It’s not to say they’re illiterate in the ways of studio science, far from it, but they’re desperate to maintain a wide-eyed, self-conscious naivete… all in service of the vibe. The band’s outrageous success is so based on an apparent, gonzo, ‘whack this into that and see what happens’ studio work ethic that you get the feeling that everyone is wary of recording their new album in a traditional way… you know, in a recording studio, with an engineer and a producer… that sort of thing. He acknowledges that the booze-heavy echo chamber might be a killer recording space but sub optimal for video conferencing, and he shuffles the milk crate a little closer to his laptop. “It sounds so cool that I’m recording down here.” Perhaps not a grand piano, but still. Actually, it’s a wine cellar, but hewn out of solid rock under his folks’ house in Tasmania by a South African industrialist. So I shouldn’t have been surprised to find Bender in a cave when I Skyped him. Which is why all four of the band members - Naomi ‘Nai Palm’ Saalfield (vocals), Paul Bender (bass), Simon Mavin (keys) and Perrin Moss (drums) - are so keen on space creating the right conditions for cool ideas. Their music isn’t so much about faithfully documenting a song or musical ideas, it’s about building a virtual time and place for your ears. Hiatus Kaiyote want to take you places with their music. Me? I’d put it through a Space Echo, and use a mono tape version full of weird little ‘fuck-out’ tape aberrations.

It’s so clean that it’s impossible to tell. I’m thinking, ‘I fucking hate how clean this is right now’! I mean, it could be the world’s most beautiful grand piano recorded in the world’s most beautiful room with million dollar microphones but it ends up sounding so good that it could just as easily be a sampled MIDI piano played in someone’s bedroom. I’ll be driving around listening to the radio and I’ll hear some really shiny pop song. This uber-fun and exhilarating set will appease diehards and new fans alike.“There’s one thing that trips me up sometimes.

Since then, they've gone on to win varying international awards and were the first Australian group to get nominated in the R&B category at the Grammys for best R&B performance in 2013. Hiatus Kaiyote came onto the scene with their debut album, Tawk Tomahawk, back in 2012 and created a groundswell of buzz among global music heads.

Hiatus kaiyote poster