Since the release of their debut album ‘Never Trust A Happy Song’ back in 2013, Grouplove‘s success has continued to soar, gaining them an enormous worldwide fan-base. After cancelling their last Australian tour in 2016 due to strict doctors’ orders for singer Hannah Hooper, to heal her vocals, the Californian five-piece were recently back on our shores for some huge headline shows and slots at Mountain Sounds Festival, Secret Garden and Party In The Paddock.

We’ve already been given the low-down on Grouplove’s tour essentials, but during this visit, bassist Daniel Gleason took some time out to talk about writing their fourth LP and experimenting with a brand new set.

Best Before: How’s your time in Australia been so far?

Daniel: It’s been amazing! I’d never been to Tasmania before. We played at Party In The Paddock there, and it was a really special night. There are not many festivals like that anymore. A lot of them have become very commercialised with sponsorships everywhere, so I think this felt a lot more like festivals would have been like in the ’70s. You’re in the middle of nowhere, and you’re just there for the experience.

“This was the first time it was just us in a room, reacting to what other people were doing on the spot.”

I know a lot of people really like that festival, and I think it just has that really nice country vibe to it.

Yeah! That’s exactly it. It was so beautiful down there.

How was the crowd during your set?

Honestly, I can say it was one of the craziest crowds I think we’ve ever played for. Being so far out in the middle of nowhere, I think people felt like they could let loose in a different way. It felt like the crowd was really engaged the whole time, and we fed off that a lot. It was great. There was such an incredible back and forth between the band and crowd that night.

You played in Brisbane a couple nights ago too. Do you find there’s a difference between the audience and energy at headline shows, compared to festival sets?

Yeah, there definitely can be. I feel like you can reach back a little further during a headline set, and play songs that are a little more obscure or older. Then for festival sets, we typically play songs that are a little more well-known that people can sing along to. But for both, it’s generally the same energy, and we play with the same spirit. I think we’re lucky enough now to have fans that will turn up to our shows, regardless of whether it’s a headline or festival setting.

The album’s been out for about a year and a half now so people have had a fair bit of time to get to know it. Have you noticed now that people know words to a lot of the songs and are really getting into those songs in the live show?

Yeah, totally. This is the first time we’ve played in Australia since it’s been out. I think the last time we played here was in August 2016, and we may have only played one or two songs off this album. So it’s really nice to be able to come back this time and be able to play some of the other tracks off the record. The response has been amazing so far.

I read that you guys have started writing material for your fourth record, is that right?

Yeah! We actually spent about two weeks last month writing. We went off the grid a little bit and wrote — I don’t even know how many songs. Probably around 20 to 30 ideas we had written down, which all just started from us jamming and seeing where it went. That was a really fun and unique experience because typically it’s been someone bringing a song to the table, then we’ll work it out as a whole band. This was the first time it was just us in a room, reacting to what other people were doing on the spot. It was super spontaneous and we feel like we came out with a very easy group of songs which are very representative of where we are as a band, so we’re really excited about the direction it’s taking.

So do these tracks have a different sound to your past material?

It does feel like that. The same qualities that have always been in the band are still there; Hannah and Christian (Zucconi) are still singing and harmonising together, and we’re still using the same instrumentation. It just feels like it’s coming from a different place. The way we’re writing and coming up with ideas with the whole band in the same room, making ideas up on the spot, definitely changes the vibe, but it still feels like us. I just think, in a really positive way, that this is the beginning of a new chapter. I actually can’t wait to dive in there more and start putting new songs to tape.

How far along in the writing process are you? When do you think you’ll have enough tracks down for the album?

I think we have enough material ready for an album now. These last writing sessions felt very profound for us, and we just want to try and tap back into that feeling. We’ll probably try and do a couple more rounds of writing, and then we’ll hopefully record the album this summer. We’re really trying to push ourselves to go further than we’ve gone ever before, it just feels like the right time for a record like that.

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That’s super exciting to hear that! And you guys are playing at Mountain Sounds Festival at the end of this week, are you going to be playing any of the new tracks you’ve written that haven’t been released yet?

We have been playing a couple of the new songs live, just to test them out. There’s a thing that happens when you play material that people aren’t familiar with live. You’re forced to come to terms with what you actually think of it, and if you still feel good about it then it’s a really good sign, or you start to realise there are certain parts of the song where you may need to add something in. Those sorts of things start to reveal themselves in a live setting.

But for the set at Mountain Sounds Festival, we’ll be playing some of the new ones, and for people who are mildly familiar without music then they’ll know a fair few of the songs we’ll play. We’re going to play a couple of covers too, we’re trying to push ourselves to do some songs that we haven’t done before. We’ve been playing one of the songs that we did for Like A Version, so that’s been really fun.

Have people been responding well to the new songs you’ve been playing?

Yeah, they have! We’re really fortunate to have a fan base that really trusts us and is willing to come along for the journey, and the twists and turns that this band can take — that’s a huge thing. We’re very lucky that our fans trust our instinct.

Check out Grouplove’s latest single “Remember That Night” here: