Albert Salt Knows For Sure
On his new single “I Know For Sure That I’m Not Sure,” Melbourne musician Albert Salt mines the possibilities and paralysis of indecision — and brings guitars into his trademark mix.
Albert Salt — Melbournian, musician, meticulous multipotentialite — is a man of many talents.
A classically-trained violinist working in the service of forward-thinking pop, Salt has been crafting inspired indie for more than a decade. In that time, he’s toyed with tension, mastering the cultivation of and release from that ever-relevant condition. His anxious percussion sows discontent; his anthemic choruses bring cathartic release. Even when there’s no solution in sight, Salt makes much of a scream into the void.
An indie pop auteur with an ear for the eclectic, Salt’s unique palette bursts through on the blistering panic of “Even Out,” the crisis-point angst of “25,” and the lush doubts of “Think It’s Time To Get A Job.” He uses the spaces between his prolific releases to showcase his intrepid instincts, with a string of intriguing covers blending Maroon 5 with Mac Demarco, Reznor & Ross with the Mr. Bean theme, and Radiohead with Tame Impala, Mike Oldfield, Justin Timberlake, and Dead Prez. They’re even stranger than they read, and even better than you expect.
Both a continuation and a departure, “I Know For Sure That I’m Not Sure” is a tale of two tones. On the one hand, a soft music box piano warmly crackles across the verses, and on the other, a heaving guitar lets loose across the chorus, broad and fuzzy. “It was originally written around a year ago, during the last Melbourne lockdown,” explains Albert. “There’s definitely a big change of direction in my sound with this song, as it features a lot of ‘rock’n’roll’ guitar. It’s actually this terrible old classical guitar that I’ve just affected very heavily to get that sound!” As Albert tells it, his new six-string strategy has shaken up his well-heeled approach. “It’s definitely been a ‘new way in’ to song writing,” he says. “I think this has been the first track that I’ve used it really heavily on, but I’ve been using guitar across all of my productions since.”
The single is both a tale of indecision and a lesson in simmering discontent. Salt’s staccato verses ratchet tension into the choruses, the anthemic explosion at the end of a taut vocal fuse. A music video from director James Vinson, also responsible for the single art, brings these moments to life. Down on the Victoria Harbour Promenade, under the shadow of the Bolte, Salt nervously paces his way through a dance, cutting loose with the heavy crescendo. The tender bridge is a brief oasis from the taut and the tremendous; a quick question that goes unanswered; the calm before the storm.
Salt’s instrumental detours are paired with a new lyrical bent. Less a thematic change than a perspective shift, Salt flips his trademark introspection into a two-handed character study. “I start the process after the instrumental has been written,” says Albert of his lyrical approach. “I just start to sing melodies over the top of the track with nonsense words and noises. After doing this for a while I’ll come up with an interesting phrase or two and that will set the direction for the lyrics for the rest of the song. I feel like it’s a good way to tap into your subconscious.”
It’s Salt’s subconscious that’s been centered in his music, which largely fixes on personal anxieties and first-person recollections. “I Know For Sure That I’m Not Sure” retains a personal edge, the sentiments similar and still relatable, but the two stories within are a little more distant. “The first verse focuses on a back and forth relationship, while the second is about someone who’s working in hospitality,” he says, “trapped in the cycle of drinking and depression unsure of how to break it.” Uncertainty and the worry it breeds bridges the “vignettes of these different characters that are all tied together by this theme. This song is much more character-driven than my previous releases.”
The new sound was made possible, at least in part, by a more open and shared creative approach. “I was fortunate enough to have the very talented Vince McIntyre from Fan Girl come on board to mix and provide additional production,” he says, crediting Vince with making “the song come alive” with his guitar and bass contributions. That, taken with the inclusion of Rob Eggleston on drums, makes “I Know For Sure That I’m Not Sure” “the most ‘collaborative’ track” Albert’s ever made: “I really wanted the choruses to absolutely belt you over the head, and wanted it to feel a lot more ‘band-y’ than my previous releases.”
The new single ends what was shaping up to be an unusually quiet year for Salt. Even as indecision and uncertainty reign, there are few things as dependable as his frenetic pop stylings. I wouldn’t worry about the prolific muso’s next moves — if I may stake my meager reputation, I know for sure that there’ll be more.
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