Django Django: “This time around it was a lot more focused”

With their debut album, Django Django made quite the impression. Despite having been pulled together in less than ideal conditions, its wonderful weirdness soon captivated listeners and won them a Mercury Prize nod for good measure. It was only after the dust settled on their constant touring schedule, however, that the band found the time to think ahead to their next step.

“We just wanted this album to be bigger,” says the band’s Jim Dixon. “We really wanted to push ourselves with our songwriting [this time split four ways] and it feels like we’ve taken a big step forward.” From the playful dance of ‘Giant’, through the stuttering stare of ‘Vibrations’ until the grand swaggering finale of ‘Life We Know’, ‘Born Under Saturn’ is a bounding leap onwards. “There was no shortage of ideas and each song felt strong,” Dave Maclean reflects. “We were going to have ten songs but no one could agree on which ones to drop.” “Every time we took a song away, the album didn’t feel as strong. It just seems to work,” adds Jim.

‘Born Under Saturn’ is “more realised.” The first one was made over a period of time (and recorded on a £50 mic), with bits and bobs of ideas floating around. “I was doing a post grad degree and we all had jobs,” explains Dave. “This time around it was a lot more focused.” “‘First Light’ was one of the first songs we wrote,” Jim continues. “It’s about knowing where you are and where you’re going. I suppose writing lyrics helps you make sense of what did happen in those two years. We weren’t sure about ‘First Light’. It was just a tiny scrap of synth that Tommy had and for a while it sounded really pastiche. Then Dave came in; cut it apart and put things together.”

“Getting through that process gave us faith in what we were doing,” shares Jim. “To see the light, you have to get through the dark. We were working on that song for a month and the lyrics were borne out of being really unsure but then feeling like we could go and tackle the rest of the album. It was a cathartic start to the album, clearing things out and starting again.” That sense of starting afresh is a theme that dances throughout ‘Born Under Saturn’. “After touring for two and a half years, it was like sweeping all that aside and starting again. I think that underpins a lot of the songs,” ventures Jim.