Interview: Good Laika

We recently put some questions to Wellington band Good Laika who have just released their second album, Followed By A Trail Of Sparks.  Robin Hinkley (vocalist/guitarist) was kind enough to answer them for us - click here to read what he had to say.

To celebrate the release of the album, Good Laika are playing tonight (Friday 10th July) at The Bacco Room in Auckland and next Thursday 16th July at The San Fran Bath House in Wellington.

Press Release:

Wellington band Good Laika return on Monday 6 July with their eagerly awaited sophomore album Followed By A Trail Of Sparks. Recorded live at Nic McGowan’s Island Bay Studios, Followed By A Trail Of Sparks blends indie rock, soul and folk influences into an aural adventure that is equal parts edgy, stirring and haunted. First single ‘All’s Well (Summer Song)’ recently blitzed alternative radio, reaching #3 on the national Alt Airplay Chart, with second single ‘Twelve O’Something’ beginning to make a similar impression now.

The slick live recordings will come alive in front of audiences at the upcoming album release shows at the Monte Cristo Room in Auckland on Friday 10 July, and the San Francisco Bath House in Wellington on Thursday 16 July.

Good Laika, formed seven years ago in secret backrooms in central Wellington, comprises Robin Hinkley (vocals, guitar), Matthew Armitage (bass guitar, vocals), Jason Fa’afoi (guitar, backing vocals), Ricky Boyd (drums, percussion) and Nic Marshal (keys). Followed By A Trail Of Sparks is just the second album the band has registered in seven years of playing together - their first being the critically acclaimed Heads I Win, Tails You Lose. Since the band’s conception, Good Laika has played well-received shows from north to south, and radio stations across the country have embraced the band’s single releases. Encouraged by their reception, inspired by a few anxious adventures – including and keen to spend more creative time together, Good Laika returned to the studio to see what might happen this time.

So why do the band sound lost and a little spooked on this new album? A key moment in the formation of A Trail of Sparks was an adventurous, foolhardy and ultimately doomed journey into eerie South Wairarapa, where everything that could have gone wrong did. Cars broke down, shops on the way were closed, cars laden with equipment scraped along the ground, gates were locked, keys to the hunting lodge (haunted) were unavailable, firewood was wet, recordings were lost, cellular phones were out of range, light bulbs were blown and ovens were cursed. At one point, the band found themselves carrying their instruments along a forest path in pitch darkness, guided by their cell-phone lights and the blinking eyes of unknown creatures just off the path.

True to this formative experience, Good Laika has gone on to deliver an exceptional album with Followed By A Trail Of Sparks. If their live recordings are anything to go by, seeing them live will be an equally outstanding event.

“In short, Followed By A Trail Of Sparks is one of the best locally made albums I've heard all year, and despite it not being a genre that I generally subscribe to, I've found it drifting back onto my playlist, which is high praise indeed.” * * * * – Gary Steel, Tone/Metro

“There's a deceptive charm and intensity to this bands music, a blend of indie pop and rock with soulful singing. It sneaks up on you, indelibly making its mark with a stateliness that could be underrated….Good Laika appear to have an x-factor and it's in fine form on this sophomore release.” – Simon Sweetman, NZ Musician