No Bad Memories

“Everybody has those certain jingles—maybe it’s a cereal ad—that you think you’ve forgotten, but then 30 or 40 years later it’s still with you, and it’s so evocative,” The Avalanches’ Robbie Chater tells Apple Music. “That’s what we’re interested in exploring. What’s the difference between a beautiful pop song about a breakup and a piece of music for advertising that was written to sell a product? The intention’s different, but is it any less valuable, or any less great a piece of songwriting?” Taking it one step further, The Avalanches’ fourth album considers the power of advertising in shaping the memories we carry and, ultimately, the identities we form. “I think it’s good to interrogate, because it probably is part of who we are more than we realise,” says Chater. “When you’re young and creating an identity, the brands you choose to associate yourself with really are significant.” Co-founder Tony Di Blasi says the trio wanted No Bad Memories to be “a bit more fun, uptempo and a bit crazier and wilder” than introspective 2020 predecessor We Will Always Love You. Creating and threading fictional commercials throughout the record, and even sampling electronic composer Suzanne Ciani, who created audio identities for companies such as Coca-Cola and Atari, the group builds worlds within worlds. Here Chater, Di Blasi and Andy Szekeres talk through the key moments on No Bad Memories. “Bd-R” Robbie Chater: “We made ads for our own invented products. Six months in, we realised, it’s much more exciting if we’re making these jingles and then mashing 30 of them together. It feels a bit like the history of advertising rushing at you and a half-remembered life of being a consumer.” “Together” (feat. Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza & Prentiss) RC: “[It features a sample] from The Famous Five TV show, which Andy’s kids were watching on YouTube.” Andy Szekeres: “It was on in the background and that vocal came on. Straight away, I messaged both of you and was like, ‘Could we use this