Picture The Paper Kites, the Aria-nominated Aussie folk-rock band dreamt up by Sam Bentley and Christina Lacy over a decade ago, and you might see a kite in flight—its string gently tugged by songs like the serene whistle of ‘Bloom,’ asking nothing more than to be near someone, or ‘Paint,’ splattered with the ache of heartbreak and quiet regret. Sometimes, that kite hovers in still air, lingering on the same note. Other times, it lifts—caught by a gust, tugging the band into new sonic skies. Enter: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, a 10-track collection drifting our way on January 23rd next year, woven through with nature and fresh horizons.
We caught up with Christina to talk about the band’s earliest lift-offs (pre-TikTok era, thank you very much), writing in the wind-kissed calm of a friend’s Yarra Valley farm, and how The Paper Kites keep catching the air just right.
First Bloom
‘Bloom’ is easily your most popular track—platinum in five countries and out before you’d even dropped your first EP. Do you remember the first moment you realised it wasn’t just a breakout single, but an artist-defining song?
‘Bloom’ is a song for us that has actually been a real slow burn. It never really felt like a breakthrough single or a ‘hit’, it just slowly, slowly grew and spread until, over the years, it has become what it is now. We wrote it so long ago, it feels as if we were different people then, so it’s quite special that it still seems to be resonating with people today.
One of your early tracks, ‘Arms,’ started life as a DIY CD you’d hand out at shows—before streaming, virality, and the algorithm became the new gatekeepers. If you could borrow one tool from today’s come-up era (TikTok, Discord communities, etc.), what do you wish you’d had back then?
I remember making those handmade EPs at Sam’s house all those years ago. We had a stamp specially made that Sam had designed, and we stamped about 100 CD sleeves we’d ordered off eBay. Ah, simpler times. I don’t think I’d change a thing, to be honest. Obviously, the internet and social media make sharing music “easier,” but in hindsight, there is something very special about the way music used to find its way to people in a more organic and communal way.
Your music keeps popping up in major TV moments—Grey’s Anatomy, This Is Us, and more. Has there been a sync placement that personally hit you, where you thought, “Okay… they felt that”?
I was a huge Grey’s Anatomy fan when that all came about, and I had previously joked with our team about how I would die if we got a song on Grey’s. So when I got the call to let me know they wanted to use ‘Featherstone,’ that was a pretty big deal. It’s pretty amazing hearing your music soundtrack moments in a show that you’re kind of invested in.
Out Of Office, Into Green
Your album, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, was written in the Yarra Valley at a friend’s farm, which is also where you rehearse. What is it about those rural, wide-open spaces that gives you more creativity than a standard four-walls-and-acoustics studio?
Most of us in the band are pretty drawn to nature. We often find hikes or somewhere to walk, swim, or bike ride on our days off on tour. In my life outside of the band, I try to spend as much time outside with my kids, and it just feels to me like that’s where we are all supposed to be. For me, feeling connected to nature brings calm, creativity, and really just helps everything make more sense. In saying that, I think it’s fairly understandable that if you’re wired that way, then a beautiful landscape and a place surrounded by nature is going to be a great place to create.
Nature feels like a character in your work—‘When The Lavender Blooms,’ ‘Every Town,’ even down to the title ‘Bloom.’ Where did this instinct to weave the Australian landscape into your music and visuals first root itself?
I’d say our album, At the Roadhouse, was our first album where the influence of the Australian landscape became a real part of the narrative of the album. We did a lot of filming in areas around Castlemaine in Victoria, where we recorded the album, and it was such a beautiful country. I guess this album is similar in that we are leaning into the area where we created the songs and using the farm for a lot of visuals, and trying to bring listeners into the feeling of the songs by showing them some of the views that inspire us.
The album artwork shows a real bus window—where you literally wrote the title by hand—instead of something glossy or Photoshopped. What does that title, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, mean to you in its most personal sense?
I think it’s always nice to let people make their own meaning out of things like this. For me, it’s just a nod to the search that I think we are all on at different points in our lives.
Demo In A Downpour
‘Deep (In the Plans We Made)’ was recorded in a single take with Sam, Dave, and Christina—one of those lightning-strikes type captures. Why do you think that song arrived so effortlessly?
That was a really special moment, and I love that I got to be a part of that with Sam & Dave. There’s this quite indescribable feeling when you are just in such pure sync with someone else while you’re singing or playing together, and we managed to capture that in a take, and it was really a very beautiful moment. I think that comes from playing together for so long, knowing each other so well, and just finding that place of connection together in the room on the day.
You worked with Grammy-winning engineer, mixer, and producer Jonathan Low, who’s deeply shaped the sonic worlds of Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore, The National, and even Gracie Abrams. What were you hoping he would bring out or amplify in these songs?
We recorded the record at Sing Sing Studio in Melbourne with Matt Redlick, and we had the pleasure of working with Jon Low for the mixing element. Jon brought a new perspective to the songs as his ears were fresh and he wasn’t a part of the recording process, and we all had the best few days in New York with him, getting to know him and his wife, finishing the record, and celebrating Dave’s 40th birthday together. I think back on that time super fondly. It was such a pleasure working with him, and we loved learning from such a humble and kind person who is also very, very good at their job.
The instrumentation in ‘Shake Off the Rain’ is so textural—you can almost feel the weather without it washing over the vocals. What’s your favourite thing about folk music as a medium, in the way it allows atmosphere to live inside the song rather than just around it?
I think you just answered your own question there, hehe. ‘Shake Off the Rain’ came together really easily and quickly became a favorite for most of us. It’s really special how the texture forms and sort of swallows you up when you hear it.
You kick off the headline tour in the UK next February before heading across America. Is there a lyric, theme, or emotional through-line from this album that you’re most hoping lands with people in the room?
I think as our world becomes more digital and connected, yet disconnected, I think we just feel very grateful to be playing live music and creating a space where people can come and hear something real and feel all the feelings that come with experiencing that in a room full of other humans. This record is really special to us, and we can’t wait to experience it with everyone who comes to our shows next year.
Which tour date have you tied your kite to? Maybe you’re still waiting for your own lift-off—that moment when the wind finally catches and you feel it tug, gentle but sure. Until then, let the sky hold your plans for a while. When the timing feels right, glance over the dates again and drift our way on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. We’ll be there, lanterns lit, watching the stars and cheering for the one whose song carries the farthest.
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