SLUMBERJACK today release their debut album DICHOTOMY to the world. Morgan Then and Fletcher Ehlers aka SLUBERJACK have manifested their vast musical experience into a collection of 12 incredible records.
With a stunning array of EPs including the ARIA gold-certified self-titled ‘SLUMBERJACK’, 2017’s ‘Fracture’—an EP which featured a Gold record and led to their first headline tour, 2019 EP ‘SARAWAK’ and 2020’s ‘Black & Blue,’ the duo have steadily evolved into one of the nation’s most awe-inspiring producers and live acts.
The pair’s familiar sound is at the backbone of the album but with fresh and experimental elements felt throughout. The album encapsulates the worlds of club music and experimental electronic. The pair explained, “Working with a longer form body of work has given us the chance to release records which wouldn’t make sense on an EP. Some of our favourite tracks from the album are the longer, more cinematic pieces that don’t follow the standard cyclical pattern.”
The talented duo worked with a range of producers and vocalists throughout the project and they explain the story and production behind each track exclusively below. Dig in!
SLUMBERJACK & Oddly Godly – Prologue
Fletcher: We met Oddly Godly online in a music feedback session we were hosting and absolutely loved his style. We reached out to see if he wanted to work on something together for the album and what we wrote evolved into this super ethereal track that we felt would be the perfect opener.
A lot of the work on this album is inspired quite heavily by the warmth and fuzziness of analogue synths. As fully computer based producers, we put a lot of work into replicating that lively feel.
SLUMBERJACK feat. Lucy Lucy – Better Off
Fletcher: We’re constantly exploring further and further down the path of pop music but never want to lose the rawness and original essence that was the driving force for the Slumberjack sound. Better Off is us pushing that line; starting with something super poppy and roughening the edges until it feels right.
You can hear the Doshpuluur, a Tuvan lute, throughout the record which is reminiscent of the Oud we used in the beginning of Fracture. And of course, the whole goal of the Dichotomy album is to shine light on juxtapositions, so the dark sounds are set against big lucious chords and beautiful vocals from Lucy Lucy.
SLUMBERJACK & TWERL feat. Josh Pan – Pain
Morgan: Noir, futuristic and with post-modernistic flair; we’ve always been fascinated by the aesthetics of the cyberpunk era and always envisioned ourselves writing music to complement the visuals. We first worked with TWERL on the 2020 bushfire appeal record, ‘Inferno’, alongside Shockone, HWLS and Loston. After finishing that record, we got to work on a few other ideas and ‘Pain’ was the standout that made the cut.
A few months later we approached josh pan (whom we worked with on an earlier record ‘Vision’) to help us write the vocal top line and Morgan recorded some demo vocals which ended up making the final cut (a first in Slumberjack history!) . You are going to want to turn the volume up for this.
SLUMBERJACK feat. Sydnee Carter – Poison
Fletcher: As the first single for the album, this track does a lot of the speaking for itself. It was designed from the start to be high energy and full of classic Slumberjack sounds. Sydnee Carter is one of the most versatile vocalists we’ve ever encountered and her vocals here do not disappoint.
There is a fun little easter egg hidden in this tune too, just before the final chorus, we used a really unnerving binaural sample – don’t want to ruin the surprise but listen with headphones for full effect.
SLUMBERJACK feat. Tailor – Memory
Morgan: When the whole world came to a halt in early 2020, it gave us a lot of time to reflect while being grounded at home. It made us realise that memories are really the only thing we ever have – they’re what makes us who we are. This record is about capturing the feelings of nostalgia and bittersweetness that come with remembering the past.
Similar to ‘Prologue’, we used a lot of analogue synth emulations to get that fuzzy, comforting, warm tone and Tailor’s vocal texture and lyrical hooks really drive it home.
SLUMBERJACK – The Reprise
Fletcher: While writing Memory, we came up with so many versions and concepts that we felt we had to separate them into their own tracks to give each space to shine. I like to think of The Reprise as the darker twin. It was a chance for us to make our version of tech house and play with a style of synth work reminiscent of the early days of dance music. I also always find it interesting to re-use vocals in a different context and see how that changes the emotions conveyed. Memory’s vocals used here feel so much darker, less nostalgic and more sinister.
SLUMBERJACK & TINYKVT – Arc Second
Morgan: My personal favourite record on the album. When the SLUMBERJACK project first started in 2014, there was a distinct separation in our contributions to the project. Fletcher was the drum and technical whiz, and I leaned towards music-theory and composition. As the years went by, the line blurred as we both moved closer towards synergy and this track is almost like a capstone of that process, perfectly capturing the SLUMBERJACK sound.
Fletcher showed me the original demo of Arc Second and I was astonished by the omnidirectional yet assertive feeling the chord progression created. We decided that the record felt most cinematic when arranged in a non-linear style (meaning no two sections are similar or looping for an extended period of time). We wanted it to be an epic journey and so we reached out to our friend TINYKVT (whose work includes the trailer of the new Mulan and Wonder Woman) to help achieve that. She brought some incredible vocals and orchestration to the track which really brought it home.
SLUMBERJACK feat. World’s First Cinema – And I
Fletcher: There has been a song in our “Work In Progress” folder for as long as I can remember. We both love it, but have never been able to get it to a point where we feel it’s ready to be released. “And I” is the result of one of the variations we tried on that record which ended up taking on a whole life of its own. The drums are a callback to the 80’s gated snare style and the whole track revolves around this one simple melody which stacks on itself to get bigger and bigger. We mixed the whole record to sound like you’re listening in a giant stadium – fitting for the vibe I feel.
SLUMBERJACK feat. The Kite String Tangle – Paradox
Fletcher: This was probably the most difficult track to finish. We agonized for a long time on finding the right vocals and it was made even more difficult by not having the freedom to travel during Covid. I think we ended up with something really special – a duet between The Kite String Tangle and Lucy Lucy. Despite all the challenges of recording multiple times from different parts of the country, I think the two parts complement and play off each other beautifully.
SLUMBERJACK feat. Nicole Millar – Not For You
Morgan: We’ve known Nicole for years and every time we hang out, we promise each other we will get in contact later to collaborate on a record. With all our busy pre-pandemic touring schedules, it took years before it finally happened.
We’ve both always enjoyed the maximalist approach when it comes to music production – bigger almost always equals better right? Perhaps not. So we challenged ourselves to write a record that’s minimalistic in the number of instruments, with the condition that it still moves the body. The dichotomy is achieved here with Nicole’s delicate and playful vocal delivery sitting on top of the solid 808 drums. Synths that I think are reminiscent to Britney Spears ‘Toxic’ serve as a counterpoint throughout.
SLUMBERJACK & HOLLY – Excalibur
Fletcher: The development of the melody on Excalibur was quite a process. When Holly sent us the very first demo, it had a very 90’s dance synth feel, which we loved, but we always like to experiment with alternatives. Trying out some ravey sounds, the melody took on a whole new mood and we were inspired to extend it into a longer phrase which ended up feeling quite regal (hence the track name).
SLUMBERJACK – Opia’s Theme
Morgan: Another record that took the non-linear approach, this idea sat on my hard drive for 2 years because we felt like it wasn’t a song that could be understood in the context of a single or EP.
As cliché as it sounds, the piano composition came to me whilst I was in the air looking out at clouds in my window seat. I’ve had melodies come to me before but never like this, where every note and harmony is clearly laid out. I can count moments of eureka like this in my life, and it’s few and far between. I quickly jotted the melody on my laptop and then went about my life.
Revisiting the track almost two years later, we decided we wanted the record to have three distinct sections. The opening was to feel like when a celestial light beams down on a chosen individual. After that, a visceral change in groove with ethnic vocal sample manipulations and SLUMBERJACK drums, and then finally, closing with the magical piano melody that had come to me on the plane. There is even a little bit of recorded cabin audio as a throwback. We felt this was the perfect way to finish the album.
