Cordrazine first appeared in Melbourne with their 1996 EP ‘Time to Leave’. Introducing the exquisite voice of Hamish Cowan and four beautiful, classic pop songs with flourishes of gorgeous Fender Rhodes, subtle jazzy hues and powerful moods, the EP set the scene alight.
The band released their only album, From Here To Wherever in 1997. Debuting at number nine on the ARIA Album Charts, backed by phenomenal reviews, vast radio airplay and television appearances, it featured the still astonishing ballad ‘Crazy’ – reputedly played at just as many funerals as weddings. The raw emotion and open-a-vein honesty provoked the kind of obsessive fan reactions.
After a spell of touring in Australia and the USA, Cowan put his band on ice towards the end of 1997. ‘Crazy’ then landed in the Top 20 of Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 1997. Breaking up before they could even fully break through, Cordrazine undeniably had so much more to offer.
It was not until 2007, that the seeds of a reunited Cordrazine were planted, as Cowan started writing songs with old musical sparring partner and schoolmate, Nick Batterham, and the band debuted new songs at two sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney.
Now galvanised, the band set to recording the songs that make up Always Coming Down. Tracking was done over two days at Melbourne’s Sing Sing Studios, with guitars and vocals added at guitarist Nick Batterham’s home studio, and strings recorded and final album mixing at further Sing Sing sessions. As a counterpoint to this recording phase, Hamish and Nick worked together on the vocals in an atmosphere of rare intimacy known only to friends of twenty years standing, to capture Hamish’s spine tingling voice.
