Crossing genres

Danny O'Donoghue is lying in bed. He figures if he has to talk to the Australian press at an un-rock'n'roll hour well before lunchtime, that's the most comfortable place to do it.

The singer for Irish rock trio the Script is, funnily enough, discussing the hard work ethic which has brought the band to their third album, called #3.

O'Donoghue says this one was all about fun mingled with liberal lashings of hard work. Plus given all the songs the 31-year-old says he's actually written this should be about album number 13.

After making waves with their 2008 self-titled album and 2010's Science & Faith, the Script outing is a mix of music for the head, heart and feet. Across a compact 10 tracks the award-winning trio has crafted meaningful songs brimming with thoughtful messages set to melodies and beats which straddle a number of genres, from pop to hip-hop.

"The Script has been heartbroken for a long time and you can hear that from the records," O'Donoghue says. "This one allowed us to experiment with different styles and genres and push the envelope.

"This has more of our hip-hop roots in it, which is sometimes difficult to see being an Irish band who love hip-hop, rap and R&B. We also decided to go a little more rocky, which goes back to one of our original intentions."

O'Donoghue insists he is far happier than he was four years ago, despite the fact that the album features the break-up song Six Degrees of Separation and If You Could See Me Now, which deals with the deaths of O'Donoghue's father and guitarist Mark Sheehan's parents. The latter contains the haunting line: "Music was the home for your pain."

"It's about the fact that our parents would be happy with what we are doing, even if they were going to tell us we probably drink too much," the singer says. "It's the first time we've been able to say it and we've needed to do it for a long time."

During the recording of #3, O'Donoghue appeared as a coach on The Voice UK. He says it was very much a group decision for him to go on the music talent show which more than anything stemmed from wanting to make a difference, rather than being a grab for increased publicity.

That said, the natural increase in profile appearing on the show alongside Tom Jones, will.i.am and Jessie J, helped more people put a face to the Script frontman.

"People know our songs but they didn't really know me so that was a great way to show that people in bands, not just solo singers, can be part of a show like this," O'Donoghue says.

"If it wasn't me, I would have suggested they put on someone like Kelly Jones from Stereophonics to represent this part of the music industry. As a band we felt it was important to be up there."#3 is out now. The Script play Perth Arena on April 3. Tickets from Ticketek.

Source: au.news