Stonefield are a band that have never let the rules get in their way.
With each release, the four Findlay sisters – Amy, Hannah, Sarah and Holly – have consistently proven themselves as one of Australia's towering psych rock success stories.Their latest album 'Bent', released last year, is no exception. “As you put out each album, you get a bit more confidence in yourself,” Amy says, “and not that much time has passed since that album came out, so I'm sure we'll probably have different thoughts on it another year down the track,” she laughs.
“We're actually really happy with it and happy with the response,” she continues, “and it's been interesting how it's opened up us into the heavier side of the music world a little bit and gained us a few more fans that maybe didn't appreciate our music so much before.
“I mean, it's always touched on the heavier stuff but ['Bent'] has definitely been the most raw and I guess stoner-y. It's just been interesting to watch how our audience has broadened.”
Since their explosive, self-titled debut album in 2013, Stonefield have defied their own expectations as well as those prescribed by the music industry to take their career into their own hands.
“I am really glad that we've tried to shift the focus on our band being seen as a bit of a gimmick by some people, and I think a lot of people thought that we wouldn't last, being a young sister band or whatever,” Amy says.
“I'm really glad that we've pushed our own boundaries. We've gone overseas and put ourselves in front of different audiences, exploring different aspects of rock music and different ways of recording and working with different people.
“I feel like we've really experienced a lot. It's amazing to think about and I'm really proud of us. We're lucky.”
Stonefield start their year touring the United States and Europe (February-March) before returning to Australia to perform at Unleash The Elephant, a street party-style festival held across The Elephant Hotel, The Foundry and Greaser in Brisbane.
In taking complete control of the band, Amy says Stonefield owe much to the DIY example set by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. “They've really shown that you can do the whole DIY thing and do whatever you want and play whatever music you want, change it up completely for every album and get crazy with it,” she says.
“Especially in Australia, a lot of bands have been scared to do that and for young bands as well who don't really know any different if you're just starting out in the music world.
“Like for us, we thought that everyone in the industry that we were meeting and came across would for sure know what the best way of doing things is, and we were so young and naïve and completely took their advice.
“It's good in some ways, we certainly learnt a lot, but thinking back now, gosh, I wish we had the King Gizzard approach,” Amy laughs, “because they've proved you can do things exactly the way you want to do it and succeed at doing that. I think that they're really inspiring.”
