Image by Sam Brumby //
For The Dreams, King Stingray’s joyous celebration of life, is out now.
On a micro level, not much has changed for King Stingray over the past few years. The group, who’ve known each other since their high school days in Darwin, are still in love with writing and playing music with each other. Zoom out a little bit and you see all of the things that have grown outside of that tight space that the six-piece create in: ARIA nominations, sold-out shows, millions of streams, and huge tours.
The band have approached these external feats with caution and grace. There’s a sense that, while they’re all too aware of the pitfalls of success, they’re equally appreciative of the opportunities that it offers (e.g. touring with King Gizzard around the States). Their sophomore album For The Dreams, which follows on from 2022’s self-titled breakthrough, is a testament to the optimism that flows through the band.
Gusts of nostalgia and gratitude blow through the album – not only for the life that the group are living, but also for the simpler things. Uplifting and wholesome lyrics like “I don’t wanna be anywhere else right now” and “Take the day off today / take another one tomorrow” are interwoven amongst up-beat rock tunes where the occasional shade of melodic darkness is always overcome by a something more sugary.
You can stream/buy For The Dreams right here. Check out our interview (with questions answered collectively by the band) below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nHnlCEX3d0
You’ve come so far in four short years. What’s been the highlight so far?
It’s funny, sometimes the biggest highlights aren’t actually the biggest moments. They’re sometimes the more smaller ones as well. The memorable ones like certain gigs. Doing the Bluey thing was cool though. We loved Bluey.
What are your tips for surviving the constant touring?
Steak! Seafood! Eating good food, staying positive, and being healthy are key because it can be tiring—you need to fuel your body right. We love music and this opportunity, and we’re driven by something bigger than ourselves. It’s about doing something for our family back home and the broader community.
We always have fun, with smiles on our faces. Before each gig, we huddle, say a prayer, and pump each other up. We’re a big team, one family. One mob, one group.
Does being in that unit help for long periods away from home?
Yeah, we’ve done our fair share of touring, so we’re no strangers to it now. The distance can be tough sometimes because it’s so far from home, especially for the boys coming back—it’s a long trip. But we’ve done this before, in bigger ways. We’ve stayed off country for a couple of months in the past. We’re a big team, we all stick together, and just get it done. No worries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8SZB5JK4M0
You’ve known each other since high school. Who was the best student in the group? Who was the worst?
Best student… Man. Well, that’s a good question. I don’t know if anyone’s going to answer that, because no one wants to say the wrong thing.
You’ve played all over the world, how do people normally react to the didge?
The people in America, they go, “No, what is that?” The first time we went there and they were asking the same question, what’s that? What does it sound like? Or where does it come from?
It’s such a beautiful part of Australia and the culture and history. How do you carry it around? Can you get hardcases for a didge?
You should see our setup. We’ve been meaning to do a rig rundown. A mate of ours in Brissy made a case for everything, moulded with padding. We’ve got two yidakis, and it’s perfectly molded to fit the gulpa, which is the spear thrower—a big part of our show that we use for bunggul and dancing. It also has spots for the bilma, the clap sticks, all in one case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjd8dKZbQJc
You’ve been on the road with King Gizzard. What do you think a King Stizzard album would sound like?
Wow. It’d blow up the internet, I reckon. Just wouldn’t be able to handle it. It’d be fresh. What did you call it? King Stizzard. That’s good. King Stizzard. Yeah, amazing musicians. It’d be awesome to incorporate a bit of yidaki with King Gizzard.
Tell us about the album title – what does ‘For The Dreams’ mean?
For The Dreams, it’s just a saying we’d use on the road. We all want to live the dream, and we’re loving life. This album was written while we were touring, and touring is a huge part of what we do. We’re a live band, and we take pride in our performances on the road. For The Dreams is a nod to the time in life when we made the album, all that touring, and living the dream. A lot of the songs on the album have dreamy, nostalgic themes—reminding us of the past, with those powerful, dreamlike feelings.
I read that “Yaka Muckaround” was the slogan during the recording process. What does that mean? How did it help you?
Teamwork, writing songs together, and not wasting time. Just being together, putting all the ideas on the table, sharing them, referencing them, and then recording it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tO6ZqmBvhg
I love the song ‘Day Off’. What do you do on your dream day off?
Fishing. Turtle hunting. Spear hunting.
Who catches the biggest fish?
[laughs] Everyone!
What is the King Stingray “dream” in 10 years?
Brisbane Olympics. I don’t know when that’s coming, but put us at the top and press the button.
When we interviewed you at SITG, you said if you made a million bucks you’d each buy a Troopy. Has anyone got a Troopy yet?
We’re working on it. That’s when you’ve made it, getting a Troopy… Six Troopies!
