For The Dreams

“We made this album in probably the busiest time in our lives,” King Stingray guitarist Roy Kellaway tells Apple Music. Indeed, the relentless touring the band embarked on following the success of their 2022 self-titled debut impacted its follow-up in several ways. Logistically, it meant they were having to seize studio time between gigs, booking local studios in whatever part of Australia they happened to find themselves in. Thematically, its influence was also profound. “A lot of the songs have a philosophical sentiment about life,” says Kellaway. “There are some introspective themes where we’re thinking about what’s passing by and what’s happening around us in this busy time, trying to process that.” The rush of the past few years, and appreciation of simple living during such a hectic period, is invoked in “Soon As” and “What’s the Hurry?” while “Southerly” harks nostalgically back to their roots in the Northern Territory, “when we were just a couple of kids, with a couple of big ideas.” As with King Stingray’s debut, the lyrics are split between English and the ancestral Yolŋu language of vocalist Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu and guitarist Dimathaya Burarrwanga, only this time the choruses are sung entirely in English to make them more inclusive, particularly in the live space. The band also continues to incorporate the ancient Indigenous tradition of manikay (song/songlines) into their spirited indie rock, lending each track myriad thematic nuances. “A lot of our songs have a sentiment that extends in more than one meaning, and that’s pretty characteristic of Yolŋu culture and the many layers of meaning behind Yolŋu Matha,” says Kellaway, referring to the collection of languages spoken by the Yolŋu people of northeast Arnhem Land. Here, the guitarist, songwriter, and producer unravels some of those layers, track by track. **“Light Up the Path”** “We were like, ‘Let’s start this new album with a song that feels King Sting-like, but then it has some newer moments that maybe people haven’t heard before.’ The sentiment for ‘Light Up’ is about seizing the moment, so that’s why we wanted to crack in with a bit of a belter to begin with. It felt like a nice one to start with.” **“Best Bits”** “It’s about all the best bits of life poured into one moment, and it’s inspired by a particular moment in time where we had a day that just had all the right ingredients: friends, family, good weather, sunshine, and you’re with your loved ones and you’re in a beautiful place where Mother Earth is turning it on. I guess it’s about simple living in a complex digital world; sometimes all the best bits are already around us, we just need to recognize them.” **“Southerly”** “We’ve been musos for years, but it was quite a quick turnaround from putting out our first song to having fans. We just found ourselves thinking about how nothing’s changed—we’re still the same people, we’re still mates having fun playing music. The only thing that’s different is that there’s lots more people listening to us. We come from pretty humble beginnings and we’d never forget our roots and who we are. Integrity is really important for us.” **“Lookin’ Out”** “It’s easy as humans to put a lot of pressure on making the right decision and navigating things in life. That song’s about being at peace with making the best decision you can. We love big things—the big sky and the big blue ocean—so we’re always marveling at the vastness of the world, and looking out into the big ocean creates a lot of feeling for us. Simple living is something we love.” **“Scoreboard”** “We hit the ground running with the record and wanted a bit of a breather. There’s some wonderful pedal steel guitar on there. We often play that live as an atmospheric part leading into ‘Lookin’ Out,’ but we decided to put it after ‘Lookin’ Out,’ this time as a breather.” **“Nostalgic”** “This was inspired by when we were in the US for South by Southwest in 2023. We had this beautiful home and we were staying up late because we were excited, telling stories. It’s that concept of reminiscing, but at the same time you’re making new memories.” **“Day Off”** “It’s about taking the day off. We’re calling in sick, we’re all going to have some fun and take the day off, and I’ve called your boss and got you one too, so let’s hang out together. Then the chorus opens up—‘picking up the keys to a better life’ is the line, and it’s just about perspective and having your priorities right, because there’s lots of distractions in life and it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. We always want to be mindful that joy and happiness is really important for us as individuals.” **“Through the Trees”** “It’s inspired by a particular place in Arnhem Land—you come up this big sand dune and you get to the top and you can see this big canopy of trees, almost like a tunnel, and through the trees the deep blue sea is straight in front of you. It’s about not wasting time and seizing the moment. The traditional songline sung in the bridge is an ancient melody, and that humming sound is the sound of a bee, where an old man’s walking through the bush, and he’s following the sound of a bee and it’s guiding him towards the light, towards people and community. ‘Through the Trees’ has got that multilayered meaning.” **“Soon As”** “It’s about coming back home. It’s a big relief. This album is explaining our journey over the last few years. We’ve covered lots of places, and this one’s about getting both feet on the ground, back on Country, wherever that may be for you.” **“What’s the Hurry?”** “It’s about slowing down. We all come from small towns throughout Australia, and you come to the city and everyone’s in a rush, and we find ourselves in a rush as well. It’s also got a sustainability wink. ‘Can we tread light to sustain?’ is one of the lines in the chorus, and it’s talking about, can we tread a bit lighter on Earth to sustain our beautiful Mother Earth? It’s definitely on our mind because Yolŋu people see firsthand a lot of really bad environmental effects on the northeast coast.” **“Come to the Surface”** “It’s a bit ethereal. It’s about popping out from underneath the water and getting that fresh air hit you in the face. You’ve got that big sort of relieving moment.” **“Cat 5 (Cyclone)”** “This one’s got a multi meaning. On the surface, it’s a love song—life might feel a bit chaotic sometimes, it can feel a bit like a cyclone, but when you’re with that special person, you look into their eyes and you see a blue sky up ahead. We grew up in the tropics, so we’re used to cyclones, and we used to always get the cyclone warnings show up on the TV. In the chorus where it says, ‘you know I’m trying/To pick up the signs,’ that’s the warning signs of the cyclone coming. We never got frightened of them as kids, we’d surf in the cyclone. It’s part of living in the Top End.”