Australian indie folk-rock darlings, The Paper Kites have announced that upcoming album, At The Roadhouse will be released on Friday, 1st September, 2023.
Their sixth album, At The Roadhouse, is the product of a month-long residency in the sleepy Victorian country town of Campbell’s Creek, whereby the band undertook to record the album along with playing intimate shows of a Friday and Saturday night at an old roadside property, now dubbed The Roadhouse.
“It used to be a gold mining supply store back in the days of the Victorian gold rush, then I believe it was a hotel – I was told there was a large fire there in 1876 that almost destroyed the whole building – but it survived and is still standing today. It’s this beautiful dramatic old structure by the side of the road” singer Sam Bentley explains – “I think we all felt there was something about it and what it could be”.
United in their vision, the band decided this would be the place to make their next record and began working on what would become At The Roadhouse.
“The Roadhouse was really something from a collective dream that we had to try and manifest into a real place. It was a venue that we’d talked about over the years, a place for people to come and hear music. We wanted it to be a combination of all the greatest dive bars you’d ever been to, late-night watering holes, smoky taverns, biker bars – but it didn’t exist, so we had to build it, and then we had to try and fill it”.
The band committed to a month-long stay in Campbells Creek, and in the days that followed, the old diggers store was bustling with friends and fellow artists working to transform the space into a living, breathing venue. On the same property, owner Alex Bennett had a vintage all-analogue studio set up in a barn behind the venue. The band decided it was here they would work on their next album during the weeks – and every Friday and Saturday night, they would open the doors of ‘The Roadhouse’ and perform. The shows would be free and unannounced, relying solely on local word of mouth.
Hurt’s So Good is the third single from the album and follows in the footsteps of the first two singles The Sweet Sound Of You and Till The Flame Burns Blue. A warm and gentle ballad, the song is built upon signature Paper Kites harmonies, and is wonderfully highlighted by dreamy banjo lines washed with layers of glorious pedal steel guitar.
The new album, ‘At The Roadhouse is out on 1st September. Pre-order/pre-save here
Feature photo: Nick McKinlay
