Josh Pyke began his career with the childhood nostalgia of debut single Middle Of The Hill and quickly grew to become one of Australia's premier singer-songwriters. A deft storyteller with a knack for welcoming melodies, Pyke's run of three consecutive top five albums in the ARIA charts has stamped him as a permanent fixture on the national music scene, a fact that belies the laidback artist's genre-hopping origins.

A metal kid at heart, Pyke only converted to his now trademarked indie-folk-pop after years in other bands. “I never listened to singer-songwriter types growing up,” explains Pyke. “I was exclusively into metal like Metallica. I was really into early Metallica, then Pantera, then Soundgarden were my favourite band until I was, like, 24 or something. And then the grunge era was huge for my generation. So, yeah! It was all that kind of stuff, and it wasn't really until I heard Elliott Smith that something clicked inside me and when I started writing more along those lines.

“I think the fortunate thing for me about this genre is that it's never really in fashion and it's never really out of fashion. There's always a group of people that seem to like it, and there's people that like it as well as being into metal or whatever. I have lots of fans that are into hip hop or whatever but then they like my music as well, you know? So I think it's been a really fortunate thing for me and for other people who are doing my sort of stuff. It's never in or out of fashion.”

Now a father, Pyke has a different perspective on his career. After the success of first album Memories & Dust, a sophomore release in Chimney's Afire followed just a year later, combining with constant touring to leave the affable artist feeling burnt out and tired. Pyke considered taking a break from music, but instead found himself a member of Basement Birds with good friends Kevin Mitchell, Kav Temperley and Steve Parkin. The subsequent album and tour refreshed Pyke for his third record, Only Sparrows, released to typically enthusiastic reviews late last year.

“There's four of us writing songs for one album,” ponders Pyke of the currently on hiatus Basement Birds. “So that was a lot easier, and 'cause we were all collaborating it was just a lot more fun and less pressure than doing my own records up to that point. But when that whole process was over I just really had to readjust and remember that the only pressure that I was getting for my own stuff was from myself. Once I accepted that then everything became a lot easier again.”

Currently in the middle of his latest Australian tour, the well-loved troubadour plans to step back into the studio straight afterwards for album number four. Where previously he'd road test new material beforehand, the singer is this time opting to keep his setlists on his tried and tested fan favourite material. “So far I've got about 12 songs written,” reveals Pyke. “I've demoed about ten of those, but as soon as the tour's over I'm gonna really knuckle down. I like to have 20 songs basically, to whittle down to a ten-track album.

“On the last tour I did for Chimney's Afire I played some of the new ones. This time I just really feel like letting them sit with me in a non-playing sense so that when it gets time to make the record they're still really fresh to me, 'cause I just don't wanna get sick of them. If I play them on the road now I just feel like I might find them a bit old by the time I record them, and I really want everything to be really fresh and vibrant by the time I get round to recording them.”

Josh Pyke will be playing the following shows:

Thursday 1 November - Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour NSW
Friday 2 November - Byron Bay Brewery, Byron Bay NSW
Saturday 3 November - Waratah Hotel, Hobart TAS
Sunday 4 November - Manhattan Wine Bar, Launceston TAS
Friday 9 November - Prince Of Wales Hotel, Bunbury WA
Wednesday 14 & Thursday 15 November - Darwin Railway Sports & Social Club, Darwin NT