The Tambourine Girls on Life, Loss and the Space Between

Eora/Sydney-based indie-rock group The Tambourine Girls are back with their fourth studio album, Hold Your Horses. The collection of 11 songs deals with the loss of close friend and bandmate Nick Weaver, who passed away from cancer in 2021.

Listening to the record, you can hear the band processing their grief through the lush and honest productions that range from the gritty, '60s-esque guitar opener 'She Came Home Last Night' to the synth-pop of 'Trauma Bond' and swinging joy of 'Love Song'.

Despite the heavy themes, Hold Your Horses is a delightful listen that turns darkness into light.

With the album now out in the world, we spoke with The Tambourine Girls' lead singer Simon Relf about his experience creating Hold Your Horses, his favourite song on the record and what he thinks Nick would make of the album.

The Tambourine Girls' new album is called Hold Your Horses, which you've mentioned is the name of an album you've always wanted to make. What is it about those three words that stuck with you, and what does the title represent in the context of this album?

It's actually a T-shirt design our bass player, Pat (Harris), made years ago, and we all loved it because it has this beautiful line drawing of a man cuddling a horse. It's now the design on the album cover, too. I always found it inspiring, but now it seems like a message not to throw away all the good things just because something bad has happened, like losing your best friend.

As you mentioned, this record arrives after the loss of bandmate and friend Nick Weaver, who was an important part of not only The Tambourine Girls, but your life in general. How has his absence shaped the writing and recording of Hold Your Horses?

The word "shaped" is important, because now he's become this negative space that we all get to swim in. I think the biggest hurdle was the thought of replacing him, so it was liberating to discover that we could be a trio. There's so much space in a trio, and in a way, every song on this record is an exploration of the space he left us.

Was there ever a point during the making of this record where you questioned whether The Tambourine Girls could or should continue without Nick?

At first I was sure the band was over, so was Pat. Carlos (Adura) always said we had to go on. Eventually I realised how special the bond is between Pat, Carlos and me, especially in terms of making music. It's something we'll never find anywhere else, and it would be a shame to throw it away.

How has this experience impacted your songwriting? Has grief altered the way you communicate creatively?

It touches every aspect of your life, and in a weird way it adds a richness to everything. I can only begin to admit this now, over five years later, but there's a lot of gratitude in it. To me, songwriting has always been a discussion with the unknown, and that can only get deeper with grief.

There is a lot of emotion throughout Hold Your Horses, and while themes of grief, sadness and loss are present, there are also moments of joy and hope. Was there a conscious effort not to make an album of just sad songs?

Yes, I think there was, because the strangest thing about grief is that life goes on around you, and I got tired of always talking about Nick as someone who died, rather than someone who lived. I mean, just look at the news! So many people are going through unimaginably hard times right now, and I know that I am a very lucky person, despite the mess, so I wanted the album to reflect that.

It's hard to play favourites (so far mine is 'Love Song'), but is there one song on the album that you feel most connected with and why?

That’s funny, it's mine too. It really surprised me because it never felt like anything special, and I wasn't even thinking about it for the album. I think it was the last day of recording that I played it to Pat, and we put down our parts. Carlos added his drums later. I like how honest it is, and it feels all over the place, but unified at the same time, like these waves of thought washing over you.

The band's Pat Harris self-produced and engineered the album, which was recorded on the outskirts of Armidale. Did the quiet and stillness of the area help during the recording, and what does Pat bring to your sound that makes him a great fit as both a bassist and a producer?

He and his dad, Steve (who is a drummer), have been slowly building up a workable studio out there, and it's come to be a very special place for us. Because we all live such separate lives, so far apart from each other, we tend to work in three- or four-day chunks, and I'm always surprised at how productive each session is. We just work and work and work, like it's the release we've all been waiting for.

Pat is someone who has that creative thing balanced with a love of the technical side of life (he makes very good sourdough), and it’s really amazing how he's turned himself into an engineer. The only thing I don't like about it is I'm less likely to ride him late into the night. I never want to leave the studio, and I'd be happier pushing someone who wasn't in the band.

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Mixing duties were split between Nick Franklin (Ocean Alley, Polish Club, Hockey Dad) and Tony Buchen (Spacedust, Smashing Pumpkins, Mick Flannery), with mastering by Matt Stewart. How did these three help with the sound of Hold Your Horses

Tony's been involved since the beginning of The Tambourine Girls. He produced our first EP, The End of Time, and he mixed our last record, Different Streets. He mixed 'All Substance No Style', 'Oscar Wildlife', 'Love Song' and 'Trauma Bond', and he really lifted the songs and made the album feel complete.

Nick Franklin mixed a bunch of the earlier tracks, and guided us through the transition to self-production. He doesn't really mix at the moment because he's gone and invented some pedal which is taking over the production world, but he's been a huge part of our band.

Matt did a great job of mastering too. We were pretty keen to have minimal compression and as much light and space as possible. We love what he did.

If Nick could hear Hold Your Horses today, what do you think he would say about it, and what would you want him to know about the journey you’ve taken to make it?

I know he'd love it. I can hear him saying it. He was so present for the whole experience, and at each point I think we all knew what he'd be thinking or saying, and that influenced us the whole way. I'm sure he knows how we all feel.

Now that the album is out in the world, what do you hope people take away from listening to Hold Your Horses?

I hope people can give it the time to sink in, because I know there's a lot of stuff in there, but I feel like it's a very complete record, almost like a day in the life of someone. People have already messaged us to say the songs have meant something to them, and that means a lot.

Lastly, where do The Tambourine Girls go from here? National tour, more music or just appreciate life and what you’ve achieved?

We definitely want to tour more! (We'd love to come to Adelaide) And we're already working on the next album. I think we all know this band is just a part of our lives now, in whatever form it chooses to take.

Hold Your Horses is out now. Listen here.