Now a good forty years on from when these songs were written and recorded, one of Tangled Shoelaces greatest accomplishments on Turn My Dial is how little their music has aged. Perhaps it can be attributed to the band’s youth that so gloriously shines through in their music; that is, Tangled Shoelaces formed in 1980 when their members were aged between 10 - 14 and disbanded a short four years later.

It’s this childlike abandon that makes Turn My Dial as addictive as it is. Across these 22 tracks, Tangled Shoelaces are almost always beaming - their performances free-spirited and bursting with joy, set to the backdrop of vibrant organs, chiming guitars and pulsing grooves. Even in the more serious moments, the group’s undeniable charm finds a way of peaking through - a warble from a clarinet here or a rogue giggle there. If there’s an album that’s going to bring back the wondrous haze of childhood, Turn My Dial is it, and the fact that the music is as well written as this is quite the bonus.

To help us dig further into Turn My Dial, we got in touch with Stephen and Martin Mackerras to have a chat.

TJ: Hey Stephen and Martin, how’s it going? It must be a fairly strange experience looking back on the things you did such a long time ago, but how are your recollections of your time as Tangled Shoelaces? Does it all feel like a blur now or do you still remember the whole experience quite well?

S: I’m quite amazed at the detail I can remember including the guitar chords, where I was when I wrote the song, why I wrote it… it’s like a time capsule of my mind & heart.

M: Some of it is still really clear like it was yesterday. But like any childhood memory much of it is a blur. 

And now, how does it feel to have Tangled Shoelaces back in the limelight 37 years on? 

S: Absolutely wonderful!! I’m overwhelmed with joy and excitement!!!

M: It really is completely unexpected and really wonderful. We are extremely grateful to Guy and Ben and the work they have put in to make this happen. 

From the outside, it seems like most of the conversation surrounding the band speaks of how remarkable it is that you could make such impressive music at such a young age. Was that the general feeling back then too? And from the band’s perspective, did you feel like you were ahead of your time when you were writing these songs?

S: No one around us said we were special. It wasn’t until M Squared noticed us and invited us down to Sydney and helped us put out an EP that we thought “gee, this is fun and people are listening”.

M: From my point of view, we were just doing what was fun, we listened to the music on 4ZZZ and Countdown and just wanted to be part of that. And in our imaginations we already were, kids live a lot in the imagination. When you're at that age you are more in the moment you just think “this feels good, this makes me happy”. You don't think things like “will people like this?”

The story around Tangled Shoelaces also makes it seem like everything you did as band came completely effortlessly. Was this the case? Did your music ever feel like a struggle or a labour?

S: It wasn’t effortless but it was always fun and exciting. It was quite easy to ‘make’ music - we just played. Leigh’s dad was a professional drummer and he helped us structure the songs (like the middle 8 in ‘I Need A Stamp’) and mum was very helpful with gear and driving us to gigs. Yes, we had a lot of support.

M: I’m sure there were times when it was a struggle and it was hard but I think some how we came to it with a good work ethic. We knew we had to practice to get things to sound good and we were committed to that  from the start. I'm not sure where it came from, probably our parents. Leigh's dad was a professional drummer and he passed that sense of commitment onto Leigh. Also, when you're a kid you’re not thinking about bills and responsibilities, we had a supportive parent who let us do what we want, so we just rehearsed without distraction. It just felt natural to create songs and rehearse.

Obviously a clear strength of the band was the naivety and innocence to your sound, but there are definitely moments across Turn My Dial that tackle weightier concepts and reveal the band’s self-awareness. What was inspiring you to write songs at the time?

S: Lucy, Martin and I were into all those serious bands like Split Enz, Go-Betweens, Joy Division, The Fall, etc…. we even liked Abba. So most of our songs are very joyful but yes, songs like ‘Rejection’, ‘Rain Clouds’ are more… serious?

M: Yes, Stephen did write some pretty heavy lyrics especially ‘Edifus’. We were influenced by the music around us which was at times pretty heavy. I remember starting to feel very melancholiac at times and wrote about this in ‘Wentle Trap’.

Considering so much of the music on the reissue has been unreleased, was there anything Chapter unearthed that you’d forgotten about? And are there any songs that you’re particularly impressed by?

S: Yes!!! ‘On The Sea’! I nearly fell over when I heard it. That captures our happy innocence.

M: Yes I agree with Stephen, I had completely forgotten about ‘On The Sea’. I have always remembered the songs over the years but it was only after Guy had them mastered and we listened to the album as a whole that I felt I was hearing small details for the first time (a lovely harmony here, a nice keyboard sound there) and was really, really blown away. Actually what strikes me now and I think what makes the music so poppy and accessible is the amazing drumming by Leigh, it just rocks along and has a great feel. But it's all the elements that make up the whole. I'm always impressed with Stephens lyrics and just love hearing Lucy's voice especially in ‘Little Bear’.

What’s life been like since Tangled Shoelaces stopped making music together?

S: A struggle. That’s where the fun stopped and the struggles began.

M: For me it has been really good. After Tangled Shoelaces was Wondrous Fair (with Stephen), I played with them for about three years. Also Choo Dikka Dilkka in Brisbane. I moved to Melbourne and went to the VCA. I formed a band called Puppenspiel, went to America and studied clarinet and composition. I formed Shopping in Ecstasy and more recently Maya Dreamer and the Future Happiness Orchestra. I am currently working on our third album and just did a big choir session down at Rolling Stock studios two weeks ago. I've been very lucky to play with Laura Jean for about four years making two albums with her and touring pretty continuously, she is one of Australia's most important songwriters, to share a stage with her was a privilege and I'll never forget it. I've played with Ross Mclennan (formerly of Snout) since 2008 and there are some amazing musicians in that band - wow! And Ross Mclennan is kind of a genius. I also teach music and really love being around kids and introducing them to music. I always keep the element of fun as well as developing a good work ethic and commitment. A life in music is not always easy but the rewards are just so great, it's a vocation. To make music you love is to be truly alive. I guess I really began to feel that playing with Tangled Shoelaces and it has stayed with me all my life.

And finally, although most of you kept busy musically in the years following Tangled Shoelaces break up, do you think you could ever make music quite like this again? Why/why not?

M: All music happens at the perfect time and perfect place, we are so lucky to have captured what we did  back when we were kids, we could never do that again, but I'm sure right now there are some other kids making music purely for the joy of it. Creativity is the most important thing to me, it is the life force. To be truly creative person in a way is to be childlike, because a child's mind is pure and fully in the present. I remember seeing the Stooges about ten yeas ago - here were these guys I think in their 60's and 70's but they were having so much fun and the experience was so joyous. I remember thinking they were childlike, they were beyond age, they could have been 16 year old kids up there, it made no difference. Being joyful in the moment is the most important thing.

S: Definitely not. Why? Because, that time/circumstance/context/ worldview/zeitgeist is gone for ever - only the music remains. We have all grown up into confused, dysfunctional, cynical adults never to return to our youth… but we are lucky because the music remains! Thank you, I’m so glad you have listened to our music. Thank you 1000 times!