End of Fashion

"I want to break down the walls - within that context, that image, we can do anything we want no matter whether it’s super cheesy or punk, I want to kill fashion, see the end of it." - Justin Burford

Official Biography:

You might be thinking that End Of Fashion have been a bit quiet of late… That's true, but they've been hard at it, working on 'Book Of Lies', the follow-up to their self-titled debut album of 2005 and encountering quite the journey inside that very process.

End of Fashion's debut rocketed them into prominence on the Australian music scene. Singles 'O Yeah' and 'The Game' embedded the band in the charts and in the hearts of fans across the country, with 'O Yeah' winning two ARIAs and a nomination for the prestigious APRA 'Song Of The Year' Award. Over the next two years, the band toured Australia and overseas doing what they do best - performing live.

By early 2007, it was time for the band to wind down and put serious thought into their follow up record. Events in singer/guitarist Justin Burford's personal life lead to the songwriter heading to New York for a few months; to get lost in a big city and to some degree, stumble upon inspiration.

"I had been through quite an emotional upheaval, which was fueling my compulsion to write as much as it was fueling my insecurities. I had to fight the temptation to wither away on my couch watching 'Back to the Future' over and over," laughs Justin. "It was a strange time."

Fortunately the desire to express these conflicted emotions resulted in the kind of soul-searching that lyricists come to thrive upon and work began in earnest once he got home. Justin says if there is a difference between the first End Of Fashion album and the new one, it's that "hopefully I've grown up a bit, I've experienced more. I'm a bit more cynical. A bit more aware that not everything is good - but that doesn't mean life isn't good."

In the process of gaining this fresh perspective on their new material, the band invited some outside voices in. By late 2007, Justin was working on vocal arrangements with fellow Perth musician Andy Lawson, of acclaimed WA outfit The Avenues and a respected producer/arranger in his own right.

As Justin turned out fresh song ideas and explored writing on different instruments more extensively, guitarist Rodney Aravena and bassist Tom King worked on the song arrangements. "The process of making this record was really positive," says Rodney. "It drew us together as a unit." Original End Of Fashion drummer Mike Hobbs also leant his talents to the recording (drummer at the time Nick Jonsson left to pursue his own projects). "Hobbs is the walking End Of Fashion encyclopedia", laughs Aravena. "Our biggest fan", adds Justin.

And rather than aim squarely for three-minutes-of-perfection at every turn, End Of Fashion have crafted an album that channels diversity in its entirety. Far from the band simply firing off from Justin's newest chord progression, during the ongoing process, each member helped to add layers and to fashion different parts for each new song.

And so, 'Book Of Lies' was born. "Although we were aware of the religious implications, the album's title actually comes from the nickname we gave Magoo's notebook," Justin says. "It just seems to tie it all together." As did Tim Palmer (U2, The Cure, Robert Plant) who mixed the album in Los Angeles, adding a new dimension to the musicality.

Tracks such as 'biscit', and 'Kamikaze' mix this trait with spot-on new wave sensibilities. 'Bullets', meanwhile, a mesmerising epic, was a litmus test for the band. The first song they worked on, it changed the most from initial conception to finished composition.

'Dying For You' was co-written by Justin with Julian Hamilton of The Presets, their respective pop and dance predilections meeting each other somewhere in sound. "It's very Julian," says Justin. "It took a little while to make it an End Of Fashion song. But the two of us working together allowed us both to explore outside our usual genres. I love co-writing for this very reason." Silversun Pickups' 'Carnavas' served as inspiration to the band for finding the ultimate texture of the song.

The album's first single, 'Fussy', was actually the last song written. It's a dark song that plays to an up-tempo beat, in which a serial killer 'talks' to his victim. This reflects the nature of duality that exists in the band and on this record, as Justin explains, "it shows the struggle between the light and dark sides of human personality.... I think these are conflicts we all have inside ourselves."

It's weird because this album came from, for me, this really dark place," Justin notes. "Yet it's actually an uplifting, melodic, almost spiritual record for us. It was a journey, and we're really proud of it."

From: http://www.endoffashion.com/page/About

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