Sam Buckingham

Last year, Buckingham spent time playing backyards, paddocks and fans' lounge rooms. Sounds a delightful philosophy to Time Off.

“Delightful is an understatement! I was looking for a new way to tour, reach more people and see a bit more of the country, but it's turned into this really beautiful thing that, not only is a smart way to tour, is also just a whole lot of fun. I pretty much leave it up to the hosts to run the gig how they want it, so I go in there never knowing quite what to expect. I'm always pleasantly surprised.”

According to Buckingham, her forthcoming album sounds exactly right.

“Well, I've been writing it for a bit over two years, so it's been a long time coming. We'll be finishing it next month and releasing it later in the year with lots of touring which I'm super excited about. For the first time in my life, each song is coming out exactly how I've been hearing it in my head and I feel like it's going to be a beautiful finished product that I can be really proud of.”

How were Brisbane audiences on Buckingham's last tour here? Easy on the eyes, apparently.

“I've always had beautiful gigs with the Brisbane crowd. I love playing there! And I'm not just saying that because a whole bunch of Brisbanites will be reading this. Actually I'm on my way back from Melbourne now and all the crowds there were amazing too. And I was in Canberra before that and they were incredible. Everyone's good! I really believe there are true music lovers everywhere you go and I guess I've been lucky enough to come across quite a few recently. But the best looking people are definitely in Brisbane.”

“The idea came from a conversation I had with a friend about being happy,” he tells. “I guess I still think it's strange that people settle for being unhappy for a large part of their lives. It came out dark in parts, I guess, because that notion sort of annoys me, and I realised that this would contradict my message unless I made it a bit more obviously positive. After all I shouldn't be cranky that people are settling for being miserable, I should be trying to help. Hence the little reminder 'We could be happy all the time.'”

With Passion Pit-esque vocal harmonies meshed with M83's expansive electronica style, all filled out by a robust live band sound that gives the beauty a tribal edge, Chalk Outlines is an exciting taste of Brisbane producer Argentina's debut EP. Ritchie admits, however, that this isn't the truest of indications as to what to expect from the anticipated release, stating that “This one was a bit of an experiment.” It is though a nod to what fans can expect from his exciting live shows where he directs a five-piece ensemble made up of good pals and musical cohorts.

“The band are absolutely amazing at taking what I've done on my own and putting it in a different context,” he joyously explains. “It's great because that's exactly what I wanted from the live show – something obviously quite different to the recordings. To have my friends come in and help make this happen has been great, they are really talented, and the project wouldn't be what it is without them.”