Fresh off the touring cycle that saw the Australian indie-folk trio Sons Of The East play over 100 shows around the world, they found themselves writing more and more music on the road: between shows, behind the stage curtains, and mainly away from home, a fact that shows through clearly on their fantastic independently released album SONS. Even as they build on their folk roots with their newest full-length release, the group of Jack Rollins (Vocals, guitar), Nic Johnston (Vocals, keys), and Dan Wallage (Guitar, banjo) explore new sounds and styles they haven’t before on SONS, widening their sonic palette without losing what makes their sound theirs. Hit Parader sat down with Rollins to discuss more: how relentless touring, ever-changing influences, and independent autonomy shaped SONS, and how, at the end of the day, it will always come down to playing music they love with their friends for as many people as they can reach.
Hit Parader: So, just with the new record and the making of SONS, much of the songwriting happened while touring. How did being constantly on the move shape the emotional tone of the music?
Jack Rollins: Good question. I guess I don’t know, it does get a little lonely on tour, if I can be completely transparent. So I guess there is a bit of yearning and longing in some of the themes in the music, but also I think we just kind of felt crazy pressure, knowing that we did 110 shows last year, and then as each show came to a finish, we were like, “Fuck, we’re getting closer to coming home and then having to finish this album.” We already had a few songs ready, but basically, we had to come home and literally only had like two or three months to finish the album. We were kind of just, like, anything that was coming up we were putting down, and we’re happy with anything, or whatever, really. But yeah, there is a sense, you can kind of sense this travel, definitely some kind of yearning and longing for connection in a lot of the songs.
HP: And then what are a couple of places that you or others drew inspiration from that your fans wouldn’t expect? Maybe a book, a non-folk artist, or a movie, or something?
JR: Good question! Yeah, I don’t know, we get it everywhere. I don’t really listen to folk music. A lot of us don’t really listen to folk music. I listen to a lot of really crazy, different stuff compared to folk. I listen to a lot of hip hop and Afro beats, stuff that’s so far removed from folk music. I still love folk music, but a lot of times, if I’m driving in the car, I wouldn’t put that on, unless it’s a nice sunset drive or something like that. We listen to a lot of War on Drugs, J.J. Cale; you can definitely hear little bits of that seeping into the new record. We’re just trying to make the pool of inspiration a bit bigger and wider in terms of its range, so it keeps things interesting for us.
HP: I love that. My personal favorite off the new record is “10 Days,” which is a really pretty ballad/ interlude. Tell me a little bit about the imagery and the storyline behind the lyrics, and the lyric in specific, “They say bad luck comes in threes”.
JR: Nick had probably a 95 percent hand in writing that song. Speaking of longing, that one came whilst we were on the road last year. He’s got a partner that he’s been with for a long time, and she’s wonderful. I think in those lyrics, you can hear Nick really kind of almost calling out to her as we’re on the road, and you know, it’s right there in the title, “10 Days.” It’s all about him coming home soon and how that’s going to feel, because it is always a bit awkward coming home to your loved ones, because you haven’t seen them for, we’d been four months last year. So yeah, coming home is kind of a weird thing, you’re like, “Is it the same? Is it going to be different?” So yeah, I agree, it’s a beautiful song that Nick championed there.
HP: What song off the record took the longest to finish, and what song seemed to flow out the fastest?
JR: The song took the longest… There are a couple that took us a while. I’m trying to think. “It’s Alright” took a while; we mucked around with that for months. But then, on the opposite end, “Sweet Thing” and “Time Will Tell” were done in a day each, which is really cool. “Pour the Wine” took like a few weeks. I’m trying to think. I can’t really remember now, I think we kind of repressed it because it was so fucking stressful.
HP: I understand. Sometimes I’ve noticed an interesting thing between some people I’ve talked to. If they work on a song for months on end, it always ends up being like, “Hey, I just like the original song,” and you kind of revert back to the first demo.
JR: Yeah, definitely. There’s this guy, an Australian comedian who’s also a musician, Tim Minchin, who talks about how it’s like a painting. You never really know; you’ve got to know when to stop adding paint to the art because you can overcook it. Sometimes it’s just like, when do you get to the point where it’s done? Having deadlines is always good because you can just go, “Alright, it’s time to stop, because we need to deliver this thing.”
HP: If a fan only had the ability to check out one song off the record, what would you show them? What’s the “opus” in your opinion?
JR: Oh…
HP: I know that’s like a favorite child situation, but,
JR: Yeah, a little bit. I don’t know. I think because the record has heaps of different genres on it, it’s hard to pick. Can do a top three?
HP: Please!
JR: My favorite three are probably “Recognize,” “It’s Alright,” and “Sweet Thing.” When we were going through the album, those are the three that I’d listen to the most when we’d just finished with them, and be like, “Hey, this is cool,” you know what I mean? So I think probably those three, for me, I would pass on to a fan. But as I said, those three, “Recognize” is like a War on Drugs-type thing, “It’s Alright” is like JJ Cale, and then “Sweet Thing” is like a full ’50s, ’60s-type beat.
HP: I was reading online earlier today, someone on the War on Drugs Reddit page said, “’ Recognize’ reminds me of [The] War on Drugs and this song rips.”
JR: That’s sick.
HP: “Now I’m checking out these guys as well.”
JR: Fuck yeah, that’s great.
HP: So, just with this record, it adds to a long tradition of self-releasing records, accomplished entirely without major label backing. What has been the most meaningful reward and unexpected challenge of steering your music independently, and in what ways has the autonomy shaped your vision?
JR: Man, you ask great questions. Well, I think because we’ve always been independent, we’ve always had to learn on the go. We’ve been our own marketing team, our own publicity, our own design studio; we literally do everything ourselves. Especially Dan and Nick, those guys are so hands-on. Dan does so much with social media, designing merch, and making marketing schedules. We’ve really had to knuckle down and learn. We started this thing just to be musicians and not have real jobs, but now the admin’s crazy. We’re literally running a business and having to learn all that has been really important and amazing as well.
I think being independent for us is all about control and owning our own stuff. Our manager always said to us from the start, “Just own the product,” and we’ve enjoyed being able to do that. Sometimes it’s taken us a long time to release stuff, so not having overlords breathing down our necks has been nice for us to do things at our own speed. It took us ten years to release our first album, so maybe it took too long, but we’re happy where we are, enjoying playing and writing music, so life’s good.
HP: And you could argue it’s a lot more authentic without as many hands in the pot, so to speak.
JR: Exactly, exactly. You don’t want to have too many cooks in the kitchen.
HP: Just tell me a little bit more about the rest of the year and anything else you want to add for the fans.
JR: Yeah, so we just did an Aussie tour. I just did a month in Europe, and we’re halfway through a month here in North America. Then we’ll probably come home and chill out for a bit, just do some surfing and get some sun in, it’s an Aussie summer when we get back. Then we got Christmas and stuff. Then we’re just going to do some writing and hang out, and we’ve got a few things back over in the States in May, and a few gigs around Australia early next year. Working towards that and just getting to some new music, I think. Now, not having any crazy deadlines will be nice to get in the studio with no pressure and see what we can cook up. We’re having fun touring and looking forward to getting back in the studio and having fun making music again.
HP: And that’s what it’s all about.
JR: Exactly.
Listen to SONS by Sons Of The East wherever you stream your music.
Read the article in print in Issue 4 of Hit Parader Magazine.
Hit Parader #4: Brent Faiyaz
March 2026 — $12.99
