Have you fallen into a fantasy of pastimes and past loves? Searching for a sound that will aid your unfed emotions? Well, at last, your delusion has come true with Cameron Avery’s solo album debut, “Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams.”
The Western Australian musician, better known for his work as bassist for the psychedelic rock group Tame Impala, creates music that produces a unique sense of timelessness. While Avery searches through heartbreak, imagination and self-indulgence he allows his listeners to join him in his exploration of inevitable vulnerability caused by love, chaos, and pain. A truly unique album in every way, Avery creates every lyric and sound, producing a world made up of himself, dreams, and emotions to share with his listeners.
His cowboy-like twang makes us swoon as we tighten our boots up, throw a hat on, and dance in the light bouncing off his glistening voice of conviction and proposal. Compiling a herd of sounds like clapping, violin strings, and flirty electric guitar riffs — Avery excels at taking all he knows about music and displaying it all in one album. From his romantic piano ballads, to his sultry and Sinatra-esque voice; old Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll qualities are present as Cameron truly takes us back to what being versatile means while highlighting a simple word “love” into a complex essay. Avery has the ability to glamorize old-time Western saloon vibes and big band suit and tie quartets that transcends his music to a whole new dimension of creativity.
We had the chance to catch up the multi-talented musician, where we discuss his solo album Ripe Dream, Pipe Dreams, his sincere form of storytelling, and why with this album he put his wants and needs at the center.
What do you think, thematically, is different about “Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams” compared to sounds you’ve made in the past?
I was in the studio with Thomas via Anti Records creating this album. It is very self-indulgent and purely for myself; I didn’t take anyone else’s needs except mine into account and wanted to be genuine and truthful about what I’m feeling. I have been working on this piece for about three years and I honestly made this record for me. I wanted to make purely what I wanted to make. It was just something I made, not a quest to search for a muse, and I am incredibly proud of it. It definitely has parts about love in the album cause it is so brutal. Real life relationships and heartbreak are present as well from experiences and looking at it from an outsider’s perspective, too.
Songs like “C’est Toi” and “Wasted on Infidelity” give off a very genuine and storytelling vibe; are these autobiographical or simply just thoughts?
It is definitely a piece from myself and all my years of losing someone or what I’ve seen from an outsider’s perspective. I wanted these songs to be from the heart and from the truth behind what I am feeling. Real and straightforward. I am not making music for anyone else, but myself.
What can we expect to see and hear during your current show on tour?
So, it is the same band as the Growl album including a string quartet and an orchestra-like section to get the feel for the songs and how they are immersive with so many different instruments. I will also be playing piano, rather than guitar, more often in my performances. I arranged the songs for a six-piece band to bring back that classic big band type of style.
What are you looking forward to the most about touring these next couple of weeks?
I am really excited to see my mates from Australia who are coming out to play with me from my old band. So, I guess it’s going to be a ride from there and enjoying the debut with good people.
Be sure to catch one of Cameron’s live performances during his tour that last through May. Get your hand on his new album Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams here.