The Raddlers - Diamond in the Blue
The Raddlers have been a staple of the Ōtautahi scene since their blissful 2018 debut “Runaway”. Five years, two EPs, and a number of singles later, they’re back with another single. “Diamond in the Blue” releases Friday March 10. I met up with Kevin Fernando, the Raddlers’ lead guitarist, to talk about the single and the growth of the band. Newzician writer & photographer Flynn Robson also came to take photos, but forgot his camera. He bought a Mocha and a scone instead. Kevin, fresh from parkrun at Hagley Park, discussed jogging and jogging-related topics with Flynn. As a mostly sedentary guy I didn’t really know what they were talking about, but I recall Kevin’s run time seeming quite impressive. Eventually, I managed to steer the conversation towards “Diamond in the Blue”.
“I think what quite a few people don’t know is that for the last two years we’ve had all of us in different cities. Mainly the North Island and me in the South Island. Every single time we’ve recorded we’ve had to fly everyone down. But, this is only our second time in the studio. All our previous recordings we did ourselves. This is the first time we’ve done a song in the studio with all five of us. Having that experience we used to have with all of us in a professional studio was really fun.” says Kevin.
The track was recorded with Adam at Loho studios in Christchurch. It’s the same studio where they recorded their 2022 single “Follow Me”.
“It was such a good experience. This time he was even more invested and he knew us better, which made for a seamless experience.”
Kevin says the Raddlers are looking forward to being in a room together again after spending the last two years working together from a distance.
“It’s really awesome, but difficult too. Sometimes you’ll think “Damn, I really miss them” or you’ll get annoyed because someone takes ages to reply to your messages. But then you meet up and it’s bliss, joking about the old days and playing music. There are lots of highs and lows.”
Much of their writing comes from the jam-heavy nature of their practice sessions. “Diamond in the Blue” is no different.
“We wrote the song while practising to tour with Great Gable in June of last year. I had this riff that I came up with, then Jack added something on the drums and within an hour we had a complete structure. They all come from ideas that are jammed. That just means it’s an organic experience. We’re not trying to manufacture it.”
“Diamond in the Blue” has a moodier, rockier feel than much of their catalogue. It’s not at all unfamiliar territory, tracks like “Tesky” and “Aroha Nui” have explored it before. It’s contemplative and, at times, dark. Lyrically, it explores how easy it is to develop a negative outlook when staring down the barrel of reality. It’s a mature track with the delicate guitar lines and high-energy rhythm section that are a staple of the Raddlers’ tunes.
The release precedes a two-stop Aotearoa tour. They play at Whammy Bar in Tāmaki Makaurau on March 17 and 12 Bar in Ōtautahi on March 18. Tickets are available via Under the Radar.
