but yeah we're

kind of like probably more texters like definitely no don't chat on the phone unless it's about work we do talk a lot about like things that need you know like especially with organizing tours and stuff we'll have a lot of like admin conversations and um I guess, you know, our way of like talking about not work is we just pretend to be a couple of old farmers and we talk about the weather for the first 10 minutes of the conversation.

How you going, mate? How's it all going?

That must be epic to play.

It's so fun.

It is, yeah.

So beautiful.

Yeah.

It's this, I don't know if you know much about it, but it's Brad Pitt has taken over this really historic estate where Pink Floyd and The

cure.

And yeah, it's like, um, kind of a big farm shed studio space with these big windows and it's very grand, but like obviously needs a lot of care.

And, and I mean, you know, just to like care about the arts like that and put the money into keeping it so well preserved.

So we had such a beautiful time there.

And then between another bunch of shows on that living room sessions, um, We went down to Hydra and I think the premise of all of these, the songs of Karaoke Bar and maybe why when we hear it, it like brings so much joy to us.

Totally, totally.

I often wonder, how do you go about picking a studio when you're recording too?

It's this, I don't know if you know much about it, but it's Brad Pitt has taken over this really historic estate where Pink Floyd and The

cure.

And yeah, it's like, um, kind of a big farm shed studio space with these big windows and it's very grand, but like obviously needs a lot of care.

And, and I mean, you know, just to like care about the arts like that and put the money into keeping it so well preserved.

So we had such a beautiful time there.

And then between another bunch of shows on that living room sessions, um, We went down to Hydra and I think the premise of all of these, the songs of Karaoke Bar and maybe why when we hear it, it like brings so much joy to us.

Totally, totally.

I often wonder, how do you go about picking a studio when you're recording too?

that's important well she's trying that or she's chardonnay

Yeah, I suppose it's been almost 22 years now.

And I think a big key to still working together is that we sort of take breaks from it, you know.

And we also don't force it.

So it's like if we want to make a record, it really has to happen naturally.

So there was this great quote.

There's a guy, Professor Holland, he said, what is it?

Yeah.

I'm really

going back.

A real stretch.

So we'd done a book like this and that was with a producer, Fran Healy, who also is in a band, Travis, and that was a great experience for us because we were real beginners in the studio and having somebody like him come along who was, yeah, he was just like such an accomplished songwriter and performer himself and wanted to get into producing music He really liked our music.

We did a book like this.

And at that time, everything was written separately.

So the songs I sing, I wrote.

behind it?

Was there a moment making this record that you felt like the joy and connection was happening or a particular song that you were writing where you're like, this is the, it kind of captures the essence of the album?

I think karaoke bar, it was the first song that we wrote and we were on tour at the time doing a tour called The Living Room Sessions and the idea of that tour was that we would take people back to the living room where Angus and I started writing music and tell people stories about the songs across the 20 years of writing.

And so we chose to play in beautiful old theatres all over the world, sit down venues, set up the stage like a living room, anyway.

We were in this really beautiful place at the time of like really feeling, I guess, the beauty of the world we built from the music.

You know, we had these people coming to the show, singing the songs back to us.

from across all these years of these journal entries.

And I think it took us by surprise how incredibly joyous that tour was.

So making this record was a cool example of us, you know, being able to still travel the world and pen some cool pieces.

Was there a moment making this record that you felt like the joy and connection was happening or a particular song that you were writing where you're like, this is the, it kind of captures the essence of the album?

I think karaoke bar, it was the first song that we wrote and we were on tour at the time doing a tour called The Living Room Sessions and the idea of that tour was that we would take people back to the living room where Angus and I started writing music and tell people stories about the songs across the 20 years of writing.

And so we chose to play in beautiful old theatres all over the world, sit down venues, set up the stage like a living room, anyway.

We were in this really beautiful place at the time of like really feeling, I guess, the beauty of the world we built from the music.

You know, we had these people coming to the show, singing the songs back to us.

from across all these years of these journal entries.

And I think it took us by surprise how incredibly joyous that tour was.

So making this record was a cool example of us, you know, being able to still travel the world and pen some cool pieces.

I know, right? We were just talking, I find this fascinating, we were just talking about how you are the kind of person, Julia, that would much prefer to just make the record and never play shows.

yeah i mean i i do enjoy shows but um i would say like life is pretty busy and i think we just have so much fun in the studio making these records and so we often talk if you had to pick one what would it be and i think just yeah we would forever be making making records and making songs

You know, it's different for everyone.

For us in the studio, I don't know, particularly working together, there's a kind of creative openness and music from a young age, songwriting in particular, became like a real catharsis, you know, a way of almost like writing in a journal.

And now, you know, 20 years into writing in a journal, it feels like there's all these chapters of our life that we get to express.

What would you say is the most

So are you both a big fan of karaoke?

Yeah, I think what's beautiful about the karaoke bar is you have all walks of life in there.

You have people that have just had the roughest day to the people that are just having a fun night.

And there's a communion in it.

Everyone's sort of there for that communion.

And you've got to

But you

either have it or you don't, right? I think the worse the better.

So how did it not click until earlier that this is what it was supposed to be?

I guess you just, you know, we grew up together and I think we wanted to do our own thing, you know.

We also wrote differently, like our styles, and I think it wasn't until we got offered this deal together that we sort of thought, oh, maybe we should give it a go, you know, and see what happens working together.

We have other projects and we do that in between working together and I think that keeps us coming back to it, you know.

It's just kind of like we don't know if we'll make another record but we kind of end up wanting to.

Off,

tempo off.

We grew up in a house with a lot of live music.

know, right? We were just talking, I find this fascinating, we were just talking about how you are the kind of person, Julia, that would much prefer to just make the record and never play shows.

Yeah, I mean, I do enjoy shows, but I would say like life is pretty busy and I think we just have so much fun in the studio making these records.

And so we often talk if you had to pick one, what would it be? And I think just, yeah, we would forever be making records and making songs.

You know, it's different for everyone.

For us in the studio, I don't know, particularly working together, there's a kind of creative openness and music from a young age, songwriting in particular, became like a real catharsis, you know, a way of almost like writing in a journal.

And now, you know, 20 years into writing in a journal, it feels like there's all these chapters of our life that we get to express.

What would

But just in this beautiful, beautiful way, when you are making something that is somewhat new and maybe somewhat deviates, or at least, differently built upon the sound that maybe people are used to from angus and julia stone is there ever any fear or apprehension or the thoughts of like what are people going to think if we're not i guess the the preconceived notion of what an artist or band is if that makes sense

We've been really lucky in that regard from the beginning because we were very protected at the start by our first manager who was also our auntie.

She had been in the music industry for so long and she had been around artists that had been heavily A&R'd.

And when we were kids, you know, doing chocolates and cigarettes and a book like this, that sort of early, very innocent experience kind of production and recording of our music.

She specifically kind of, I wouldn't say she pushed us, but she kind of strategically directed us towards people that didn't want to meddle Like they didn't get in our ear about, well, maybe you could like work with this person and it'll be like a little bit more this or a little bit more that.

She just really kind of curated the people around us that were just champions of us and what we were doing.

And I think it gave us a real sense of confidence that our writing was enough, you know.

I'm hoping to discuss... places in general because you mentioned it before this album was recorded in a few really special places some really deep history across this album um wondering whether you might share how the record was built across I think it was Greece France and Australia and then maybe we can talk about the further like musical history of those places as well

I

think now, you know, with the benefit of hindsight, there's this realisation that we've lived a very lucky life, you know, being able to write and play music together and travel the world.

It's It's such a privilege.

And, yeah, I mean, music's just one of those incredible things that it brings people together rather than pulls us apart, which feels particularly poignant right now.

As

So fun.

That's so cool.

When we shot the music video, we had the final scene is in a karaoke bar, of course, and to get all the extras who were there as karaoke bar kind of participants, we put on that song and had each of them get up and sing that song, which was really nice.

Yeah,

it was very, very strange and surreal.

And so this song was sort of born out of a night of, and the guys who run the studio, I mean, it's pretty funny.

It's like this, you know, cigarette smoke coming up through the floorboards of the live room.

Yeah.

People just from the community coming in in the middle of takes and saying hello.

It's like, it's an incredible place.

So did Hugh Grant bring out the cake for you on set? Yeah.