We've got a confession to make: despite having released five records since 2004, we've only just discovered the Philadelphia psych-pop band Man Man. Better late than never, right? Their latest album On Oni Pond landed in our mailbox a little while back, and we were oh-so intrigued by the band with a track called "Pink Wonton".

Since that fateful day it's been on repeat in the frankie office, and we just had to get in touch with frontman Honus Honus (or Ryan Kattner to his ma) to find out a little more of what they're about.

Tell us a bit about your new record and the sound you've created.
With this new record we just tried to change things up a bit and write hookier songs. I'm still learning as a songwriter how to write songs, so this was just part of the evolution. In the past, for the most part, I come to the table with a song and then let all the different players in the band jump in and write their parts. This time around it was just myself and Chris, so it was kind of slimming things back. We both believe that at the heart of a great song is a voice and a beat, and then everything else you put on top of it is the icing.

Is there a story behind the name Man Man?
We had a pretty terrible name before and we had to change it because someone else already owned the terrible name. It was Nickelback... no, I'm just kidding. But we had to come up with a new name pretty fast, and I wanted a name that was as simple as you could get. Did I think that having a name like that would have people talk or write about our manliness? No. But it's okay. I don't mind people complimenting my moustache.

You're known for your pretty crazy and energetic live shows - how do you prepare backstage?
We do the sports team thing where you put your hands in the middle and go 'WOOHOO!' But usually when we do it it's not that exciting, it's like 'yeaaah...' I don't know how that would translate in print! But our live shows are really like a balancing act, trying to keep the trains on the track. It's okay if the train wobbles dangerously like it's going to fall off the tracks - that keeps us on our toes and makes it fun and engaging every night.

What's the wildest thing that has happened during a performance?
Recently when we were touring, we were playing a club in Baltimore and were in our encore - we had a song and a half left. Halfway through the song I jumped in the air and I came back down on my drum seat, and it got dunked over and one of the legs punctured the top of my foot. So I was playing the song and singing, and I looked down and was like, 'oh! That looks bad!' As I was looking down at my foot it started to bubble blood, like when you see in movies that they strike oil. It started guysering out and it filled my shoe up. We finished the last song and I dumped my entire glass of whisky on my foot. Then I went immediately to the hospital and had it sewed up.

There are a whole lot of unusual instruments used by your band, including pots and pans, a sousaphone, Chinese funeral horns and smashing plates. What draws you to all these untraditional contraptions?
I got into music kind of on a lark. I didn't know how to write songs, I didn't feel like I knew how to sing. The only thing I understood is I have to sing it how I feel it and believe in it with all of my being. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about the music, I'll know I've been true to the creative vibes. Because of that I was like, I'm not a crazy guitar wizard, I'd much rather have someone playing a marimba solo or smashing a plate or just screaming into a vacuum cleaner in the part of the song where traditionally you put a blazing guitar solo. I just didn't have any interest in trying to revive and do that same thing. A lot of the time it's just not being afraid of what people would think of as a dumb idea.

Your tunes are pretty unusual and left-of-centre – what would you consider your musical mission?
It's really just creating our own language. Everybody quits. Some people should quit because they're delusional, and maybe I'm delusional, but I still feel like there are some good records left in me and we're just starting to hit our stride. If anything, I just want more people to find out about us, because I think we're a great band, and when we started we didn't really have any contemporaries, and I feel like we still don't. We're just kind of doing our own thing.

Who are you fascinated by in the world of music?
Leonard Cohen. I don't think there are many lyricists out there who you can say are poets. I really respect the fact that you've got someone who felt that they'd hit a creative wall and decided to dip out of the world for a decade and go live on a mountain in a monastery. Then come back in their late 70s and tour as an older man hopping on and off the stage. That joy... hell, I hope I'm still writing great songs at that age.

When are you at your happiest?
Playing shows. I mean, it still blows my mind five records in that I was able to just do anything that would have an effect on people. It's great to be able to do something personal, and that's what I love about music – that it can have this transformative quality.



On Oni Pond will be out in Australia on September 13.