iOTA: Letting the Hours Disappear

It's hard to believe it's been a decade since multi-award-winning artist iOTA last released an album.

The New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter, who broke through in 1999 with his debut album The Hip Bone Connection, released records consistently throughout the early '00s before his creative pursuits took him into the world of acting, where he is best known for playing The Doof Warrior in Mad Max: Fury Road (more on that later).

10 years after the release of Wolf Number Nine, iOTA is back with Hours Disappear, a stripped-back collection of songs featuring reimagined versions of iOTA classics alongside new tracks. A meeting of the past and present, the record is both nostalgic and fresh, with iOTA excited to take the songs on the road for an extensive tour across the nation from October to December.

To coincide with the release of Hours Disappear and his upcoming tour, iOTA answered a few questions from The Note about his return to music, appearing in Mad Max: Fury Road and his approach to songwriting.

It's been a decade since your last full-length release. Why is now the right time for new music from iOTA?

Because it's been so long between drinks. And to be honest, the time has flown by. It doesn't feel like 10 years, but a lot has happened. Much to be inspired by. May as well write a song.

During the last 10 years, you've appeared on the stage and screen frequently. What is it about performing, be it in a theatre production or on a film set, that gets you excited?

I like being in a creative space. Being involved in any way. Film, theatre, music or painting. They're all connected by colour, movement, light and sound. They all require a certain focus and discipline that doesn't feel like work when you’re in it.

I have to mention your role as The Doof Warrior in Mad Max: Fury Road. I read that your manager pitched the character to you as "a mix between Keith Richards and a scarecrow", which would have been enough for me to say yes. What was that experience like, and how does it feel to be immortalised as one of the great movie characters in recent movie history?

The Keith Richards/scarecrow thing is the synopsis given by the casting director to help you find something in that description to build upon for your screen test. I was always going to say yes to the screen test. Mad Max was a big part of my formative years, so I was down for anything.

It was an incredible experience. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I don't have any ambitions for Hollywood, but if I were ever to dip my toe in those waters, this was the moment. The role of the Doof Warrior was still unclear to George Miller, and it was decided that I would head over to Namibia for the full six months and see what would happen as it developed. It was a long time to be away in a far-off, distant land. I loved it until I hated it. But it was a true adventure. I got up to all manner of shenanigans. I regret nothing. And I'm very proud of the role and the character I helped to flesh out and create.

Your new album Hours Disappear features a collection of acoustic tracks, both reworked songs from your catalogue and newly written tracks. What was the inspiration behind this?

My first album The Hip Bone Connection has been unavailable for some 20 odd years. It felt like it was time to rectify that in some part. I took a few choice cuts and re-recorded them, giving them a treatment that I felt was more appropriate. They feel new. And of course I was keen to record some new tunes as well. So the album title refers to the span of time between the two eras…and perhaps to what time we have left and the most creative and positive way we use that time.

When it comes to your older songs, how did you decide which ones to reimagine for this new album?

It seemed obvious. It wasn't a difficult choice. I plan to release re-recorded versions of all of The Hip Bone Connection over the next few albums. There is much more to come.

 READ MORE: TEEKS Enters His Villain Era

Has your approach to writing changed over the past 10 years since Wolf Number Nine, and what were the main inspirations for these songs?

Wolf Number Nine is a very different album. I recorded that album with my arm still in a cast after breaking my wrist falling off stage. That album was never really meant to be released. It was just a fun project and a way to regain my confidence in the studio after a couple of life's little hiccups. Eventually I was convinced to release it. That was a fun tour. 

My approach to writing has always been to sit with a guitar and play. That's how it happens. I can't sit down with my guitar and not write a song. Or at least a new riff or chord progression. I could throw my phone away, but voice memos keep me coming back.

Is there one song that best represents the album and where you are at as an artist, and if so, which one and why?

No, I think the album as a whole is the best representative of where I'm at. The past four or five years have been a time of nostalgia and reminiscence. Just playing my guitar again. Having to relearn songs. And that magical way that music can take you back in time. So, I'm looking to the past. I'm looking to where I came from. How far I've come. How the time has flown. And being excited for the future

After spending so much time creating the album, stepping back and listening to the finished product, is there anything that surprises you about how it turned out?

I like its simplicity. It's enough. It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out production. It's calm and uncomplicated. I'm undamaged by its process.

You're taking Hours Disappear on tour later this year. As it's an acoustic album, will the shows be purely acoustic-driven, or will there be a few surprises in store for audiences?

Yes, it will be purely acoustic. And there's always surprises.

When it comes to working out the setlist, how do you curate a collection of songs that panders to the audience while also showcasing the songs you love and want to perform?

I've chosen a good bunch of songs that cover a lot of ground. It's impossible to please everyone, but I will be giving it a red-hot go.

Looking beyond the album and tour, what do you hope this next chapter of iOTA's career looks like? Is there something you're still itching to create or explore?

I want to record and release more albums. Make more music. Make more money. Get more painting done. Move to the country. Build a house shaped like a tortoise shell on the side of a lake. A good creative space. Stay healthy and be happy until it's time to go.

Hours Disappear is out now. Listen here. Catch iOTA performing at Trinity Sessions on Friday 13 November. Tickets are on sale now at trybooking.com.