"I'm actually in a really good mood after doing all this press," Andrew Stockdale, in Sydney for a day of promo, laughs somewhat disbelievingly. And after repeat Victorious listens, we've also come to the conclusion that Stockdale definitely sounds inspired. Is that how he feels? "I feel like something kicked in, yeah," he allows, adding that working on Wolfmother's fourth studio album was a "very fulfilling process". You've probably heard the title track by now. How's the way Stockdale rolls his 'r' singing "rrrrrrriding" in the song's first line!? When told we're well impressed, Stockdale cracks up before admitting, "I just threw that in at the last minute, like, whilst we were tracking. I just threw it out there and they were like, 'Yep, that's gotta stay,' and it was a worthwhile bit of experimentation." When told it's pretty hard to replicate, Stockdale chuckles before offering, "Not many people are willing to go to that place". And wait 'til you hear the slightly demented, carnivalesque riff that illuminates City Lights. On how he dreamed up this spectacular riff, Stockdale downplays, "It was just instant; I just came up with a riff on the spot. I played it, like, three or four times and that was it." Stockdale began work on this album in his Byron Bay studio where "everything's mic-d up... to record anything that could happen at any given moment".

"I think my new favourite — the new song Remove Your Mask is on Zoolander 2. I haven't seen [the film], but I love Zoolander so I'm excited about it."

As well as singing, Stockdale supplied guitar and bass on Victorious and recruited both Josh Freese and Joey Waronker for drum duties. "Before I went to LA, Brendan [O'Brien, producer] asked me who I'd like to drum and I said, 'Look, in all honesty I'd love to have Joe Waronker on there, like, if you can get in touch with him, you know, I'd be honoured to have him on the record.' And that's the amazing thing about LA; you turn up and Joey Waronker's sittin' there havin' a coffee ready to play!

"And then I think Joey was, like, about to work on a record so he did half the record [Victorious] and then started on something else. Josh Freese got back from a tour with The Replacements and then just came straight into the studio, and he did the other half of the record. So it all kinda worked out, I think." When it came to divvying up which tracks these legends would drum on, Stockdale explains they played to their individual strengths: Waronker's "shuffling" style showcases "lots of very quick drum fills", which Stockdale utilised on songs such as City Lights; Stockdale admires the "power" in Freese's style as demonstrated on tracks like Victorious and Simple Life.

Wolfmother songs have featured in many movies, video games and TV commercials over the years, so we're curious to find out what Stockdale's favourite sync is. "I think my new favourite — the new song Remove Your Mask is on Zoolander 2. I haven't seen [the film], but I love Zoolander so I'm excited about it," he laughs.

Now let's rewind back to 2008 when Stockdale's bandmates, Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, left Wolfmother. Stockdale was portrayed as impossible to work with and it sorta stuck. These days it seems perfectly acceptable for artists to change up the musicians they work with for different creative purposes (see: Tame Impala, Queens Of The Stone Age, Northlane). "That's true," Stockdale concurs. "It's like the penguin theory: it's like the first penguin that jumps off and breaks the ice gets eaten by the shark so that the rest of the penguins can follow unharmed; I was the first penguin... It's just kinda opened up the playing field to being creative, I guess." We discuss the fact that Josh Homme rarely performs live with Eagles Of Death Metal despite being in all the band's press shots and Stockdale concludes, "If the music's good, all is forgiven".

Reflecting back on Wolfmother's stratospheric rise, Stockdale enthuses, "We made it on our first record!" He attributes this partly to being "open to working with good people". "We got Dave Sardy, one of the best producers in rock'n'roll, and a great manager, John Watson, and Pav [Steve Pavlovic] with Modular...  We did our bit and they just, you know, assisted us to kind of be in the right places and play to various people." The success of the band's debut album meant that they "didn't have to learn all the hard lessons that bands learn over, like, six years playing in bands and making records themselves". "I think sometimes you have to be open to success," he suggests.

When asked whether he gets recognised in the street, Stockdale opines, "It comes and goes in waves". We discuss how everyone wants a selfie these days, even if they're not fans of the band. "I'm speaking to someone and they'll go, 'Oh, are you in a band?' And I'll say, 'Yeah, mate,' and they'll say, 'What band?' and I'll say, 'Wolfmother,' and they go, 'What's one of your songs?' and [I'm] like, 'Woman'. They go, 'Oh, how does it go?' And I go, 'You can look it up, alright?'"