Why The Royal Parks Flew Out Legendary Producer Noah Georgeson To Aus

If the band name The Royal Parks doesn't ring a bell, but their "dreamy and driving" indie-folk harmonies seem a little familiar, don't stress, you're not losing your mind.

"We have been playing under 'Dan & Amy' as a folk duo for a couple of years - and decided to change the name when we added the band," says singer-songwriter and band manager Dan Arnott. "We've had a year of not playing many shows during recording, so we are excited for the year ahead."

If Suburb Home — the new single and first showing from the upcoming album, due out early next year — is any indication, it's been a year well spent.

"We were lucky enough to have an incredible recording experience," agrees Arnott. "Legendary producer Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold) offered to fly to Melbourne to produce our album after hearing demos. We recorded it in our home studio in Bayswater North, which Noah was totally into.

"Noah was incredible to work with. It was such a massive risk putting our faith (and lots of money) [in] to fly him over but he couldn't have been more generous, open, friendly and supportive. He had a huge impact on the sound of the album."

It's a dreamily balanced sound, and one that hinges enormously on the group's harmonies, something that Arnott is the first to admit can quickly fall into discord. Understanding that, The Royal Parks approached each song as an individual case rather than developing a coverall method of recording.

"It didn't take much time recording the band - but we did take time with vocals. Three-part harmonies can sound very bad when they aren't in tune, so we spent time getting good takes. There are tunes without harmonies where we did uninterrupted takes - so there is a balance."