Perfection Kills, but Dan Patlansky lives

Dan Patlansky’s latest album, Perfection Kills, debuted in February, and he’s preparing for a South African tour later this month. We asked him a couple of questions about the album, trading Bellville studios in for working closer to home, and overbearing mothers.

Dan’s previous album, Introvertigo, strongly spoke about his introverted nature, so I wondered how Perfection Kills is different.

“In quite a few ways,” says Patlansky. “I wanted to make an album that represented our live shows a lot better. Song writing was still a massive focus. Just with a more raw edge.”

Thematically, Perfection Kills focuses on the futile pursuit of perfection. “It ends up doing far more damage to the art than good,” he explains. “That was the mindset going into the studio. So I thought the title was very fitting.”

“I wanted the cover to illustrate the title in a different way. So I chose Perfection Kills in a family situation. Overboard mother killing her families’ souls.”

Instead of heading to Theo Crous’ studio in Bellville, Patlansky chose Scherzo Productions in Pretoria.

“I learnt a lot from Theo regarding songwriting and arranging music. I see Theo as a producer mentor. But Pretoria was far easier. It was great going back home every night after sessions, I felt a lot easier doing it that way. I chose the studio because I loved the natural room sound of the tracking room. And they had all the outboard gear I wanted.”