WEB PREMIERE: Zefereli - Stupid Goodbye

Former The Cairos fixture Alistar Richardson has emerged from his incubator outfit with a fully realised vision, that of the dreamy indie-pop-peddlin' Zefereli.

Having spent the past few months writing and producing music, as well as physically building a recording studio on his family farm, just outside of Brisbane, Richardson and his Zefereli collaborator Clea are priming for this week's release of the sunny new single Stupid Goodbye online.

Richardson's honest, DIY-steeped approach to making music — Zefereli recorded and mixed the EP, with William Bowden (Gotye, Hermitude, Paul Dempsey) providing mastering services — shines through in the single, a dreamy, ambling, reverb-dappled saunter of a song. Its album art, depicting a very relaxed-looking man and his dog cruising along in a canoe, is unusually evocative of the track's overall vibe. It's gorgeous, it's moreish — and it's indescribably refreshing. 

"I crave expressive freedom…to make music even if it's intended for no one else to hear," Richardson said in a statement. "For me, creativity is a liberating experience. I don't believe there's a formula for writing music; it happens or it doesn't. It's more a matter of when, seizing that moment, using whatever resources at hand, literally, to capture and lay it down.

"Quite often a vocal take on an iPhone voice memo will make the final version. Making the cut depends purely on the honesty of a performance. Must admit, I surround myself with nice gear to best capture that original spark, but it ain't the end of the world if I don't…there's always the next moment."

Unfortunately, you won't be able to hear the band render their finely crafted tunes in the flesh in the immediate future — their sights are set on broader horizons, with three shows in Europe (one each in England, Iceland and Sweden) lined up throughout May.

We suspect, however, upon their return, you'll be keen to get out to a show, so hit up Zefereli's Facebook page with a Like and stay on top of their movements in future.