The Buoys are back. The Sydney-based band has released their sophomore album, Concrete Cowboy, an exploration of pleasure, belonging and perspective. Produced by Chris Collins, the band were driven by their instinctive connection and skill in crafting hard-hitting, thoughtful rock songs. We spoke to lead singer Zoe about creating the album and touring:And I listened to your album this morning. It’s so good! I love how it starts. That first song is great, and I love how you count it in.

I love the way the album starts.

Thank you! It’s so fun. I’m so glad you noticed it. We were like, “Oh yeah, the opening track has to be the one we count in.”

How do you feel about rolling this record out and the feedback to the singles so far? How does it feel this time around?

I feel really excited because I’ve been a little more organised this time. There’s been a lot more listening to the album and reminding myself what headspace I was in when I wrote certain lyrics. Normally, I get tired of listening to it, but I’m just not getting sick of it, which makes me really excited. I’m like, “Okay, let’s get it out into the world. I hope people feel the same way.”

To me, that’s a good sign because it’s hard to listen to yourself. I’m really keen to put it out into the world.

How do you think you’ve evolved as songwriters and musicians while making this album?

We had so much more time to prepare. Previously, we would’ve been touring pretty much constantly, so we’d either have to write on the road and then go straight into the studio. This time, we had a little more time before getting into the studio, and we also had a debut album under our belts.

After that first album, which was very much like, “Hi, this is us. This is who we are,” we could approach this one differently. It was more like, “You already know who we are, so we’re just going to go over here and do our thing.”

Where did you write most of it? What kind of environment were you in, and which country or city were you in?

A lot of it was just me on my bed. I write a lot in bed, and on my couch. I’d like to say that’s changed over the years, but that’s just where I write.

We also did one song outside Gadigal Country, in Fremantle, Perth. We wrote Welcome to My Brain as a co-write with the whole band, which was really fun. But most of the album was written in good old New South Wales.

Tell me about working with Chris and how he helped shape your sound.

The studio itself already gives you so much. We’re always like, “A studio with windows!” That’s pretty unheard of.

But Chris gives you space to do your own thing, and then he’ll tap in when he has a thought. He really lets you live and breathe as yourself and creates this beautiful little bubble. You don’t want to pop it at the end; you just want to stay there forever. I love his space, and I love working with Chris.

Is there a song you’re personally most proud of?

Probably Stay Up To Date On Politics.

It was originally meant to be this really big rock song. I remember it was raining the day we listened to my demo, and the girls suggested chilling it out. Chris was like, “What if it had Adrianne Lenker vibes?”

I was open to hearing it and being proven wrong. We laid down the bedrock for it, and I was immediately like, “Yep, this is beautiful.” It was exactly what those lyrics needed.

There are quite a few songs on this album where I had moments of thinking, “Should I share this? It feels a bit deep or scary to be vulnerable with people.” But I wanted to lean into it. Showing that level of introspection felt like, “Okay, cool. You did it. Good work.” So I’m very proud of that song.

Do you ever get nervous about showing the band your lyrics?

Sometimes, actually. I think it’s because I’ve had a pretty rough couple of years, so sometimes I have to preface showing the band a song by saying, “Don’t worry, I’m okay,” or “I’m seeing a therapist. I’m responsible.”

It’s hard because I’d never have to explain that to another lyricist. Anyone who writes lyrics understands that you’re capturing a fleeting bad thought and fleshing it out. Sometimes that means going into some pretty deep and dark territory.

I’m always a bit scared of scaring the band. I don’t want them to think I’m really unwell, especially because I’ve had health issues over the past few years, which I write about a lot.

It’s worth it, though. I don’t know if you know the Irish band Gurriers, but I interviewed them last week. The lead singer writes all the lyrics, and on their recent album he explored his own issues with alcohol. He said you eventually get past that fear of vulnerability because so many people end up relating to it.

Fully. I think that’s what I’m excited about with this release. There’s a part of me that knows there’s a reason I swallowed those fears and put it out into the world. I’m hoping there are people who can connect with it.

Tell me about the live show and bringing these songs to life. That must be scary.

It’s funny because performing in front of our fans isn’t actually as scary as you might think. We mostly refer to them as our community.

When I’m performing for other people, like opening a show, it’s terrifying. I’m really nervous and wondering, “Will I be accepted?” But when it’s our own shows, I know these people are like-minded. Everyone who comes to our shows is a wholesome legend. It’s such a nice, safe space.

With the live show, album artwork, visuals and everything else, how have you dreamed up the world for this album?

A lot of it actually came from dreaming. The album really started to take shape after I moved from the city back to my hometown, which is a fairly secluded, bushy area.

I was slowing down for the first time in 10 years, so I was dreaming more, writing more and having more time to sit with my thoughts and feelings. I felt like I was reconnecting with my childlike spirit. I’m still getting there, still trying to bring that part of myself back.

With that comes fun, daydreaming and imagination. It’s about letting yourself daydream instead of snapping yourself out of it and thinking, “I should probably get to my 150 emails.”‍

Which other artists have you been listening to? Anyone you’re excited about right now who you want to shout out?

I’ve been absolutely rinsing this Melbourne artist called Lucky.

Oh my God, I’m obsessed with her. The music is so good.

I’d just got back from Europe after a friend’s wedding, and I hadn’t even been back in the country for 24 hours before I went to see her at the Enmore. She was supporting The Dreggs, I think. I was so jet-lagged that I literally only went for her set because I’d been waiting to see her forever. Her album is a work of art from top to bottom. I’ve been listening to it constantly, and I’m obsessed with everything she does. She’s in the middle of writing another album, so I’m really excited to hear more from her.

I also listen to a lot of MUNA and Katie Gavin’s solo stuff. It depends on my mood. On a nice rainy day like today, I might listen to Katie Gavin’s solo album.

Before we recorded Concrete Cowboy, Julian Baker and Torres’ duet album, Send a Prayer My Way, came out. I’m an album person, so I’ll listen to one album on repeat for ages. I listened to that one on repeat for a month before we started recording Concrete Cowboy, so you can hear some country twang coming through.

It’s really funny how your immediate environment affects your writing.

To add to your earlier question about how your sound has evolved, it sounds like our first album captured seven years of influences, whereas this one is more of a snapshot of what we're listening to now. The first album was very much an encapsulation of seven years for the boys. With this one, you get a smaller snapshot of our influences, so the sound is more malleable because the songs are coming together as we go.

Listen to The Buoys HERE.

@the_buoys