Something with numbers

interview Lauren Murada

There's something special about Something With Numbers, the Central Coast band who have evolved from a pop punk band at the turn of the century, to the five-piece rock/pop/soul band we know today. The boys are best known for their hit song Apple In The Eye (Lay Me Down), released two years ago, but after releasing their third album, Engineering the Soul, in September, it's clear they’re coming of age. The quintet – Lachlan Scott (gtr), Dave McBeath (drums), Tim Crocker (gtr), Scott Chapman (bass) and Jake Grigg (vocs) – are hitting the road on their Engineering the Soul tour, playing new songs and crowd favourites. The band are bringing their energetic live show to the Roxy and Crocker, aka Gravy, took time out to speak with SASS to talk about music, gigs and New York.

"Our new album is pop," 27 year-old Gravy said. "We wanted to do something different and we want every album to progress." Progression is not something the band takes lightly, having moved between genres for each record. Gravy described their debut album Etiquette as 'really heavy, almost metal' and the second, Perfect Distraction, as 'rock'.

Their evolution to pop came after lead singer Grigg suffered a meltdown last year and threw himself into writing. The charismatic vocalist turned emotional agony into pop ecstasy, but would fans accept it. "We played an acoustic gig in Erina and fans were singing along, so it looks (cool)," Gravy said.

Engineering the Soul was made this year in New York, over 10 weeks at Mission Sound Studios in Brooklyn. "The five of us were living together in a one and a half bedroom apartment. We often had three or so friends staying over so it was very full on," Gravy said.

Staying in the Big Apple wasn't Something With Numbers' first taste of the US, having toured before. Gravy said it was however, the first time they felt like real rock stars. "We were sitting in New York, drinking with all these people we'd just met recording an album, so it was pretty cool," he said, taking his next line from an infamous scene from the film Almost Famous. "We were thinking, 'we’re golden gods' ."

Something With Numbers play the Roxy on Nov 1.