tunesday – the cat empire have a one-on-one chat with their creative director

Giulia McGauran is a creative director who has worked for musos such as Tones And I, Baby Tate and Lime Cordiale, but most recently, she worked on the psychedelic visuals for The Cat Empire's latest album, Where the Angels Fall. This tunesday, we’re lucky enough to listen in on a chat between members of the band and Giulia about her creative process and the inspiration for Where the Angels Fall. Have a read of their conversation below.

Ollie McGill: I love that you choose to wear different coloured outfits every day and they are often similar to colours you’d choose in your artwork. Have you always been interested in bright colours? Giulia McGauran: I have always loved exploring colour and how it interacts, especially in the way they give and take light. I have always been drawn to wearing and using colours like oranges, bright blues, pinks and greens. They bounce back into your eye and give you so much vibrancy and I think music has a similar affect on people’s moods and feelings.

OM: To me, your artwork seems like it comes straight out of a dream sequence. Or at least there usually seems to be a psychedelic aspect. What is your process for finding inspiration? GM: I always wished I had great dreams! They are mostly unbelievably dull. I would say 95 per cent of inspiration comes straight from music and musicians, four per cent from art and maybe one per cent from chocolate and marshmallows.

Felix Riebl: When I was young, I spent a fair bit of time in galleries with my mum, who was a Renaissance art aficionado. When I see your work, I can’t help but see some influence there. Am I imagining it, or does the Italian in you go that far back? GM: Ah, super interesting! I think in a funny way this feels like something that is infused into the album as well. Funnily enough, I had a very similar experience growing up. My mum is from Rome and my dad is an architect and absolutely loves art. Trips in Italy were spent going through galleries or staring at buildings, and I think seeing that art so regularly really infused those scenes into my mind and imagination. I would love to continue to explore this and grow in that way, and I will definitely continue looking to the paintings and sculptures of that period for guidance.

FR: You seem to have an inherent sense of mad clarity in the chaos of the shots you set up. As a musician who previously felt awkward in all photoshoots, you made me feel as easy in front of a camera as I do in front of a microphone. How much of your process is instinctual and how much is prepared? GM:This is so lovely and not something I have really thought of! I have never liked the technical aspect of cameras or lighting. They feel like a bit of a means to an end for me but I do really love pre-production, collaborating, the people, concept development and post-production. For me, I think that magic comes in moments that feel connected and present and to capture those moments, so I have to be genuinely present as well.

GM: Felix and Ollie, you have been playing together for such a long time, what do you admire most about each other? OM: Felix and I have been playing together since we were both 13. We have been through an incredible musical journey together from playing thrash funk riffs in Felix’s music room with amps turned up to eleven to playing more sophisticated music on some of the world’s biggest stages. I admire that we can still work together after twenty years because we can recognise each other’s strengths and weaknesses and continue to support each other accordingly.

GM: What was the inspiration behind the latest album? And how did you start it? FR: This album really started with the decision that Ollie and I made during lockdown to keep the band going and bring it into a new era. After that, we set our sights on writing and recording the most exciting album we could. We wanted to make an album that was 'more' Cat Empire than anything we'd previously done. Each song was unique from the outset. We chose a community hall – Merry-bek City Band – to record, which was still under construction, and it was chaotic when compared to more established studios, but it was full of character.  Musicians from other ensembles would be in and out and we’d be recording while our assistant engineer was repairing saxophones, and we were creating the album artwork while the songs were being tracked. In the end, I think we had about 80 musicians play on this album! It was a genuinely immersive and communal creative experience. 

GM: What was the hardest point of your career and how did you get through it? OM: COVID was so hard for me. It coincided with The Cat Empire changing its line-up which was a big challenge for us. For over a year, Felix and I didn’t have a band or manager, we were stuck in isolation and we couldn’t be certain that we would ever perform as The Cat Empire again. Now, having done a highly successful tour of Europe and multiple sold out shows around Australia, I think it is safe to say that The Cat Empire has some of its best times ahead!

GM: What creatives have you worked with that have inspired you the most and how have they impacted your music? OM: Andy Baldwin is possibly one of the most creative people I have ever met. For those that don’t know him, Andy is a producer that worked on both our debut album in the early 2000s and our album in 2022. A few times throughout the recording of this last album, Andy and I kicked on into the night after the rest of the band had left. We would come up with new ideas that left us belly laughing as to the sheer excitement of what we had just created!

GM: What do you love the most about your music and this album? FR: I love this album because it affirms The Cat Empire in the truest way I know. It’s full of contrasts, both emotionally and stylistically. These songs emerged from the most tumultuous and saddest time in my life. My younger brother Max died of brain cancer months before it was made and everything I’d taken for granted previously in music suddenly became shudderingly clear. Every creative decision flowed naturally and without second guessing.  At its best, The Cat Empire brings people – musicians and audiences alike – together out of their everyday. Making Where the Angels Fall reminded me of how this band could embrace such a breadth of feeling and experience and bring it all together into a creative communal space. It was something like falling in love again.