WINTER PEOPLE

013. MAY2012. TALK.

Dylan Baskind, the lead singer and guitarist with Winter People, a sextet hailing from Sydney, Australia, wants to "bring a unique mood and story to each of [the band's] songs". A good place to start is with US producer Peter Katis, who worked on Interpol’s ‘Turn on the Bright Lights’ and The National’s ‘Boxer’ and now turns his talents to 'Gallons', the Australian band's debut EP.

"Peter had been a hero of ours for some years, we had followed his few comments on mixing forums with fervour, trying to glean whatever we could,” says Baskind, who says he draws on different elements from different musical heroes, who include Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Woody Guthrie and Mogwai. Winter People has been touring Australia in recent months, appearing at Sydney's Oxford Art Factory and The Bridge Club in Brisbane. He labels his band "craftsmen": they comprise four vocalists, two violinists, and vaunt intelligent lyrics and a style of post-rock folk which has won them comparisons to Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire.

Katis, who is based in Connecticut, has a demanding schedule: but where he couldn't mix tracks the breach was filled by Rich Costey, who's worked with artists including Muse, Foster the People, Nine Inch Nails and Franz Ferdinand. "His credits read like a festival bill," adds Baskind. "It would have beggared belief, had we been told before recording that these two audio-demi-gods would be at the mixing desk for our tracks." He called the production collaboration a "miraculous act of serendipity".

“Music is obviously ephemeral by nature,” concludes Baskind, who is putting the finishing touches to a full-length record for release later in the year. “Pinning down a sound is a difficult thing. Songs can be instinctive, but they are also fleshed out with deliberation.”(@HughLangley)

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