Out of the blue, The Summertimes emerged with their self-titled debut album, brimming with vibrant, infectious, and lively Power Pop tunes. The entire Power Pop community came together to sing its praises, and rightfully so. While debates about the essence of Power Pop persist, there’s no room for such discussions when it comes to this remarkable Australian gem. This album is destined to find favor among countless enthusiasts and connoisseurs.

In an interview with the SweetSweetMusic blog, David Challenger shares the intriguing origin story of the band.

How did this record come together?

A friend called Paul Hannigan had just launched his new record label (Rank and File Records) and was looking for his first act. He asked me, and after thinking about it, I decided that if it was a 50/50 partnership with David Beniuk, an old friend and former bandmate, then it’d be worth a shot.

David agreed, and we then rounded up a bunch of really impressive Australian musicians like Ash Naylor (The Church), Stephen O’Brien (Tumbleweed), and Steve Bull (Icehouse) to play on the album. And the cherry on top was getting one of the country’s most highly awarded producers, Paul McKercher, to sit behind the desk. We were really flattered and humbled that they liked our songs enough to participate.

Is the best song you ever wrote on this one?

Probably, though the actual track might change depending on what day you ask me! I’ve always thought our current single, “Inside,” was pretty good. And also “My Beautiful Girl Harbour,” which is extra special as it was the first co-write that David Beniuk and I ever did. So probably one of those two.

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

There are too many to mention. One that sticks in my mind was a gig I actually played at (with David, in a former band) in our hometown of Wollongong. We were supporting a great Australian act called Weddings, Parties, Anything (WPA). The room was full, and it was a cracking show. But at some point, my bass guitar strap came off in the middle of a song, and I was struggling to keep playing while getting it sorted. Then this rough, dodgy-looking bloke walked on stage and helped me fix it. It wasn’t until WPA started an hour later that I realized, to my eternal shame, the feller who helped me was none other than WPA’s singer, Mick Thomas.

Playing music in front of a crowd. What’s all the fun about?

I’ve always liked the nervous energy that I get when playing to an audience. It’s utterly different from public speaking, which is horrendous and best avoided. It’s a joy to belt out songs live, especially with a Rickenbacker 330 around your neck and a Vox AC30 powering everything behind you, and just being part of a group that’s (hopefully) producing this wonderful noise on stage.

If you could tour the world with two other bands, who would you ask, and why?

Hard to choose just two… I’d certainly be happy with, say, Teenage Fanclub and Paul Weller. It’d be the sort of tour where the best part of the show was when you finished your set and sat sidestage and just listened, close up, to such high-end acts. TFC’s gorgeously melodic chime and harmonies, and Weller’s brilliant artistry that spans from 1977 to now. Magnificent!

Those magical moments when you’re working in the studio. Which moment was the most magical?

There were loads, but just in general, pretty much every time after we did a take of a song was special. And me thinking, I can’t believe how good these guys are. They were just nailing it every single time.

Not sure if it counts as magical, but one of the more interesting moments was when our album was almost ruined by a potentially catastrophic fire. Okay, probably a bit of an exaggeration, but after we’d finished all the rhythm section tracking, and David was doing his vocals a few days later, smoke started pouring from one of the consoles. Our producer Paul McKercher and I were scurrying about looking for fire extinguishers as the smoke thickened. Luckily, it settled down after we shut it off and it cooled. Through all of this, David just kept singing in his booth, oblivious. To be honest, we probably would have let the bastard burn if things really got out of control. Every man for himself!