Scizzorman Make Sense of What’s Left Through Funk, Psychedelia and Beautiful Chaos

After a post-pandemic hiatus, a stubborn case of writer’s block and enough time away to question what Scizzorman might even sound like upon returning, the Australian trio have resurfaced with an answer that is characteristically difficult to categorize.

Their new seven-track concept album, HOW TO GET YOUR LIFE RIGHT WITH WHAT’S LEFT, is a little over 30 minutes of funk, psychedelia, glam, stoner rock, swamp blues, ambient detours and whatever else happens to make sense in the moment. Rather than treating those genres as separate destinations, Scizzorman allow them to collide, overlap and mutate—sometimes within the same song.

At the center is drummer and vocalist Terry J Vinci, whose lyrical observations and existential tangents are anchored by Cody Robson’s bass and expanded through Stewart Herbertson’s guitars and synthesizers. Sound engineer Adrian Vinci helped turn those disparate impulses into a record that, despite constantly changing direction, still feels like the work of one band.

The album wasn’t initially supposed to exist at all. What began as an opportunity to reconnect and make use of a studio before its demolition gradually became something more substantial. With only a handful of songs, few expectations and no particular commercial destination in mind, Scizzorman rediscovered the pleasure of making things simply to see where they might lead.

The result is an album whose title sounds simultaneously like advice, a warning and a punchline. But beneath its irreverence sits a genuine question: when time has passed, plans have changed and the world seems increasingly absurd, what exactly do you do with whatever is left?

For Scizzorman, apparently, you turn it up.

HOW TO GET YOUR LIFE RIGHT WITH WHAT’S LEFT is your first album after a post-pandemic hiatus and a period of writer’s block. Did making this record feel like picking up where Scizzorman left off, or did you essentially have to rediscover what the band was supposed to be?**

More a rediscovery, really. There was no plan to make a record when I began writing lyrics. Things seemed to align early last year, when we set aside February for recording. Even at that stage, it was more about reconnecting again individually and making the most of the studio before demolition.

We had about four tracks to start with and no real expectation. We were just stoked we had the studio to come and go from for about a month.

The title HOW TO GET YOUR LIFE RIGHT WITH WHAT’S LEFT sounds somewhere between a self-help manual, an existential crisis and a joke. What does “what’s left” mean to you in the context of this album?

That’s hilarious. A combo of all three perhaps, or quite possibly none of the above?

The title came about later and seemed to complement what was going on personally back then. Once I knew I was on a roll to complete another album, time management became critical. The “With What’s Left” bit gives it a more finite, drastic edge.

I even considered adding a comma after “Right,” but it seemed to read better as a stand-alone phrase.

The record moves through psychedelia, funk, glam, stoner rock, swamp blues and more experimental territory in only seven tracks. When you were writing, were you consciously trying to make something stylistically unpredictable, or did that happen naturally once you stopped imposing boundaries on the songs?

Well, there are never really any boundaries. My songwriting style tends to lean more on the words and rhythm, which has its own limitations. Sometimes those two elements take the song to a predictable place and other times somewhere I wouldn’t expect. That’s the natural process for me, in a sense.

About halfway through this record, I decided to actively revisit my favorite albums and listen to them in a slightly different light. This seemed to provide the focus to go the full-length album.

This gave us more creative scope using different styles, which were ultimately derived from our collective influences. There are many nods to other artists, which we wanted to honor. Can you pick them?

With influences ranging from Frank Zappa and David Bowie to Talking Heads, Hendrix, RHCP and The Dandy Warhols, you’re pulling from artists who were themselves constantly mutating. What have those artists taught you about experimentation without losing your own identity?

Stay true to what you’re doing, even if it’s not mainstream. Zappa was prolific and fiercely independent. Bowie was a chameleon and kept recreating his look. Hendrix was a game-changing artist. RHCP and The Dandy Warhols have endured from last century.

Then there’s XTC, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, QOTSA and so many more.

The one thing they all seem to have in common is that their artistic legacy has survived and, in many instances, become more popular than when first released. Their endurance, longevity and commitment are what I really admire.

After experiencing writer’s block, was there a particular song, riff, sound or studio moment that finally broke the dam and made you realize an album was actually taking shape?

Day one in the studio was really the starting point. From early February last year, we started recording “Cavalcades,” as it seemed more complete than the other songs.

We went late into the night and finished with a solid draft, and were quietly impressed that it sounded okay. That was really the catalyst that set the tone for the rest of the month.

We were too caught up with having a ball just playing and recording with no real expectations. We were just stoked we were back recording and could make songs come to life again.

There’s an interesting contradiction in making such a stylistically restless record while still wanting the seven tracks to function as a cohesive whole. What became the connective tissue holding all of these different sounds together?

On a macro level, no doubt the sheer brilliance and expertise of our sound engineer Adrian. His patience and willingness to allow the creative scope to flourish was a crucial part of the whole.

On a micro level, our individual styles were at the forefront of the sound. Stewart’s broad talents are spread throughout the record, while Cody’s boundless energy sets the foundation.

As a lyrical drummer, I’m blessed to have all three come and go as they please. Sometimes they even stay the night.

You operate as a trio, but Terry handles drums and vocals while Cody anchors the bass and Stewart moves between guitar and synth. How does that particular configuration influence your arrangements, especially when you’re trying to create music that feels much larger than three people?

It varies depending on the song. “Cavalcades” began with Cody on acoustic guitar and just drums and vocals. “Get with The Program” started with Stewart on electric guitar and Adrian on bass. With “Mystical” and “Next Gen,” Cody was back on bass with only drums and vocals.

There was plenty of time for other random grooves, which we invariably used in some way. Nothing went to waste, that’s for sure.

In some instances, my approach was to work within the confines of what we came up with in that first month and expand from there.

Funk and psychedelia both depend heavily on groove, but they can approach it from completely different directions. How important was rhythm in determining where these songs could travel stylistically without completely losing the listener?

The first two weeks of recording were mainly spent laying down the rhythm section and some guide vocals. We didn’t want to overdo it, and most songs were done in fewer than five takes, with no prior rehearsal.

Adrian’s approach allowed us to capture that spark early on, without too much fuss. That kept things moving along nicely, with an even spread of time spent on all tracks.

I think that continuity of maintaining the band’s sound as the record ebbs and flows hopefully keeps things intriguing enough and the listener invested.

The album arrives after a period when the band essentially stopped moving forward creatively. Did that distance change your definition of what makes a Scizzorman song—or make you less precious about what the band was “allowed” to sound like?

Well, maybe not to begin with. Having penned most of the lyrics prior to recording, it took a while before I had enough written to hit the studio with.

But definitely once the process started and we made early inroads, we were less precious about things and more progressive in a productive kind of way. The fact that it had been a while between recordings made me only want to jump to the next song sooner.

It became quite infectious, giving each track its own identity and distinctive sound.

There’s something wonderfully excessive about squeezing this many genres and ideas into a 30-minute record. In an era when music can be increasingly optimized for algorithms, playlists and immediate categorization, how important is it for Scizzorman to make records that are a little harder to explain?

What became important for us was making the most of the studio and enjoying the moments.

Given the aim was to pack in as much as possible, being challenged by the minimum length of a 30-minute album was a fun theme and sounded novel. Working in some kind of conceptual notion within that limited time frame did take a little longer to formulate.

With each member bringing their own genre influences to the table, we suddenly had this melting pot of possibilities simmering away.

If this album is ultimately about figuring out how to get your life right with whatever remains, did making it actually provide any answers—or did it leave you with an entirely new set of questions?

Oh, that’s a tough one to finish off with.

It was quite a new learning curve in many ways. Seeing the album through, even with time delays between sessions, became more a lesson in switching off and letting song ideas soak in.

I think it provided lots of clarity about what’s possible with a more measured approach. We didn’t find all the answers, but we found new, more inventive ways of doing things and getting stuff down.

The only questions that remain now are when and where to set the studio up next.

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.