Concrete Playground Meets Indie-Pop Purveyor Lawrence Arabia

Lawrence Arabia, aka James Milne, has been improving the aural landscape of New Zealand for quite some time now. Since releasing his first solo self-titled album in 2006, he has gone on to win the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll for what may be the catchiest song of all time, 'Apple Pie Bed', and a VNZMA for his third release, 2013's The Sparrow.

Such projects have established Milne as one of the most creative and talented musicians in the country, which explains why the buzz is so huge ahead of his new album Absolute Truth (released July 8) and the complementary release tour starting July 13. The new record sees Milne at his most introspective and creative, with lashings of Beatles-esque sunshine pop and a decidedly Kiwi personality.

We sat down with the man himself, for a chat about what inspires his music, how his sound has evolved on his new album and how he picked his rather badass name.

Could you start by introducing yourself and telling us a little about James Milne? Please include dirty secrets and uber-scandalous details if/where possible.

My name's James Milne. I was born in Christchurch in 1981. I have far too much hair at the moment.

You've won a slew of big-time Kiwi music awards including the inaugural Taite Music Prize, an APRA Silver Scroll for the infectious 'Apple Pie Bed' and a Tui Award for your last album. How important is such recognition to you when making music?

At the time of actually making the music – not at all. Anyone considering their awards prospects while making music is not concentrating on the job at hand. But, on the rare occasion that I've been fortunate enough to receive one of these gongs, it's important to take a brief moment to celebrate, cos it's a lonely business a lot of the time and the opportunities to genuinely enjoy your achievements are few and far between.

I've recently had the pleasure of listening to your new album, Absolute Truth. In my uneducated opinion it's one of the more unique and well-written musical works to come out of NZ in a while. How do you think your sound has changed or evolved from past albums on your newest effort, and how would you describe this album?

This record's a happier, more unrestrained work than the last one. I just let my poppy instincts take full reign. It tends to be that each record is a reaction in the opposite direction from the previous. Lawrence Arabia was loose and not particularly thought out; Chant Darling, I agonised over for a couple of years and threw the kitchen sink at it. The Sparrow was stripped back and austere; this one is full of every little production idea that I felt like using at the time, and it's kind of fun sounding.

My personal favourites on the new record are 'Sweet Dissatisfaction' and 'What Became of That Angry Man'. The latter is a fairly dark and personal tale of troubled youth - where did the inspiration for this raw and sad story come from? 

'Angry Young Man' I suppose is about what happens when misdirected youthful idealism sort of mutates into aggression and drunkenness when you get older. It's kind of the flipside of 'O Heathcote' which is about trying to resist the comfortable temptations of middle class life as you get older. I feel like I'm always kind of psychically stuck between those two characters – the bourgeois dog walker in 'O Heathcote' and the young man passed out on the back porch after doing spots.

You're about to embark on a NZ wide tour, including shows in Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier and finally Auckland. What can concert-goers expect from Lawrence Arabia live?

It's a full five-piece band, with Jonathan Pearce joining alongside the usual band of Alistair, Hayden, Tom and myself, so it's going to be beautifully rendered, full of harmonies and horns. Pretty much the ultimate live music experience. Plus the Auckland show's going to have a string quartet.

Finally I have to ask. Where did the stage name Lawrence Arabia come from? 

It came in a vision.

Lawrence Arabia's Absolute Truth is out now. Catch Arabia and his band across the following dates:

Wednesday 13 July: Oamaru - Grainstore Gallery
Thursday 14 July: Queenstown - Sherwood
Friday 15 July: Dunedin - Maori Hill Coronation Hall
Saturday 16 July: Christchurch - Blue Smoke
Friday 22: July: Napier - Cabana
Saturday 23 July: Wellington - San Fran
Friday 29 July: Auckland - Crystal Palace