Josh Bentley from The Paper Kites and Jen chat about their ‘twelvefour’ album and their Australian Tour.

The Paper Kites, one of Australia’s dearly loved indie folksters have released their second single ‘Electric Indigo’ off ‘twelvefour’ and you can watch it here. 

I caught up with Josh Bentley in between their Queensland gigs. Thanks Josh, I know you are super busy and probably super tired! You have had great success with you ‘twelvefour’ album debuting at number 1, to others it might seem like it was an overnight sensation, can you explain about your back ground, and how long and what did you have to do up until you released the album?

Yeah our sophomore album TWELVEFOUR all started in late 2014. We felt it was time to create new music after the recent success of our first album States. Sam had heard of this concept of writing and being actively creative in the late hours of the night/ early hours of the morning which he wanted to explore for writing new songs. After many late nights Sam came to back to the band with 30 odd demos to which we workshopped as a band and knuckled down the catalogue of songs into a 15 track shortlist.

Once we were satisfied with the 15 tracks and had practiced them through time after time in a vacant warehouse in Brunswick we flew over to Seattle in the US to work with producer Phil Ek at a studio called Avast. We spent 6 weeks with Phil crafting the songs and bringing them to life in the studio.

After our live recorded sessions we moved into the mixing stage and tweaked every song making sure it was sounding exactly the way we wanted. From there it was a waiting game, we had completed the songs and the album was ready to rollout in late June, however we had a release plan in place which meant we had to sit on the album till its release in August.

I reviewed your album just before it came out so I would like to think that you got some publicity for that. What were you feeling the night before the release? Excitement? Relief? Stressed??

Yeah, the feelings before the release of the new album was more of excitement and relief rather than stress and pressure. We had obviously been working on the songs for a few months before the release, so it wasrefreshing and exciting to finally have new music out. We didn’t really feel any stress as we had no pressure from our record label or the “industry” to create a certain sound or type of album. We wanted to create and capture the sound and music we enjoy playing and it was great that we were able to do that.

I am usually asleep the hours that Sam worked on the album, well most people are! However I do believe that Sam is right about being the time that is most creative. I have had sleepless nights where I get on my laptop and type up interview questions and start reviews and sometimes they are the best work I have done. Sam has said he will never do it again, do you think that he will change his mind?

The concept revolves around a state of complete exhaustion and writing and creating songs when your guard is down, which therefore limits the constraints you put on yourself when you write. I think Sam is adamant he won’t try the experiment again. He was very drained and tired after the experience, however the songs which have come from it are really great.

How was the trip to Seattle? Was it raining? I thought that I heard it always rains there.

The trip to Seattle was awesome. We wanted to push ourselves and get out of comfort zone for this album. Before TWELVEFOUR we had only recorded music in our home town of Melbourne, so going over to the US was exciting and kind of nerve racking. We really wanted to work with Phil on the new album which meant we would travel to his home town of Seattle and bunker down there for a few weeks. The experience of recording in Seattle was really great, it meant we could switch off from all that was going on at home and just focus purely on the task at hand. Seattle is a beautiful city and no it didn’t actually rain much while we were there, which apparently is quite rare. 

You spent 6 weeks recording the album. Is the documentary out yet?

Yeah we were fortunate to have our close friend Matt Cox follow us around throughout the whole process of creating the album. We hope it gives some sort of insight into how we operate as a band and how we came to create TWELVEFOUR. The doco will be out by the end of the year.

I love the concept of the music videos fitting in with Sam’s night writings; can we expect more videos based on that?

We have tried to capture the late night vibe in the new video clips. We have had a great response online to the first 2 videos and the third is on the way. Without giving too much away, it will continue with the night theme and again will drop before the end of the year.

You guys are up in Queensland, and sold out in Brisbane how are the crowds receiving your music on your tour?

The tour so far has been heaps of fun. We’ve been pleasantly surprised that people have really been digging the new album and have been singing along and giving out lovely compliments on the new album. Having notplayed live since last year we were a little apprehensive that people wouldn’t come to any of the live shows, but we have had a wonderful response and were truly grateful for our fans and those who have listened and supported our music.

Can you tell us what being selected to Spotify’s Found Them First campaign, means?

Yeah it’s an honour being selected for the spotify ‘found them first’ campaign. We were selected from a wide range of bands around the world so to be recognised for what we have been doing is soo awesome.

Your music video for Revelator Eyes is an awesome concept, I would visit a bar like that. Who came up with that idea was that a Sam idea from the early hours of the morning?

 The Revelator Eyes video concept did in fact come from one of Sam’s late nights. He came up with the concept and then worked in conjunction with Dan Huiting and his team to make it become a reality. We try and come up with the concepts to most of our videos and then invite a team in to help us create it.

Noting that you are a still a relative new band to the music scene, what is your highlight of your music career so far?

Highlight so far would have to be playing our own headline shows in the US.Most bands dream of hitting the long open roads in America and playing to fans and we have been lucky enough to be able to do it.

In my review I mentioned that I could put my headphones on and laid back and be transported into a world of relaxation and in fact I have done that quite often. My favourite for sure is Revelator Eyes as I find that the most relaxing. Is there one song in particular on the album that you can relate to the most?

Favourite track for me on the new album would be Renegade. I love how it chugs a long and it’s one I enjoy playing live.

Thanks Josh for having a chat and I wish you well for the remainder of your tour and for your musical career. 

You can head along to one of the remaining shows on their Australian Tours.

THE PAPER KITES NATIONAL twelvefour ALBUM TOUR

THU 05 NOV | LIZOTTES, NEWCASTLE NSW (ALL AGES)

Tickets available from www.lizottes.com.au | 02 4956 2066 | From the venue direct

 FRI 06 NOV | THE METRO, SYDNEY NSW (ALL AGES)

Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets

SAT 07 NOV | ANU BAR, CANBERRA ACT

Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets

 SUN 08 NOV | ANITA’S THEATRE, THIRROUL NSW (ALL AGES)

Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au | 136 100 | All Ticketmaster Outlets

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