On the eve of the release of Vetiver’s new album Tight Knit, Chris Familton chatted to Andy Cabic about joining the Sub Pop label, the influences that shaped the new record, and how he balances his busy workload.

Vetiver’s previous albums (Thing Of The Past, To Find Me Gone and Vetiver) were released on the small independent labels Di Cristina and Cabic’s own Gnomonsong. With the new record he has made the move to the larger Sub Pop label. The reason behind the change, he says, was not a complicated one. “My own label is sort of under the umbrella of Revolver and I love everyone there and have a great working relationship with them but thought it was time to just try something different, kind of an experiment and Sub Pop was one of the few labels to follow through with their interest in doing something with me.” A key factor in making the decision was that Cabic has other musician friends already on Sub Pop. “I talked to Kelly [Stoltz] a bit about it and my friend Eric in the Fruit Bats so I had a good feeling about things before going into it.”

Tight Knit is a slight departure from his previous collection of originals (To Find Me Gone) in that the sound is sharper, more immediate and less hazy. The more upbeat melodic feel of much of Thing Of The Past has filtered through onto the new album and it sounds like he has tightened up his approach to writing the songs and they way in which the band and producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Tussle, Lavender Diamond) construct them in the studio.

“I think for a sound set we were trying to find something with a bit more treble and not quite as much woody and warm, or elements of that that were on the last record but also a bit brighter,” agrees Cabic. “It’s a mixture of what we did on the last record and elements of what we did on To Find Me Gone too where a lot of it was honed by myself but initially tracked with everybody there.”

Though he is Vetiver’s sole songwriter, he places great value in the strengths that the rest of the band bring to the songs during the writing and recording process. “I try to do things that are in keeping with the skill set of the people I play with, and that changes, so if I hear those kind of things then I maybe try to adapt to that,” says Cabic. “Some of the songs came up later and were written with their playing in mind, a few of them were honed over time from playing live as well. I tried to write more to everybody’s strengths and bring some of that in.”

Elements of funk and and soul are a welcome addition to the Vetiver sound on Tight Knit. ’Another Reason To Go’ in particular uses horns and develops a Stax-like groove though Cabic sees its inclusion as merely a product of his writing process. “I wouldn’t say that is something I’m looking to explore more, I just go song by song. That one was in the vein of a song that would have those kinds of arrangements so I worked for them,” he says, before going on to explain, “the songs I write are a mixture of intent and happenstance, things I can’t control and when they are underway I see how they are going to work and I add elements to the arrangements which complement their direction. I don’t force things and I don’t try to write songs that wouldn’t sound good coming from my voice or my fingers.”

Cabic’s singing on Tight Knit is much warmer and more self assured than on previous releases. “I don’t know if I would say it is my strong point, I don’t think I’m like a technically great singer,“ Cabic concedes, “but I’ve learnt how to write for my voice”. He has also continued to learn, with each album, how to get the best out of his singing in the studio. “I’ve done them all with Tom so we get a better feel for what microphones work well with me and I’ve got a better handle on how to sing on records I think.”

Another feather in Cabic’s cap is his production work. He co produced Banhart’s Cripple Crow and he is currently producing the new Vasti Bunyan album. Rather than seeking out production work he prefers to let it develop organically as was the case with Bunyan’s new project. “I wouldn’t say I’m getting calls from a lot of people but I’ve toured and played with Vashti a fair bit and she really trusts me and it just seemed to work out. I’m really thrilled to work with her, her new songs are great and so far things are sounding wonderful.”

One wonders how Cabic manages to juggle writing, recording and touring with the band, running a label and producing other artists. “There are elements of all those things I enjoy and the shifting between them keeps things fresh,” he says, but when pressed he admits where he gets his most enjoyment from. “Oh, I would say writing is the best part for me, I have the most fun when I can get a moment going with that. But you know, also the playing with people, the travelling, I don’t live near my bandmates, they live on the other side of the country, so when we get to play together its nice to see them and travel.“

As soon as his production commitments winds up the band will be hitting the road in the USA and some parts of Europe. Australian audiences may soon get a chance to hear Tight Knit live if Vetiver can work it into their touring schedule. “I’d love to” he says, “I’ve been there once with Devendra, we’ve been trying to get back over there but it doesn’t ever seem quite aligned but I’d love to come play there. I hope we can come with this album.”