Hobart band, A. Swayze & the Ghosts recently released their debut full-length album. Lead vocalist Andrew Swayze steps us through releasing a new album amid a pandemic.

What’s the name of the record and what has been the creative trigger? The record is titled Paid Salvation – a term I use in one of the tracks to suggest the commodification of spirituality/religion. The inspiration behind my lyrics differs largely in each track, but I generally comment with a focus on some of the negative aspects of human life. Instrumentally the songs are energetic and forthcoming, which often lends to the urgency of what I/we
have to say as artists.

Where was the album written and produced? The album is made up of a collection of songs spanning a large portion of the lifespan of this band, all written in Hobart. We curated it from a group of around 25 songs in 2018, and pre-production on the individual tracks started shortly after. Everything on the record was recorded in Melbourne with our producer Dean Tuza. We tracked mostly all of the instrumentals in the same room at St. Charles Studio in Northcote over the course of three days. I spent another six months or so flying back and forth between Hobart and Melbourne finishing my vocals.

How has Covid affected your work? Covid has more or less toppled the live music scene for the time being including some of our plans. This year we had a huge tour of the USA, EU, UK and Australia cancelled at the last minute, which was a bit of a kick in the guts but honestly we got off lightly compared to others in the wider community so there’s no bitter disappointment from us.