TORA IN BLOOM

OCTOBER 2024

Photographs and words by Vasili Papathanasopoulos.

In 2012, Jo Loewenthal, Thorne Davis, Shaun Johnston and Jai Piccone formed Tora in Byron Bay. Now, twelve years later, the band have delivered their fourth and most ambitious record to date; Temps de Flors.

I first met Tora in Sydney on the set of their MILKY cover shoot in April, before reconvening with band members Loewenthal, Davis and Johnston over zoom in September, merely days after the album was released. Having just arrived in London, the band were in the final stages of preparing for their world tour, which kicked off last week in Amsterdam.

On their fourth outing Tora have left behind their established processes and familial nature of creation, instead opting to set up base in Spain for eight weeks in what they describe as a more professional environment. “I think the evolution is evident, I guess in all facets of the creative process. We got a lot more tuned into mixing and mastering,” says vocalist Loewenthal. This time we worked in a more professional studio environment rather than just a home; in our lounge room or bedroom. We were using nicer gear, nicer instruments, and we started the process in the studio. We did the whole thing there.” Moving away from relying on VST plugins and digital instruments, they were able to approach creating their fourth body of work in a more united front, or as Loewenthal says; “as a band in a studio and really write the parts based around being instrumentalists and not adding more than necessary, not filling up every inch of the song with production.” With previous records, the four-piece have utilised a variety of instruments and tools to create the spatial soundscapes of each record. For Temps de Flors, their skillset has evolved into a more mature, considered and pared back approach. There’s an emphasis on conceptual and narrative driven compositions, in the hopes of creating a cohesive body of work. “We were able to make a more encompassing story throughout the whole record… So I think the evolution has been our skillset over four records. Getting to the point where we can write a bit more maturely and a bit more intentionally, which gave us more space to focus on the lyrical themes.” Beyond that, they share with me there was more cohesion within their framework as a band, and their writing and recording process. Where in the past they have worked on songs separately before bringing the ideas together in a studio setting, for album four each band member was involved in the creative process from day one. “We worked more as a team this time than ever because we started all the songs together, or most of the songs together, and everybody was focusing on their parts and what they're best at. It felt like a progression from past records where in the past we might all come with ideas that are more fleshed out, more developed, and then try and figure out a way to make them fit together on a record as opposed to this time really coming in.” This approach paired with their attention to creating a fully realised body of work has resulted in an effortlessly structured collection of songs.

Tora wear Silk Laundry.

Concisely, Tora’s fourth outing tackles themes of ‘revelations, revolutions, innovations leading to abundance.’ Further analysis conjures that Temps de Flors is shrouded in positivity. From its lush melodies to its thematic nature, the record blooms from darkness into light, capturing the essence of spring and rebirth. Some inspiration blossomed from a festival of the same name the band stumbled upon during their time in Spain. “I would say the spring feeling is a result of us being in Catalonia in May-June. There was fruit trees bearing fruit, there was bees buzzing, there was pollen in the air, flowers everywhere. The title was actually inspired by a festival that was happening a ten minute drive from where we were in Girona. They have this thing called the Temps de Flors, which is basically a flower festival. That was like a few days after we arrived, and that kind of set the tone,” says Loewenthal. Their writing trip to Girona also marked a returned sense of normality for the four-piece, following the unease of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Loewenthal tells me there was a sense of relief shifting “out of that darkness,” furthermore driving their desire to create a record that would incite positivity and happiness for its listeners. Bringing a brighter message to the world and contributing to a pool of content laced with zeal, Temps de Flors takes listeners to a new universe that brings lightheartedness back to the culture and serves as a pillar of hope. Loewenthal’s smooth and soulful vocals bring storytelling and relatable lyricism to life, underscored by atmospheric soundscapes that swell and continue to bloom throughout the album.

Building on their ‘less is more’ approach, Davis says their time touring with Rüfüs Du Sol influenced their approach to making Temps de Flors. “A while ago when we were touring with Rüfüs Du Sol, they actually mentioned one of the approaches that they have is that they limit themselves to specific gear. So when they go in to record, it's not like they have everything at their fingertips and they kind of get confused by options. They've actually selectively chosen certain samples, or certain synths or whatever, to kind of unify the sound of the album.” When working on the album, the four-piece travelled to Spain with their own equipment - including the live instrumentation and a selection of their signature synthesisers that have been used across multiple records. Shying away from the use of samples and soft synths, they used everything that was accessible to them in order to inform and unify the sound of Temps de Flors. “I think it's a really productive way to write music because everything's patched in,” Davis continues. “You just have to open the computer and just like, go, you know?” During their time in Spain, the four-piece dialled in to expand upon their sound and create a record that pushes against the confines of electronic music. Written across six weeks, Tora made an intentional choice when it came to the eclectic nature of the album. Setting out to create a sonic journey, the record threads together elements of their previous sound whilst introducing a new palette. “We wanted there to be something for everyone,” says Loewenthal. “We really wanted to push the limits, push everything as far apart as possible, kind of like stretching your fingers out.” Songs such as Jigglypuff creep into a dance electronic realm, whilst tracks such as Walking Together could easily be sung around a campfire. Temps de Flors offers a broad spectrum of sounds, bound together by cohesive instrumentation. “It still sounds like Tora, but we wanted to kind of stretch across as many genres as possible within that,” Loewenthal concludes.

Jai wears Break & Enter and Silk Laundry. Jo wears Break & Enter and Wynn Hamlyn. Shaun wears artists own pieces. Thorne wears Break & Enter and Wynn Hamlyn.

I ask them more on how the album evolved, particularly if any more work was put into the songs following their six week sojourn in Spain. “We just smashed it out and then we were like, 'oh.' We were expecting to do another period,” Loewenthal recalls. “We'd actually said like, this would be the first period where we create some demos, see what we come up with, and then within four or five weeks, we already had like twenty tracks and we were like, 'we need to try and narrow this down.' So the first six weeks went way better than we expected.” He goes on to say that being reunited in the studio following a brief hiatus to focus on their own endeavours created a buzz and excitement to collaborate once more. Furthermore, he cites one more thing as a potential driving force that influenced their fast-paced creative outlet. “Maybe some of that Spanish Kush helped [laughs]. And to be honest, I'm gonna go out and say it, I was also on a bit of a psilocybin regimen, which helped really open my mind. So the creativity was flowing, flowing, flowing.” Four months after their trip, they returned to the studio for a fortnight to tinker with the album in the mixing process. Beyond that, their time working on the albums audio component was done. “We just called it done. We didn't linger on it too long,” Loewenthal states. “The album itself came together like that [snaps fingers] and we didn't linger on it. It just was the easiest record we've ever made.” I ask them of the curation process, and if any of the songs left behind on the cutting room floor could have life breathed in to them in the future. Davis responds, “I think that the demo is that it's just not their time of day and that's why you just let the demo sit. Same as resting a wine in a cellar or like resting a steak after you've cooked it or whatever it is.” He breaks down their process behind creating a final track list, sharing they create playlists with the intended songs for an album and listening to them within a broader context. “Some tracks just don't quite fit and so they get put aside. Then eventually you kind of piece together what is like a cohesive, compelling journey.”

Whilst the album was completed by the end of September 2023, Loewenthal notes they lingered on the visual and marketing side in order to align all aspects of Temps de Flors. Davis is the driving force behind the bands visual aesthetic, having created the artwork and undertaking the albums graphic design. Leaning into the records floral in bloom theme, Tora collaborated with Belge photographer Anton Fayle on the imagery. Davis details, “The album artwork itself, like if you look at the cover, it's kind of rough. It's not supposed to be super perfect. It's kind of like straight lines and just looks like it's been edited badly, but that's sort of intentionally intentional. I think the content and the marketing side of things has been a little bit difficult. But I think more than anything we just need to get out there and just start performing the music and let it kind of translate in the real world.”

That chance has arrived, with the band kicking off their world tour only last week. Prior to commencing the European leg, Tora were camped out in Switzerland, crafting their new live show and carefully curating a setlist that highlights their new record and celebrates their entire catalogue. “Obviously we have four albums to choose from and it is the tour for the new record, but there's a certain amount of ‘we wanna put in as many off the new record as we can’, but we have to still play the old hits and things like that to keep people happy,” Loewenthal tells me. Turning things up a notch, the band promise their most ambitious tour to date will unfold over the coming months - made complete with video visuals and a light show to drive the shows narrative. Loewenthal adds, “It’s a new experience for us because we've never had video running with our live show before, but it's about finding the right moments to include and not just have video for the sake of it, but have like the moments where bits of video come in actually enhance the narrative.” He notes the similarities between creating an album and a live show, noting the importance of creating a run of songs that flow and create an overall journey. Johnston notes that that process can have its struggles - especially regarding their older releases. With Temps de Flors being built upon organic instrumentation, he finds the translation from recording to live performance a bit easier. “It's just a lot more, like of us playing the live instruments… I think it's like one thing to record the album and to have it on the digital platform, but it's a whole other thing to be able to perform that live and bring it to your fans in each country, in each continent and be able to connect with the people who actually listen to your music.” Davis notes the importance of live music historically and culturally, stating “In a way it's kind of like the entire point. If you think about the origins of music, like live performance and that connection where there's no interface or there's no speaker, there's just like immediate transfer of like sonic vibe from creator performer to listener.” Johnston continues the thought and speaks of making an in-person connection with their fans. “It's a side that we're always kind of battling with to try to like translate it, especially, I mean the newer tracks. I think it's like one thing to record the album and to have it on the digital platform, but it's a whole other thing to be able to perform that live and bring it to your fans in each country, in each continent and be able to connect with the people who actually listen to your music.”

Jo wears Song For The Mute. Thorne wears Song For The Mute. Shaun wears Song For The Mute and Wynn Hamlyn. Jai wears Song For The Mute.

However the economic impact of touring is not lost of them. “It is unfortunate today in a way that touring can be so expensive and there's so many sort of contingencies that have to be managed. I think it's something that we're gonna always try to do,” says Davis. He goes on to say they hope to one day tour at a larger scale with full production, and bring on a larger team whilst still making a profit. Loewenthal offers the thought that when it comes to touring, you have to pick your battles by being more selective with tour routing and knowing where your audience is located. “When you're playing smaller venues, it's easy to get pretty deep in the financial hole. But these days we're just a bit more selective. We choose the cities that make more sense financially, and in the end if it makes sense financially it usually means that there's actually people at the shows.” Beyond the cost of touring, he notes the physical and mental toll life on the road can have on an individual. “If you're playing like thirty shows in thirty five days, you burn out. Whereas if you're spreading those thirty shows over like sixty days, then it's more sustainable. So we've just kind of matured in that sense where we are willing to put our foot down and say like, 'no, that routing doesn't make sense. It's gonna be too much driving in too short of an amount of time.' So we are now kind of, we are routing the tours so that they're actually enjoyable and not just like, you are not just suffocating on your way through. Because we learned the hard way that if you tour too hard and too fast, you kind of get swallowed a little bit.”

As we end our time together, I ask them their thoughts on the publics reaction to the record; whether they are surprised to see certain songs resonate with fans? “I think it's been a pleasant surprise. For us it felt like this was our most mature work, but you never know because the sound has evolved, maybe has changed slightly,” Loewenthal notes. Johnston adds, “I felt like we were probably writing and creating something that was probably our best work. And then a lot of the feedback that we've had across social media and things like that has been super positive.” In an interesting analysis, Loewenthal shares that when they release new music and reach a broader audience, they see growth in streams and engagement with their older work. “It's usually like two years later when we really start to see the growth and the reaction and gain steam in terms of people requesting those songs at shows and people streaming them like mad… when you release something new that drives people to the old stuff and it takes a while for like the new songs to even make it into the top ten [on Spotify], just based on the way that the whole industry works these days… it'll be interesting to see how that tracks over the next two years.” He notes that has been a trend for Tora, however fan reaction thus far has indicated Temps de Flors is fast becoming a fan-favourite album.