Fraser A. Gorman first registered on the radar way back in mid-2012 with the release of his self-titled debut EP. Within months of its arrival, the Melbourne songwriter was playing decent-sized headline shows and even landed a spot at that year’s Meredith Music Festival. In the ensuing time, his profile has continued to rise, thanks to a slow drip feed of singles and support slots with the likes of Justin Townes Earle, C.W. Stoneking and Augie March, plus a recent UK tour with Courtney Barnett.
Now, nearly three years on from his debut EP, Gorman has unveiled his first full-length, Slow Gum,via Barnett’s Milk! Records imprint. “The record was finished recording about a year and a half ago, but it was mixed and mastered maybe a year ago,” Gorman says. “In between that time, I changed a few things around. I got a permanent touring band, I got the management team that I wanted to work with and picked up an overseas label. I took my time and now I’m in a position where I’m going to put out this album and, for better or for worse, a handful of people might listen to it.”
He’s underselling himself just a wee bit here. Comprising ten tracks and clocking in at just over 35 minutes, Slow Gum features several songs that will be familiar to those who’ve eagerly followed Gorman’s progress over the past three years. His four most recent singles are all on there, stretching as far back as ‘Dark Eyes’, which landed in early 2013.
“Because making the record took such a long time, I was like, ‘Fuck, I’ve got to do something,’ so I decided to slowly leak singles,” he says. “It sort of worked to my advantage, because I think that music these days, especially when you’re a new artist, is a singles game. It’s a good way to keep people updated with what you’re doing.”
It’s somewhat incongruous to hear Gorman discuss music from a strategic, business-minded point of view. See, while he doesn’t strictly make country music, he’s always presented a down-home, workman-like image. Slow Gum showcases the unique identity he’s cultivated out of existing tools and methods. But it wasn’t always a confident ride.
“I constantly have doubts about whether I’m qualified to do anything, really,” he says. “But my philosophy in life is, whatever you do, give it a crack, don’t be scared. In taking that on board, I really like songwriters, and that tends to lean me towards a lot of country artists, like Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clark, or newer purveyors of country-esque music, like Justin Townes Earle or Wilco or Cass McCombs. So I don’t know whether I’m qualified to do it, but I don’t think you get qualified to do it without just doing it.”
Above all else, the songs on Slow Gum are distinguished by Gorman’s vocals. The tone and character of his voice – immediate and conversational, if a little gruff and not entirely nimble –have played a crucial role in converting casual listeners into avid fans. It isn’t a classically beautiful voice, so it will also have caused some listeners to turn away. That might seem like an odd paradox, but the same applies to the likes of Bob Dylan, Bill Callahan, Arthur Russell and Lou Reed – artists whose key distinction is a make-or-break issue.
“They’re all artists that I absolutely love, and the way that they’re singing is very divisive,” Gorman says. “I definitely learnt a lot about my voice making Slow Gum,just because I’ve never done that much recording and there’s a lot of different styles of songs on the record. You can only roll with what you’ve got, and when you try to make something that you’ve got not what it is, people can usually see through that. So I guess I just try to make do with what I’ve got. The way you sing is your style. If people don’t like it, then whatever.”
By making do with the tools available to him, the 24-year-old Gorman finds himself in an enviable position on the cusp of his debut LP. Not only are plenty of listeners around the nation and parts of the globe aware of his music, but there’s a high level of anticipation for what comes next. Perhaps with good reason, Gorman is quietly confident that this is only the beginning.
“You’ve got to believe in yourself, because if you don’t, no-one else will. So I think things are going to keep moving forward. I’ve been lucky and fortunate that my career has not really blown up – it’s just moved upwards in a really nice manner. It’s moved along at the same pace as me, which is a really nice way to go about making music.
“I really admire people like Courtney Barnett, who had this huge spike in her career but she totally kept a level head and wrote even more really good songs. A lot of younger artists that that happens to, they flip out and think they’re gods for a couple of weeks and then they really struggle to back it up. I’m really grateful for how things have panned out and I’m looking forward to having heaps more fun and doing more shows and making more records.”
Fraser A. Gorman’s Slow Gum is out now through Milk!/Caroline, and he plays Newtown Social Club on Friday July 10 with Big White.
