9 Songs That Inspired Soaked Oats - Working Title
The four-piece weave collective influences with their earnest songwriting to create a grand debut LP..
Photo Credit Jake Mein
Hailing from Aotearoa/New Zealand is the thoughtful songwriting, impressive rock chops, and endearing performances of Soaked Oats. Appearing at festivals and tours throughout the UK, America, and Australasia, the group are backed with a solid inventory of EP releases Stoned Fruit (2017), No Slip Ups (2017) and Sludge Pop (2019), opening a new chapter and delving into a new sonic territory with their new, debut album Working Title.
With a majority of recording happening in the small and remote township of Okuru, Haast, situated on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Working Title takes on a more introspective approach, maybe influenced by this secluded environment. Exploring the contrasting ways people perceive and interact with the world, and with objects, as well as how we define ourselves through work, Soaked Oats stray from their usual cheerful sound, unleashing a captivating blend of funk, 60s psychedelia, dance-rock, electronica and hip hop influences.
Accompanied by an Australian tour in March 2023, Working Title is out now in all its glory - a release we wanted to celebrate, so we asked Soaked Oats to share some songs that inspired the LP. Be sure to peep the tour dates, hit play on the debut record, and take a read/listen of the Working Title inspo playlist below.
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The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
This one’s pretty explicit. Upon hearing it we knew where The Way It Works started, and that we’d depart from that harbour.
Outkast - Gasoline Dreams
We referenced this when making calls about how to lay the record out, the fact that this song kicks Stankonia off sets a bit of a precedent for the rest of the record… and somehow they follow up.
Neil Young - On The Beach
The gentle journeying of this song and Neil’s music in general - the honesty in it - is something worth navigating toward.
Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love
The way percussion is layered in this song is solid, how you can slowly increase intensity just by introducing more elements. Gets you moving more n more.
Alabaster Deplume - Dear Soul
The transition from field recording to studio, or the dance between the two in this, is beautiful. How you feel like you’re in the room, and then are slowly enveloped in the song.
Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby
Tom (Tiny Ruins) who produced our record, pushed this one hard when discussing guitar sounds. Think he got his way with a few of them.
Cymande - One More
The ease in this song, the relief and the comfort.
Bob Dylan - Love Sick
Daniel Lanois’ production of Bob Dylan was a big reference for a few of the songs, the atmosphere but also that swampy stompy thing, big steps, slow moving, chugging along like a steam train.
Leonard Cohen - I Tried To Leave You
It was important to have the voice right at the front for a lot of these songs, particularly in the second half. John Lissauer does it very well with Leonard Cohen, so we tried to do the same.
Soaked Oats' debut album Working Title is out now via Dot Dash / Remote Control.
Friday, 10 March
Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
Saturday, 11 March
The Lansdowne, Sydney
Sunday, 12 March
North Wollongong Hotel, Wollongong
Friday, 17 March
Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide
Saturday, 18 March
Howler, Melbourne
Sunday, 19 March
Mojos, Perth
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