Have Eliza & The Delusionals released one of our favourite albums of the year? It seems so. The Australian trio have just released their sophomore album, Make It Like The Garden, a utopian getaway that acts as an intimate safe space for the listener. Sonically, it is our happy place: introspective lyrics, catchy hooks, and upbeat guitar-driven instrumentals lead the way.“This album has a really special place in my heart," says Eliza. "I think the entire process of the album - from writing to recording to doing the visuals - has been such an incredible experience. I think as a songwriter, for myself, this album really pushed my boundaries and ideas. Every song feels like it has its place, and the lyrics are honest and genuine. I think this album really puts a spotlight on the band we want to be and the music that we love, and we couldn't feel more united as friends and as a band. I hope that our fans old and new can enjoy the album in full and fall in love with it the way I have over the last 12 months of working on it." We spoke to Eliza about crafting the project:

Love the album! How do you think you have evolved on your second album? Sonically but also as a trio?

Thank you! It’s really interesting because we’ve been getting asked a lot about that “second album pressure” most bands experience putting together their second album, but I think for the three of us the whole experience of writing and recording this album has been overall really positive. The studio experience was really free and open to be creative, which I think made a big difference in how we thought about the songs and putting ideas together. As a trio, I think this album has really brought us together as bandmates, musicians and as friends. We all love the record and connect with the songs in a special way. We couldn’t be more proud of it. 

What was it about Napa that meant you ended up recording most of the album there? What do you think it brought out of you?

Napa feels like a second home to us. We’ve spent a lot of our time in the US over there staying with our friends, we’ve had so many nice moments and memories there, and we’re so lucky to have great friends over there. I think being in a different environment really shifts your feelings and emotions, and kind of puts a new purpose into writing songs. We had about two weeks there between our tours, so we really bunkered down and tried to write and demo as much as we could. We wanted to make the most of our time there - spending afternoons writing songs on the balcony watching the sunset over the valley - it’s really hard to not feel something special when you’re there. 

We love the idea of the album being a utopian garden. What sparked this idea? 

Thank you! Kurt initially came up with the line ‘make it feel like the garden’ and the concept of using a garden as a representation of a utopia, which I immediately fell in love with. We wanted to keep it broad as well, so that listeners can find themselves in their own version of The Garden - whether that’s a memory, a feeling or a person - we wanted everyone to find their own Garden within the songs. 

Is there a song you’re most proud of or particularly excited for everyone to hear?

I think the answers slightly differ between the three of us, but ‘Madison’ is probably our collective favourite. It’s one we always talk about how much we love between the three of us. It’s such a big track and also felt like the perfect closer to the record. 

Who did you work with that helped to bring your vision to life? How did they shape the album?

The record was produced by our friend and iconic Australian musician Oscar Dawson. We’d been wanting to do an album with him for a while, and the timing worked out perfectly to make this one happen. Oscar created such a creatively free and open environment in his studio to just explore the ideas and see what would come out. It was different to anything we’d experienced in a studio environment, which felt chaotic at first, but ended up being an amazing experience and I think we were able to get the best out of our songs and ideas with him. We also wrote a few songs with him in the studio as well, which was great. 

Another special moment on the record for us was having our friend Brian Aubert from Silversun Pickups feature on our song ‘Lately’. We love Brian and SSPU so much and they’ve been such a big part of our career to date, and it just felt perfect to have him be a part of it. Brian recorded his vocals with Butch Vig as well, which was really special to have him be a part of it as well. 

I also want to mention Chris Collins for bringing it to life with his mixing, and George Georgiadis for mastering. Everyone who worked on this record with us was so passionate and supportive, we’re so lucky to work with such amazing musicians and producers. 

‍What were you reading, watching, listening to while you were writing the album? Do you think anything inadvertently influenced the lyrics or music?

I think it’s hard to answer this question exactly because honestly we wrote and recorded the record over 18 months ago now. It was a long time in the making! And I think between Kurt and I as the songwriters we’re always being influenced by things we watch and listen to. Probably a lot of our favourite music at the time! 

‍What’s on your playlist at the moment? Who are you excited about?

The three of us have wildly different tastes in music right now! For me personally I’ve had BRAT on repeat. I also love listening to the new Japanese House record, The War on Drugs and Cigarettes After Sex. 

What’s something that’s inspiring you at the moment? Aside from music.

That’s a hard question for me right now. I’ve been so focused on re-learning and rehearsing the tracks for the new album that my mind has been consumed by that! 

I do love art and drawing personally, so I try and make time for that and I always find it’s something creative I can enjoy outside of the band. 

‍You’re about to go on tour around Australia. What can we expect from your live show this time?‍

Yes we are! We’re so excited. I think a fresh take on our live show is what you can expect. We’re playing a big portion of the new album along with the ‘greatest hits’ haha. We can’t wait to play the new tracks live for everyone at our biggest headline shows to date!

What’s next?

We’re headed to the US towards the end of the year to play some shows!!

Listen to Make It Feel Like the Garden HERE.

@elizaandthedelusionals