Them boys light up again

As individuals, we have been off doing our own things so I think it was really refreshing when we decided to make this album because we both brought different perspectives to the sound that Pitch Black are traditionally known for.’ MIKE HODGSON

‘‘you never say never but we both have our own solo projects and living so far apart makes being in a band situation a lot more problematic’’ – is the group’s most ambient and textured album to date, but still has their trademark skanking rhythmic grooves.

‘‘As you get older you develop your craft,’’ Hodgson says. ‘‘I have a solo project – Misled Convoy – and have put out a couple of albums. Being immersed in a much more vibrant music scene in London and having the space and time as pretty much a stay-athome dad I have been able to focus on my music a lot more.

‘‘When Paddy and I started talking about doing a new Pitch Black album, I think I was a lot stronger in what I could offer musically. We are both stoked with Filtered Senses.

‘‘As individuals, we have been off doing our own things so I think it was really refreshing when we decided to make this album because we both brought different perspectives to the sound that Pitch Black are traditionally known for. It still has Paddy’s impeccable sense of rhythm, but with quite a different soundpalette.’’

Pitch Black shows are noted for their striking visual component. That’s always been Hodgson’s forte.

‘‘When my wife decided she wanted to kickstart her career again – she’s head of digital delivery for a multinational company – I agreed to step back from the video production work I had been doing and look after the kids for a while,’’ Hodgson says. ‘‘When we tour though, we will have a new visual element depending on how much of the new material we focus on and what we add from our backcatalogue. It will certainly be three-dimensional. The visual element of a Pitch Black show has always been an important part of who we are. I think in 20 years, we have done just one concert where there wasn’t a video.

‘‘One thing that has definitely influenced how I now look at visual backdrops to music is living in London. When I was a teenager, all of the music I really loved came out of England. It’s been amazing coming here and seeing some of the bands that are still going that I was a huge fan of.

‘‘You are also spoilt for choice with so many venues and hundreds and hundreds of gigs that you could go to each week. You have to pick and choose, which makes for a very vibrant life. London itself is very much a bricks and mortar city.

‘‘In New Zealand, I was very connected to the ocean and still am, but the environment in London has given me a tougher sound,’’ Hodgson says.