and backing singer in New Zealand rock outfit Steriogram, says.

''It's been an interesting two years. We just got home two weeks ago, having completed two North American tours, and are heading to Europe for a couple of months in about six weeks.''

NO was formed in 2010 when Carter and Stentz met at a diner in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Echo Park and bonded over stories of failed relationships as well as a mutual admiration for artists such as Leonard Cohen, Bill Callahan, Johnny Cash and Lou Reed.

Following the 2011 release of an EP, Don't Worry, You'll Be Here Forever, NO gained favour with Echo Park locals, as well as NME and the Los Angeles Times, both of which tipped the band as an act to keep an eye on.

The next two years saw the group play constantly, including supporting Father John Misty, The Smashing Pumpkins and Public Image LTD, as well as performing at various international festivals. That hectic touring schedule allowed NO plenty of time to hone the 13 songs that comprise El Prado.

''We recorded in various places, including in California,'' Carter says.

''But, for us, the most important thing was to make sure the songs were something to be proud of.

''We actually tracked some of the vocals at my parents' house in Whangarei over Christmas. We just set up in a spare room and they kept bringing us food.

''I was born in Balclutha ... but I left when I was 5 and went to Whangarei then Auckland. I've been in Los Angeles for 12 years.

''Thankfully, this place is relatively cheap to live. The key is to keep your expenses low. I don't need a fancy car, or any car. I'd rather do something I love doing than have to wake up every morning and go to work to pay for a TV I don't actually need.

''I get to play music in some cool countries, sharing songs with my friends on stage and with audiences. It's a rush.''

He might be in a celebratory mood but, on El Prado, Carter's baritone delivery is aligned with structures that are brooding and dark, offering a cathartic experience that is propelled by the frequent use of 16th-note rhythms and cinematic soundscapes. Joy Division, anyone?

The singer enjoys the comparison: ''Joy Division is a band we all really like. I think when you start a band you do set parameters in regards the music you like. It gives you an anchor of what you want to try to convey.

''We get compared to bands like Interpol, The National and Arcade Fire. Naturally, when something new comes along, people compare it to other groups in order to describe it and share it with friends.''

On the subject of friends, Carter regularly examines the themes of disconnection and connection on El Prado.

''We might have 2000 friends on, say, Facebook but often a conversation can just finish mid-sentence. I live in LA, have amazing friends and family but feel so alone sometimes. I can go to a bar and just want to talk to someone. It doesn't mean I'm hitting on them.

''What do you do when you go out to meet someone and you're early? You sit there and reach for your phone. Why not try to leave it in your pocket and interact with people around you?''

Carter is, in fact, full of questions. Having grown up in a zealously religious family, he turned his back on Christianity more than a decade ago; he also got divorced about the same time (''We got married too young ...''), then headed to the United States to chart a new course.

''Being in a band is like being married anyway. You are always together. Sometimes we even have to sleep in the same bed in a hotel.

''It's rock 'n' roll, man. But you can't do it forever.''


Get it
NO's debut album, El Prado, (Create/Control, Arts & Crafts) is out now.


 

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