Sydney three-piece Stumps have today unveiled their debut album, All Our Friends, a cathartic, far-reaching album that ranks as one of the finer releases that have come out of Australia in recent memory.
It’s an album that harks back to the glory days of early-aughts indie-rock, sans the landfill. Across 12 sprawling tracks, STUMPS have created a sublimely existential party album. At the risk of sounding contrived, All Our Friends feels like a necessary anecdote to the dizzying context of the world at large.
STUMPS masterfully explore the crushing anxieties of the lived experience, of fleeting youth. There are moments on the record that brim with psychological despair. Instead of leaning into the heaviness, STUMPS offer an alternative raison d’être: to dance.
Unyielding self-examination finds a home against a sonic landscape of driving pop, glimmering guitar and dancefloor-ready percussion. All Our Friends plunges us into escapist fantasy, one dominated by the mysticism of being one of the last ones standing at the disco.
The kind of album that feels like it was built to soundtrack the quiet, subliminal heartaches of life. Like witnessing your crush leave the party without you. You’re dressed to the nines and you’re dancing by yourself.
To celebrate the release of All Our Friends, we sent through STUMPS a bunch of burning Get To Know questions. Pop on the record below and see what they had to say.
Listen to All Our Friends by Stumps:
How did your artist name come about?
We’re all pretty big fans of that Australiana vintage sports vibe, and I guess we wanted to try to find something that reflected that. We toyed around with some cricket things and just landed on STUMPS.
Tell us a bit about your single, what it’s about and how it came about?
I’ve Had Enough expresses how challenging and defeating life can feel at times. 2020 has obviously been full of challenges, and this song is a bit of an emotional dump about how the pressure can take its toll.
We wanted to contrast that feeling with a sense of positivity as well, so we tried bringing that side to life with the production. We wanted it bright and sharp, in a bit of a throwback to the hammy 80s songs we love.
The bridge is where we really had the most fun with it. We imagined it as a fun live sing-along, and jump-around, with visions of our friends joining us on stage with percussion, so we tried to play into that as much as possible.
The song was initially born out of a beautifully loopy moment in the studio. Late in the night, as I’m sure many people experienced in lockdown, our minds had turned to soup and everything said was met with manic laughter. Originally the chorus was about babaganoush. ‘Hey! I want babaganoush/you want babaganoush?’. It was a rare moment of pure insanity.
What do you love about your hometown?
There are lots of great things about our hometown; being close to the beach, being amongst friends who we grew up with, and overall just how visually appealing it is. With that being said, there are a few things that are not-so-great about the area. A lot of which actually inspired the lyrics on the record, which I’m sure you can unpack when listening to it.
Check out ‘I’ve Had Enough’ by STUMPS:
Favourite non-music hobby?
Watching football highlights, cooking, and chatting alien conspiracy theories.
What’s on your dream rider?
A case or two of something local, a few bottles of soda water, a mezze platter and a blow up pool.
Dream music collaboration?
Damon Albarn, James Murphy, FKA twigs.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Merrick: Hopefully playing to more people and moving around on stage less
Kyle: Hopefully sleeping better
Jonny: I hope to have a mohawk
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Merrick: The Tide is High — Atomic Kitten, or With You — Jessica Simpson
Kyle: Left Outside Alone — Anastacia
Jonny: Glamorous — Fergie
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Surround yourself by people you love.
What’s one obsession you have that no one would guess after listening to your music?
Merrick: Conspiracy theories
Jonny: Star Wars
Kyle: I’m massive on making my own pasta
