Far Out speak to Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley of DRINKS
Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley, the dynamic duo behind DRINKS, sat down with Far Out in a sonic reverie that traversed galaxies of avant-garde indie experimentation. As we ventured into the ethereal, they illuminated the cosmos with their eclectic musical odyssey.
In this rendezvous, Le Bon and Presley unfurled the enigmatic tapestry of their collaboration. Their synergy, an alchemical fusion of unconventional melodies and sonic exploration, transcends the ordinary, embracing the avant-garde with open arms. Each note, a celestial whisper, invites listeners on a kaleidoscopic journey through the uncharted realms of sound.
On paper, the combination of San Francisco punk-turned-psych-king Presley and Welsh oddball popstar Le Bon sounds infinitely intriguing, but today, the proof is in the pudding as the album is now available for you to earn via Heavenly Recordings.
To mark the release, Far Out spoke to Cate and Tim to discuss the spirit of punk, the pressures of juggling simultaneous projects and why DRINKS really are a marriage made in heaven. Amidst the cosmic symphony, they revealed the genesis of their creative process—a symbiotic dance between intuition and experimentation. Their sonic alchemy, born from a mutual admiration for the unconventional, blossoms into a sonic ecosystem where unpredictability reigns supreme, and the boundaries of musical convention blur into oblivion.
Far Out: How did DRINKS come about? Was it a natural development from your touring with White Fence?
Le Bon: “We’ve been friends for a few years and have always thought it would be a nice idea to do something together. We spent a long time touring the White Fence album, and that gathered a lot of momentum, but then we decided that had started to become irrelevant, and we wanted to do something that we would get more out of”.
Does it feel strange having the DRINKS album coming out and a debut tour scheduled for next month while still touring with White Fence?
Le Bon: “We’ve got a week to turn it around [the DRINKS tour], but a change is as good as a rest. You’d think it would be the last thing we would want to do, but I guess there was just an enthusiasm there. It didn’t feel like a chore whatsoever.
“It doesn’t really feel like a collaboration in the sense that we’ve both collaborated with other people before. It feels more like you’re holding hands with someone and going on this walk. You don’t really know where you’re going, but it feels like a really good use of time”.
Is it fair to describe DRINKS as a side project?
Le Bon: “It doesn’t matter what people call it. It is what it is, and you can call it what you want, really. I think we’d love to make another record just as soon as we can find a window to do it”.
Presley: “We came up with – not a formula – but an idea of how we wanted the whole thing to sound. There’s still a lot we can contribute to another record”.
Is Cate going to continue on the road with White Fence?
Le Bon: “I think so. I love playing guitar, and I’d do anything for Tim. I certainly haven’t got to a point where I’ve had enough!”
What were the biggest influences on the DRINKS album?
Le Bon: “During the process, we would sit down and listen to music together a lot. I don’t think I’ve done that with anyone since I was a teenager. Tom Petty, we love Tom Petty. But Tim’s an old punk, so there was plenty of that going on too”.
Do you miss making punk music, Tim?
Presley: “To me, punk is something more than just the Sex Pistols or the Ramones or whatever. It’s kind of like a free-jazz way of thinking. Punk could be a really pretty song as long as it has that attitude.
“To me, punk could be something like not using reverb on a really over-the-top psychedelic record. It’s kind of like a ‘fuck them’, you know? It’s a way of thinking.
Le Bon: “You make an album, and to us, that’s just what it feels like. The idea of putting singles out can seem ridiculous. We’ve not read many reviews because it doesn’t really matter to us.
“Some people will love it, and some people will think it’s a bag of shite. Either way is fine. I’ve read some nice things where people have got the intention of the record. We’re not trying to moralise or overthink anything. You sort of just go into it, and a lot is left to chance.
Presley: “I think it helps that we trust each other musically. If that’s not there, then you are compromising yourself musically”.
What can we expect from the DRINKS live setup next month?
Le Bon: “We were going to try and get it sorted before we left for this [White Fence] tour. But, er… we didn’t!
“We have a great drummer and bassist who have learnt all the songs. And that’s lucky for us because we most definitely haven’t learned the songs!”
As they bid adieu, their words lingered in the air like cosmic echoes—a testament to the boundless possibilities of avant-garde expression. With DRINKS, Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley continue to chart unexplored areas of their creative collaboration, leaving behind a trail of sonic stardust that captivates and beckons the intrepid souls willing to explore the far-out horizons of indie music.
With DRINKS as their vessel, both musicians sail into uncharted musical waters, leaving behind a wake of enigmatic melodies and transcendent sonic reveries that resonate with the intrepid souls seeking a sonic journey beyond the confines of the ordinary.
