Bliss Release

Having not worked in a proper studio before, Bandito Folk felt a considerable amount of pressure during the recording of their debut EP, 2012's Please Don't Talk To Strangers. Operating out of QUT's Gasworks Studio in Newstead, the university students battled time constraints and muddled hours, all the while still trying to discover who they were as a band. With their sophomore offering The Embankment, things were different, the Brisbane folk-rock five-piece venturing to the recording sanctuary that is Applewood Lane Studios to knock out the four tracks with a structured timetable and barbecues every night.

“During recording it was a lot more relaxed, the setting that we were in,” remarks Josh Tuck. “We had a lot more experience playing together and I think we [invested] a lot more effort into the newer batch of songs – it's just a combination of all those things that come with a bit of time. We got to play cricket in the middle of the day when someone was doing a take; the rest of us would have a beer, play cricket, hang out. It was just really relaxing. I live in the inner city, so it's quite different, and I didn't think I realised how relaxed I was until I got back.”

Even though he's completing his Masters in music and has bandmates at the ready, Tuck still pens all the music and lyrics for Bandito Folk, explaining that it's poets and authors – as opposed to fellow lyricists and traditional songwriters – that inspire him most.

The Embankment is a snapshot of personal progression, from adolescence into manhood. “All the stresses that come with life and responsibility; ambition as well, dreams, goals,” he expands. “It's a tough time to adjust to that [when you're young], but some of those songs on there were an outlet for those natural things that happen to everyone.”

These stories are told, however, via wider-reaching themes that others can relate to. “I wouldn't say [I'm] generalising it,” Tuck says of the new songs, “but perhaps putting it better, in a way that people [can] understand more and relate to, so it's less inward and it's more observational by comparison to my other songs.”

This sophomore release from Bandito Folk marks the first in a three-part series of EPs, a trio of recordings set to be released without much time in between. Tuck won't give too much away though – he admits they'll be cohesive lyrically but doesn't offer anything more – he's just happy to let the music flow and the stories speak for themselves.

“I've been writing songs since I was 13 and I've noticed it's quite cyclic – there's no rhyme or reason to it,” he summarises. “So I don't try and push it too much; if you do push it it'll probably end up shit anyway so you've just wasted your time.”