From Uncertainty to Anthems: Inside Spacey Jane’s boldest record yet
Frontman Caleb Harper discusses creative risks, personal growth, and navigating the unfamiliar on Spacey Jane’s third album, ‘If That Makes Sense’.
Photo: Cole Barash
From sweaty hometown gigs to sold-out tours across Australia, Spacey Jane have grown from local heroes into one of the country’s most beloved indie acts. With a sound dripping in dreamy melancholy and raw vulnerability, their music has become the soundtrack to countless late-night drives and coming-of-age moments. Now, onto their third album If That Makes Sense, the band are stepping into a new chapter – infusing their sun-splashed sound with deeper textures and a new sense of creative confidence, all the while still holding tight to those feelings of heartache and hope that first won fans over.
Yet unlike their first two albums, which were written in the middle of jam-packed touring schedules, the indie-rock quartet made If That Makes Sense with the luxury of time. The idea, which was originally raised by their management, saw Spacey Jane explore what it’s like to slow down during the creative process, with the band spending weeks meticulously selecting tracks and working with producer Mike Crossey to bring the album to life in the US.
Being used to the rush and chaos of back-to-back tours, having the time and space to play together was originally disorientating for the Aussie four-piece. Yet, despite the initial cold-water shock to the system, the band soon found their stride: “At first it was really hard, and it felt like we’d lost a bit of our identity as a band having not played for so long,” frontman Caleb Harper explained. “We were spending less time together cause I was in LA and everyone else was kind of spread out, but in the long run it was amazing. Once we settled into that process, it felt really good.”
Working with new collaborators and creating a self-funded record without a label home, Spacey Jane dove headfirst into the deep end to make this record. Stepping away from their instinctive songwriting routines that had become second nature — and with frontman Caleb Harper also relocating from Australia to Los Angeles — the band embraced unfamiliar creative waters; a shift that naturally brought a surge of emotions for Harper as he navigated both personal and artistic change.
“I didn’t really realise how much I was feeling at the time but being away from my home, my home country… I’ve spent the last ten years here in Fremantle, where I am right now, and the things that I know, that are always there – that wasn’t there,” Harper reflected.
“I was a small fish in a very big pond and there was a lot of people around me that I was working with that were so talented and made me want to work harder and be better. I think that feeling of uncertainty, vulnerability was very much pervasive through every day of my time making the record.”
As a result, this discomfort became a catalyst. It seeped into the lyrics, the melodies, and the mood of the album. From songs like All The Noise and Falling Apart, which dive into family dynamics, to one of the band’s most gut-punching lyrics yet in So Much Taller: “You will never be enough / You will never be loved / And the fact you’re trying is embarrassing enough,” Harper refused to shy away from uncomfortable emotions when writing.
Confessing that the songwriting process actually gave him a strange kind of relief, Harper said: “I don’t think it’s a unique experience – it’s hard to tap into those feelings and talk about those things – but when I’m writing about it, there’s something really rewarding about unlocking those parts of yourself that maybe you’re too fearful to think about and talk about outside of art.”
“[It] feels like a real blessing that I can access these things. But I definitely sometimes sit back and I’m like, ‘damn why did I put that in a song, that’s brutal. Now, I’ve gotta sing [it],’” he laughs. “People always ask me, ‘Are you okay?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m all good, I’m just talking about shit’.”
That balance of raw vulnerability and catharsis runs deep through If That Makes Sense, carrying the same ‘if you don’t dance, you’ll cry’ kind of energy that has always defined Spacey Jane’s sound. The album constantly walks the line between heartbreak and euphoria, inviting listeners to lose themselves in the band’s finessed rhythm while quietly processing everything beneath the surface.
Beneath that familiar front, however, lies something altogether new — something bigger. This time, it wasn’t just about refining what they already knew; it was about taking risks and exploring the farthest fringes of their already refined sound. The result being the band’s best and most ambitious project to date: a record that challenged them creatively, stretched them emotionally, and ultimately reshaped the way they collaborate.
As Harper put it: “With the giant leap of faith we all took together to make this record that was several times more expensive than anything we’ve made before and just felt so much more evolved than anything we’ve made before, meant we really had to trust each other – I think we’re closer because of that.”
But for all the pressure and growing pains that the band experienced during this time, Harper’s reflections remain laced with optimism and gratitude, especially toward the people who continue to show up and listen. “It’s quite amazing to know we’re making music hopefully to get new fans, but also for this group of people who are going to listen to it no matter what,” he said. “I just hope people like it. We think about this project like we’re only half of it, and the fans are the other half. I hope that people feel that we really are so grateful for what we’ve been able to do, and that we’ve put everything into this album.”
If That Makes Sense is out now via Concord Records.
Read the interview in our first print issue, out this June, and available to order here.