Fresh from winning a South African Music Award (Sama) for best alternative album, Cape Town’s electronic pioneers Lark are touring the country in support of the reissue of their sold-out debut EP, Mouth of Me.
What led to the decision to re-release the Mouth of Me EP?
We could only afford a limited run the first time round. They sold out before we started getting nationwide exposure, so we had people constantly asking where and when they could get hold of the EP.
Apparently the reissue comes with bonus tracks. What can fans expect?
There are remixes of tracks from the original EP and the album Razbliuto!, and a surround-sound mix of Moonlight as well as the music video for Moonlight. We’ve also enhanced some of the original EP tracks, recording live drums and new vocals. There are also three new tracks.
How did you decide on who to get to remix your songs?
We basically went to producers whose work we highly respect. The people we picked have a very good understanding of what Lark is about and that definitely reflects in their remixes.
What did winning the Sama for best alternative album mean to the band?
It’s a massive honour. It also restored a lot of my faith in the South African music industry. The fact that a band like us, who would never be playlisted by local radio stations because our music deviates too far from the norm, can win a Sama shows that our efforts to try move South African music forward are paying off.
You have recently added a live drummer to the line-up. How is that working out and what has it meant for the live sound?
Sean Ou Tim has added a totally new dimension to the band’s live performance. We used to have a problem translating the energy from our recordings on to the live stage. He’s solved that problem. Sean is also a producer and his musical input is invaluable.
Besides the reissue of your EP, what else lies in the immediate future for Lark?
We are working on our next music video at the end of June as well as our Cape Town EP launch, which is going to be something very special. After that we are off to Réunion for the Safiko music festival and in September we begin recording our next full-length album.