Takin A Walk-Music History on foot with Paper Kites Frontman Sam Bentley

Summary

Takin' a Walk: Music History on Foot with Paper Kites Frontman Sam Bentley

Podcast: Takin’ a Walk
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Sam Bentley (Frontman, The Paper Kites)
Episode Date: November 9, 2025

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Overview

This episode of "Takin' a Walk" features an in-depth and intimate conversation between host Buzz Knight and Sam Bentley, the lead singer and songwriter of indie folk band The Paper Kites. Centered around the release of their seventh studio album, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, the dialogue weaves through the band's creative process, the evolution of their sound, and the enduring importance of authenticity, atmosphere, and human imperfection in music.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Slow-Burning Success (00:01, 09:34)

• Sam Bentley shares his preference for a gradual, "organic" musical journey rather than chasing rapid commercial trajectories.
  • Quote: “We're not trying to chase any momentum, you know, the fans that come to our shows are really just music lovers and they've kind of been brought into what we do and it's a really nice place to be.” (00:01, repeated at 11:51)
  • The Paper Kites built their following from “humble beginnings busking on the streets of Melbourne” to a globally admired indie act.

2. Friendship and Family as Band Foundations (09:34)

• The longevity of The Paper Kites, now over a decade old, is attributed to close personal relationships and an emphasis on friendship:
  • Quote: “We've been friends for longer than we've been a band and I think that has been kind of the foundation of what has made this work.” (09:34)
• The band's approach ensures space for personal and family growth alongside their creative work, avoiding exhaustion and burnout.

3. Describing The Paper Kites’ Sound (07:44)

• Sam emphasizes “honesty” and “hopefulness” as defining qualities, drawing from classic singer-songwriters and a folk tradition:
  • “I don't know if you can describe a sound as kind of honest. That's always what we've tried to do… My mom always says that your music is very hopeful, and I've always kind of liked that.” (07:44)

4. Cinematic & Visual Songwriting (12:45)

• The band’s music is frequently described as “cinematic” and atmospheric. Sam’s writing process involves painting visual scenes and drawing inspiration from film and art.
  • He describes composing music in a studio while projecting films, composing to the images: “...I just kind of mute the sound and compose to scenes… trying to capture, as you say, moods and atmospheres.” (13:09)
  • Album art and visual elements are as deliberately constructed as the music itself: “The visual element to me is probably really the driving force of the song, other than the feeling.” (13:39)

5. Evolving as Songwriters—and Embracing Imperfection (20:28, 26:51)

• Early Days: The band's first EP, Woodland, was "simple" and "safe," showcasing basic songwriting instincts as the group searched for its identity.
  • Sam confides about early insecurities regarding his singing voice and their use of “the indie double” (layering vocals to cover imperfections).
• Growth: Over time, the band has intentionally abandoned perfectionism, choosing instead to foreground emotional honesty and unique character:
  • “The songwriter I am now and the songwriter I was then… it’s one of the professions that you really do kind of get better at as you get older…. Can I show that [longing, soul, yearning] through what I do?” (20:28)
  • “I'm interested in like voices that are full of character and I'm, I'm starting to love like terrible singers on paper. That's, that's kind of where my interest seems to go.” (25:12)
• Sam believes genuine, lived-in vocals distinguish music from AI-generated songs: “That's one of the defining things we can grasp onto—is like our imperfections. It's the soul that's in a song…” (26:51)

6. Making If You Go There, I Hope You Find It (27:54)

• The album’s creation was unplanned: after the previous album (At the Roadhouse), Sam brought new material to the band, but the group felt that work wasn't right for their next step.
  • Quote: “This record wasn't supposed to be made. When it was made… there was another record that I'd kind of finished and I presented it to the band and said, this is what I'd like to do. What do you think? And it was kind of met with 'We really like this, but we're not quite ready to move on to this.'” (27:54)
• Sam found inspiration (and a writing space) on a friend’s farm in Victoria’s Yarra Valley—a site that became deeply layered in the album's atmosphere and cover art.
  • The album title was inspired when band member Christina wrote it on the side of an old bus on the farm, eventually used for the album cover.
    • “That little phrase was suggested and Christina went and wrote it on the window of this bus. And it just kind of stayed there for months. …That's the cover that you see there.” (29:20)
• The recording process focused on returning to the band's roots as a five-piece, making music together live in the studio, focusing on feel rather than technical perfection:
  • “The conversation was always like, how does it feel? Does the song feel good? Not, is it correct?” (33:47)
  • Songs like "Deep In the Plans We Made" were tracked live in a single take, capturing the fragility, spontaneity, and emotional honesty of the moment.

7. The Joy and Necessity of Collaboration (35:11)

• Buzz Knight sums up the album as “exploring the joyous nature of collaboration,” a sentiment Sam fully echoes: “You need a space to do that. And we've managed to… navigate quite a few records there now.” (35:18)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On musical honesty:
  • “I think I would much prefer this slow way of doing things as opposed to any kind of very, very quick form of success.” — Sam Bentley (11:51)
• On visual inspiration:
  • “The visual element… is probably really the driving force of the song, other than the feeling.” — Sam Bentley (13:39)
• On songwriting growth:
  • “As I look back on those songs…I am amazed at the simplicity. And I think that can be a beautiful thing.” — Sam Bentley (22:20)
• On embracing imperfections:
  • “I'm interested in voices that are full of character and I'm starting to love terrible singers on paper.” — Sam Bentley (25:12)
• On the new album’s origin:
  • “This record kind of feels like a band remembering the things that made them fall in love with playing together in the first place.” — Sam Bentley (33:02)
• On creative space:
  • “The farm has become an important backdrop to this record, but also an important space for us as a band. We've really grown in that space…” — Sam Bentley (34:52)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:01: Sam Bentley on slow-building success and Paper Kites' journey
• 05:38: Sam shares personal connection story about Warren Ellis (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
• 07:44: Describing the band's sound and essence
• 09:34: Maintaining band unity and overcoming industry pressures
• 12:45: The visual and cinematic dimensions of songwriting
• 20:28: Evolution of songwriting from Woodland to present
• 26:51: Emphasis on imperfection and authenticity versus AI in music
• 27:54: Origins and collaborative creation of If You Go There, I Hope You Find It
• 33:47: Studio recording approach—live takes over technical perfection
• 35:11: Buzz and Sam reflect on creative joy and the band’s future

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The Episode’s Tone & Takeaway

The conversation is thoughtful, gentle, and deeply reflective—a perfect parallel to The Paper Kites’ evocative sound. Sam Bentley’s openness about creative insecurity, pride in steady musical evolution, and belief in authenticity radiate throughout. The episode offers an inside look into an artist who values slow growth, imperfection, and true musical collaboration, underscoring why The Paper Kites’ music “crafts entire atmospheres” and continues to resonate with fans longing for music with soul.

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Transcript

[Announcer]

Taking a Walk.

[Sam Bentley]

We're not trying to chase any momentum, you know, the fans that come to our shows are really just music lovers and they've kind of been brought into what we do and it's a really nice place to be. I have to say, I think I would much prefer this slow way of doing things as opposed to any kind of very, very quick form of success.

[Buzz Knight]

I'm Buzz Knight and welcome to Taking a Walk. You know that feeling when a song comes on? Suddenly you're transported somewhere else entirely. Maybe you're in a forest, maybe you're remembering a moment you thought you'd forgotten? That's the magic of the band the Paper Kites. They don't just write songs, they craft entire atmospheres. From their humble beginnings busking on the streets of Melbourne to becoming one of Australia's most beloved indie folk acts, the Paper Kites have spent over a decade perfecting the art of musical storytelling. Their breakout hit, Bloom has been streamed hundreds of millions of times, soundtracking everything from quiet morning coffees to life's most pivotal moments. The Paper Kites on Taking a Walk.

[Sam Bentley]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Buzz Knight]

Every music lover has that moment. You hear or read something that stops you in your tracks. A forgotten B side, an offhand comment in an interview, a connection. Nobody else noticed that. Curiosity. That's where Claude comes in. Claude is AI for people who don't stop at the surface. It helps you explore the real stories behind the music. Not with quick answers, but by working through the discovery with you, matching your level of curiosity. Try Claude for free at @ Claude AI Buzz. This episode of Taking a Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences like music festivals and sports events. And that's not even mention how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club, at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding. With Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.

[Sam Bentley]

I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. We got clear facts. Maybe we could calm down a little.

[Announcer]

NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.

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[Announcer]

Taking a.

[Interviewer]

Walk I am so excited to have Sam Bentley from the Paper Kites on the Taking a Walk podcast. Hello Sam.

[Sam Bentley]

Hey Buzz. How you doing?

[Interviewer]

Doing fantastic. We're here to talk about the seventh studio album from the Paper Kites. If you go there, I hope you find it. I love that title and also the the new single which I love every town and we're going to talk about that. But Sam, since we call this crazy podcast Taking a Walk, before we embark on our little conversation, if you could take a walk with somebody, living or dead, who would you take a walk with and where would you take that walk?

[Sam Bentley]

That's a very good question. I don't know. I mean, I'm a, I'm a big fan of a lot of different songwriters for different reasons. It's very hard to pick one person and a lot of the songwriters that I would say are kind of my, my People I would be too afraid to take a look. But, you know, I. I saw Warren Ellis recently, and he's a amazing composer, and he plays the violin for the Bad Seeds with Nick Cave. I don't know if you, you know, his work with them and had this very strange connection in that my dad and my uncle. So Josh, who was my cousin in the band, My. My father and his father are brothers. My. Our parents and Marinellas, they all grew up in the same town in Ballarat, in. In Victoria. And I actually got to see Warren recently. He. He just released this documentary, which is a beautiful film about his life. My uncle was given this guitar by Warren's dad, who taught him how to play. And it's this beautiful old maiden guitar that kind of has been in the family for all these years. And I never actually inquired about it until semi recently asking him, you know, where did you get this guitar? And he told me that Warren Ellis's father gave it to him. So I had a very brief opportunity at this. This film screening. It was like a Q and a sort of situation where I got to tell Warren about this guitar that belonged to his father. My uncle still had it and it was still in our family, and he was really, really happy to hear that. So I think if I could walk with him and, you know, I feel like we'd have a lot to talk about, which would be really nice because he's. He's one of my favorite, favorite musicians. Yeah, definitely.

[Interviewer]

What a great story. Thank you for sharing that. Appreciate that.

[Sam Bentley]

Sure.

[Interviewer]

So for those who might be discovering the paper kites for the first time, describe the sound to someone who's never heard your music.

[Sam Bentley]

I mean, I think. I don't know if you can describe a sound as kind of honest. That's always what we've tried to do. I mean, it's always been based around kind of folk music. I think at the heart of things, we certainly draw a lot from the singer songwriters of. Of old, back in the day and. And a lot of what I kind of base my songs around is structurally, you know, folk songs, particularly just thinking about some of the songs on this new record. Yeah, always kind of just sitting down with a guitar and. And most of the time, guitars are very heavily featured in the music. It's rare these days that that will get a song out that doesn't have guitar in it. So, you know, it's. It sort of starts that way. But I think my. My mom always says that your music is very hopeful, and I've always kind of like that. And I, I think I, I read this quote. I don't often read, you know, people's comments about our music because it is never always good for my health. But this, this person did say that their music is bursting with humanity and I was very, very happy with that.

[Interviewer]

I love that. And the hopefulness. We all need hopefulness more than ever now, so I love that about the paper kites. You've been making music for over a decade now, which is something you must be proud of. What keeps you so connected as a band through all the changes in the music industry?

[Sam Bentley]

Yeah, I mean we, we've been, we've been friends for longer than we've been a band and I think that has been kind of the foundation of, of what has made this work. And, and there's been periods of time where, you know, certain members haven't been able to tour and, and sort of be a part of the team for whatever reason. You know, family situations at home or, you know, quite literally starting families themselves. And so we, we've always said like the only way that we're going to navigate kind of moving through the different seasons with this band is, is if we kind of make it first and foremost about, about our friendship and our family. So we've really been very careful to not push too hard in many ways, like you often can, especially if you're feeling the pressure of feeling like you need to tour or consistently release music, which we have. But it has been around sort of long breaks at home and just I think that's where we kind of recharge and that's where we're kind of the happiest, is at home in our sort of little, little bubbles with our families. And I really do think we've just been very careful to, to keep the, the friendship preserved and keep the family aspect preserved. And that's what we've been able to do. Which is a really fortunate place to be in because I think I was talking about this with, with someone the other day that a lot of, a lot of artists, they're not really thinking about music in a long term kind of way at the moment. You know, they're not thinking about it as a career. It's very much about the how can I be seen now, what am I doing now? And you know, a lot of the longevity doesn't, doesn't necessarily last past kind of two or three records, particularly as a band, you know, a solo artist is a different thing, but a band, you know, you've got five different personalities at play Five different kind of opinions that can often kind of rub up against each other. And so we've been, yeah, really, really intentional to kind of try and. And get through and just keep putting our heads down and releasing music. And, you know, here we are, as you said, about to release kind of our seventh record. And it's in a really nice rhythm now where we. We're not trying to chase any momentum. You know, the fans that come to our shows are really just music lovers and they've kind of been brought into what we do and it's a really nice place to be. I have to say, I think I would much prefer this slow way of doing things as opposed to any kind of very, very quick form of success.

[Interviewer]

I view your music as cinematic and a great atmospheric quality. When you're writing, are you visualizing these. These scenes and these stories?

[Sam Bentley]

Yeah, I think I've. I've been very sort of visually inclined over the years. I mean, I've had a lot of different writing spaces and. And that sort of played out in different ways. And I know when I was making on the Trainer at Home, that record, and. And the. The sort of sister album on the Corn where you live, I had sort of projector set up in the studio and I was just kind of watching films that I loved and I just kind of mute the sound and. And compose to scenes. Just. Just trying to capture, as you say, kind of moods and. And atmospheres and. And I. I've recently built a new space to ride in which I chose to paint green. That was a. A bold choice. And, you know, just bringing in. I. I like, kind of had to work out what I want to fill the space with in terms of art on the walls and things like that. The visual element to me is. Is probably really the driving force of the song, other than the feeling. It's really those two things that I would sit down with anytime I'm writing and kind of say, firstly, how am I feeling? How do I want the listener to feel? Because you can certainly write with a great deal of intention in that way. Firstly, working out what is this shared experience that we want to have? But then. Then it very much comes down to what am I seeing, Whether it's colors or a very specific kind of place or image, how am I going to convey that to someone else? And we've always been very deliberate about the album art and the videos that we make, and everything is tied together in the visual. I think I've spoken about this before, but the visual element is just as important as the music and the things that you you choose to I suppose, pair with with your music for people to see is really what they what they connect with your music. You know, you think about sort of a lot of your favorite artists. You're not just thinking about the songs, you're thinking about, you know, the record covers that you've seen, affairs, or you're thinking about the videos or even the live performances. It's all the same. So yeah, we're very, very intentional and very careful about how we present ourselves in that way.

[Interviewer]

I love how you focus on the.

[Buzz Knight]

Whole, the whole package, if you will.

[Interviewer]

Because that's often a lost a lost art these days. So hats off for for all of that aspect of things.

[Announcer]

We'll be right back with more of the Taking a Walk podcast.

[Buzz Knight]

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[Announcer]

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[Sam Bentley]

Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Announcer]

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[Announcer]

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[Buzz Knight]

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[Announcer]

This week on the podcast I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

[Advertiser 1]

You know what?

[Sam Bentley]

I can see you as Mr. Mr. Darcy.

[Advertiser 1]

You got a little Colin Firth.

[Announcer]

Okay, that's really sweet. I appreciate that. But are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennet here, listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.

[Interviewer]

Can you take our audience through how your songwriting process has evolved since your early eps like, like Woodland to the more, you know, recent work?

[Sam Bentley]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I was talking with someone about Woodland the other day. I mean we obviously we had a good deal of. It wasn't necessarily success in, in the way that you might sort of consider success to be in. We, we have still never really been much of a band that receives any radio play, which was was kind of the doorway really back then. And it was Still, I mean, things like, like YouTube was still a way to be seen, but it was still in its somewhat earlier days. And so, you know, when we put out Bloom and that EP as well, we were just kind of not really sure how to, how to navigate the music scene then. So all we really had was the fact that we, we'd been in other bands previously that we, we loved playing in, but we, we never really had any kind of success. And for some of us, myself mainly kind of felt myself being pulled in this other direction with a great love for folk music. And that wasn't the kind of music that I was playing at the time. So, yeah, it really just started off, let's kind of write songs that are a little truer to the kind of music that we're passionate about and we're listening to. And so that, that record or that ep, very, very simple songs. And it's funny, I look back on it now, I mean, that, that EP was 15 years ago now. And the songwriter I am now and the songwriter I was then, I mean, it's, it's really the one, the one kind of profession, or not the only one. I shouldn't really be so definitive, but it's one of the professions that you really do kind of get better at as you get older. And as I look back on those songs and I, I, I am amazed at the simplicity. And I think that's a, that can be a beautiful thing. You know, sometimes you can get too lost down, you know, this kind of hole of, like, discovery and pushing yourself as an artist and trying to really break barriers. And I, I've never been interested in that. I've always just tried to be a good songwriter. So I, I think in that regard it hasn't changed because I've first and foremost been about the song and is this going to translate to other people? But I don't know. I, I have somewhere along the way and cared very much about the humanity of the thing, you know, like, can you hear? Is there a sense of longing? Is there a sense of yearning? Is there, is there soul in the song? As much as there can be for a band like us, you know, we're not like. And we're not the grooviest band out there, you know, vocally, like, the way that I sing, you know, it's not, it's not the most soulful voice that I've ever heard, but I think there's a little character in there and can I show that through what I, what I do? So a lot of Those early recordings, vocally, you know, we were kind of doubling all the vocal tracks of gave us, gave it this kind of indie sound. We call it the indie double, where you would sing a whole song and then you would track the vocals again over the top and it kind of just smooths the whole thing out, kind of covers any kind of vocal imperfections. And I used to be very self conscious about my own voice and whether I, I, I just, I feel like I didn't have an interesting voice and I didn't have anything that was going to be engaging. And so every track back then that was on the first two EPs and the first record, I think we stopped it a little on the first record, but mostly it was done on those earlier releases. And it wasn't till the second record that I kind of felt like I need to step out a little from behind the safety of that and really have a go at just like presenting myself very plainly and hopefully there'll be something that connects. But that's been very important as the years have kind of progressed. It's. I, I feel like, I mean musically is one thing. We've all certainly grown as musicians and, and matured and, and changed together. But vocally, for myself at least, I can say I feel like each record has become more and more comfortable with who I am and how I sound. Until up until this, this recent record that we did, which was really just done live in a studio trying to be okay with the imperfections of my voice. And to me, like, the older I get, I don't really care about perfect singers anymore. I'm interested in like voices that are full of character and I'm, I'm starting to love like terrible singers on paper. That's, that's kind of where my interest seems to go. I don't know why, I just, they just sound like they've, they've lived a bit, you know, so that's, that's where I'm at now. But I, in answer to your questions, a very long way to answer it. I think we started off very simple but sort of very safe as well. And as we've grown over the years, I think we've kind of ended up in this place where everyone's just very, a lot bolder in terms of the sounds that we're able to make and, and just. Yeah, the, the imperfections of it too, I think has been something that we just, we really want to lean into and, and I circle back to this. Yeah, the, the humanness of it all, you know, I'm trying to communicate that.

[Interviewer]

I'm so glad to hear you talk about the imperfection factor because that is at least by and large lost. I think there's so much focus on the way technology and all of that corrects the imperfections. And I think you just highlighted the beauty. The beauty of it all. So. I'm so glad to hear you say that. Really.

[Sam Bentley]

Oh, no, I'm. I'm glad to hear it. I mean, who knows where things are going to be going in the next kind of decade or so. You're already seeing a lot of these. These AI bands popping up. I don't know if you heard about that, but, you know, that's one of the. The sort of defining things we can grasp onto is like our imperfections. I. I just think that's going to be a very telling thing between music that is, you know, kind of machine made versus the organic kind, you know. How can you tell? Well, it's. It's, you know, it's the soul. It's the soul that's in a song. And, and they're the very things that give itself. The imperfections, the. Just the. The transparency of the. You know, this is a person singing who's been through something.

[Interviewer]

So take us inside. The creation of. If you go there, I hope you find it. What was that process like? And talk about what you're most excited about with this project.

[Sam Bentley]

It's funny, this. This record wasn't supposed to be made. When it was made, I suppose there was another record that I'd kind of finished and I presented it to the band and said, this is. This is what I'd like to do. What do you think? And it was kind of met with. We really like this, but we're not quite ready to move on to this. I think everyone had a really good time making at the Roadhouse. And, you know, in many ways it's kind of a very good example of kind of what we do very well, the kind of music that we play. Well, I think the record that I had written was kind of maybe a little. A little darker in many ways. And so there was this sense of like, this is cool, but it's not really what we feel like we want to do next. To follow that record up. Yeah, it surprised me a little because usually everyone's kind of. We're all on the same page in terms of moving ahead. So. And this is at a time that I. We were renovating at my home, so we. The whole home was. Was really gone and I didn't have a Space to. To write. So I spoke to one of our friends that, that owned this farm. So we rehearsed out at a farm in, in the Yarra Valley in Victoria, which is a beautiful part of the state. It's kind of wine country, so a lot of. A lot of valleys, a lot of rolling hills. Very green. Yeah. I asked her, you know, do you have a space that I can use? So they offered me this little upstairs room, very small room in one of the airplane hangers that they have there. And so I spent a great deal of the year riding there working on this record. And that's where most of the songs came together and. And that's the same place as I said that we rehearse at. So it's kind of nice. I would be writing there and then presenting these songs to the band and we'd be working on them. And there's a lot of interesting things on that farm, but one of them is. Is an old bus that sort of sits in this field just totally rusted over. We were kind of thinking of this album title and I think that that little phrase was. Was suggested and Christina went and wrote it on the. On the window of this bus. And it just kind of stayed there for months. And then we thought actually that could be like a great album cover. We took a photo of it. So that. That's the COVID that you see there. Yeah. And it's. It's still there actually. I feel like maybe one day it'll become a tourist destination. But yeah, it was actually a really, a really beautiful process making that record because we had come off two records that were very collaborative. We had Roses, which was an album of duets. The whole thing was. Was duets with different artists. And then at the Roadhouse we brought in three friends to join the band. And. And so it wasn't just the five of us. And we hadn't really made music with just the five of us for quite some time. So there was a little, I. I won't say fear because it's. It wasn't that. It was just maybe a small degree of worry that we hadn't really done anything. That was just back to the sort of five original members. So. And. And we had become sort of reliant on the skills of these friends that we'd brought in. We toured at the Roadhouse for like two years. We're an eight piece band and you know, the musicianship that they brought to the band was. Was just something that you don't want to go without because it's. It's so great. You know, really lifts the. The live experience and so, you know, pulling it back to this five people, it felt like, you know, are we still able to do this? I mean, that's a very kind of dramatic thought to have. I mean, of course we can. But I'll say that it felt like it was very reassuring to kind of hear these songs with just the five of us and remember that like we. We do this because it does work with the five of us and there is this kind of magic that happens and this record kind of feels like a band kind of remembering the things that they. That sort of made them fall in love with playing together in the first place. I think, you know, just the three of us, Dave, Christina and myself. So singing together and Dave's guitar playing and then not really having like the backup of sort of a bigger band. Yeah, it was, it was a really wonderful process. And then heading into the studio, like I said, we, we are really leaning into the live tracking these days and just kind of getting in a room together and playing a song, listening back to it and, and really the, the conversation was always like, how does it feel? Does the song feel good? Not. Not. Is it. Is it correct? Just does it kind of feel. Feel right? And, and that's the great thing with live, live tracking is if it doesn't, you can just go and play it again. But most songs, you know, we're kind of bare in like two or three takes and there are a few songs like I know when the Lavender Blooms kind of took a little longer just because that was a very kind of groove based song. There's a song called Deep in the Plans We Made, which is just one microphone in the middle of the room. And I think Dave and Christina were still learning the song kind of as we went. And we, we just had this really great take where the song just. It felt like it was about to fall apart because it's so delicate. And a very gentle kind of three part harmony through the whole thing sort of rises and falls. And we got this great take and we were like, okay, great, let's do it again. And Matt Redlick, who engineered and co produced with us, he just sort of said no, like, don't touch it. That song, like, you got it, it's fine. And I think us being us, we were sort of like, no, let's give it a few more goes. And we just couldn't get it anywhere near what. What we managed to capture it at. So, you know, that's the magic of live tracking. There's a lot of, there's a lot of character of the five of us in this record. And yeah. I think to me, if you were to ask me kind of what. What this. It was to me and what this record feels like to me, I think it's just, yeah. Five friends, five musicians kind of coming back together and, and just rediscovering. Yeah. What kind of made them want to. Want to do this together. And the farm has become an important backdrop to this record, but also an important space for us as a band. We've really grown in that space and really kind of learned to. Yeah. To kind of just be a band. I know that that's a weird thing to say, if that makes any sense. But yeah, it's been a very fruitful space for us.

[Interviewer]

Well, yeah, you're exploring the joyous nature of collaboration.

[Sam Bentley]

Right.

[Interviewer]

I mean, that's really what it is.

[Sam Bentley]

That's right. That's right. And you know, you kind of, you need a space to do that. And, and we've managed to, yeah. Navigate quite a few records there now, so we have to have it and very lucky to have it.

[Interviewer]

I'm so glad you took the time. Sam, too. Beyond the Podcast Taking a Walk Congratulations on if you go there, I hope you find it and enjoy the road because the road is long and you guys are going to be out there for a while, but I hope we get to do this again. Sam Bentley yeah.

[Sam Bentley]

So thank you so much, Bob. It's been a pleasure.

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[Sam Bentley]

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