Interview by Matilda Elliott 

Enchanting and enriching five piece, The Paper Kites are back with the release of their new single, The Sweet Sound of You, the band’s first release since 2021. Matilda sat down with Lead Vocalist/Guitarist Sam Bentley, to discuss the band’s new single, finding their own artistic momentum and future plans for the band. 

FMM: Congrats on the new single. Your first release of the year! And the band’s first release since Roses in 2021. How does it feel to put some more music out there?

Sam: Thank you. Yeah, it’s lovely. We’ve been holding onto this record for a long time, even before it was recorded, the idea for the album has been something we’ve talked about doing for years. The whole album making process was a really special experience for all of us, so it’s nice to be able to start sharing it with people.

FMM: Can you tell us about the process of producing this track?

Sam: So we spent a month in a Victorian town called Campbells Creek. We were working on our sixth album and we were also playing a residency at this bar called The Roadhouse. We didn’t tell anyone we were doing these shows, we just opened the doors and played for anyone that stopped by. Word started getting around town that we were doing these shows and we started having these amazing gatherings of people coming to hear these songs - really low key - and The Sweet Sound of You, was just one of those songs. lt was literally just eight people sitting in a room together and playing. That’s what it sounds like to me, but there’s a little magic around it.

FMM: Can you tell us about what inspired this track?

Sam: I’ve always preferred people take their own meaning from songs. I certainly know what I wrote it about, but someone else might take something completely different from it, and that might ring true for them. I’m trying to be careful not to spoon feed lyrical interpretations and just let people take what they will. I know I’ve done the same for many songs. I once met Colin Hay and asked him that same question about a song of his that I loved, and his answer was so different to what it meant to me, I almost refused to believe it. So, I just say take what you will.

FMM: You have been creating fine and fantastic tunes as The Paper Kites for a number of years now. How do you keep yourselves remaining fresh and dynamic within your creative processes?

Sam: I don’t think it’s a conscious feeling of needing to remain fresh or dynamic. If you’re a musician that is in it for the long haul, then I think longevity also means that you have to exist outside the realms of popular music or what’s on trend, because those trends come and go just like the artists that move within them. I think if you’re writing music outside of that, then you’re usually doing it because you can’t help but do anything else.

I’d be flattered to think that people find what we do as a band fresh on each album, but I doubt it, because I’m certainly not trying to charter in to new unexplored territory as a musician. I’m just trying to write good songs. So, I feel like as you move through the different stages of your life, so too does your music and your tastes and everything you put out is really just through a different lens of what you see and what you know at that point in your life. Any new song keeps me creatively interested and engaged, because I’ve never heard that song before, and whatever I’m working on at the time is the thing I’m most excited about. It’s always been that way.

FMM: With a group of five individuals within your group, how do you sort out your creative differences when developing your music?

Sam: We actually wrote a few songs on this album together which we’ve never done before. We’ve been a band for 13 years now and we’ve only just started writing together, which really excites me because it’s completely untapped potential. Generally, I’ve written the songs and we’ve all learnt them and recorded them, but this record has some beautiful moments of collaboration, even with the extra players we brought in to the band for this album. But, like any relationship, there’s certainly conversations had around what is best for a song, but there’s enough respect and trust around our friendships to work through any disagreements.

FMM: You’re currently in the midst of a UK / EU tour and have recently completed a romp around North America. Can you tell us how international crowds vary to crowds in Australia?

Sam: I don’t know if they vary too much, European crowds are certainly very respectful and enthusiastic, but they listen too. All of our shows have started to become like that. I never really have to have a go at anybody for talking during the show anymore, so it feels like the culture around the shows is changing and people come now to listen and be immersed in it all. Every now and then, there’s an energy that moves around the room and people get up and about, but I like that too. I think it depends on the room and the way the band is playing and the connection with the crowd, but I think everywhere we play now the crowds are amazing.

FMM: With the release of this new track being the first new tunes that we are hearing from the group in a while, can we anticipate more music from The Paper Kites will follow suit?

Sam: There’s a lot of music on the way. This particular album is a big one, so there’s plenty of music to share with people and a lot of touring beyond that. But, it’s all at a nice place now. We have great fans and a great team that follow along with us so we have the luxury of being able to do what we want to do with our music and there’s plenty more things to do.