Sam Rasmussen, bassist for the Australian indie rock group The Paper Kites, said that despite being low on sleep, sitting in a bus for six hours a day and eating truck stop food, touring has been incredible for him.
The group’s newest album, “twelvefour,” dropped in August and was made with producer Phil Ek. The album is the focus of The Paper Kites’ current tour, which will make a stop at Brighton Music Hall Thursday.
The band’s chief writer and singer Sam Bentley constructed the album. Inspired by the idea that artists are at their peak during the night, Bentley wrote all of the songs between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m., and the album’s title reflects this.
In a phone interview, Rasmussen explained that the first listen with the entire band was challenging.
“There’s always a fair bit of a shock, I think,” Rasmussen said. “He’d written about 30 odd songs, so listening through, there was a pretty broad sound and style going on. So our initial reactions were a bit of surprise at some of the songs but [we were] also pretty excited at the potential of a lot of them.”
Fans of The Paper Kites will be happy to hear that this process was captured on film. While making the album, the band had a documentary created that will come out during the first half of 2016, Rasmussen said.
“The documentary was basically camera guys following us through the writing and the rehearsing,” he said. “They came to the studio with us [in Seattle] and filmed it all. It’s just basically capturing the process right from the conception of the idea through to the album release and the tour.”
The Paper Kites began with Bentley and Christina Lacy singing duets at small gigs and weddings. Guitarist and banjo-player David Powys, drummer Josh Bentley and Rasmussen were recruited in 2010 from other bands to join Bentley and Lacey.
The group members did a few festivals and concerts, and eventually released their debut single, “Bloom.” The group’s first EP, named “Woodland,” was successful enough for them to release another in 2012 titled “Young North.”
“States,” The Paper Kites’ first full-length album, was released later in 2013 and allowed the group to headline a tour in North America.
Rasmussen said “twelvefour” is different from “Bloom,” but it’s not as if The Paper Kites have totally changed.
“If you listen to each EP and then the album and this album in order, we feel there is a reasonable progression there,” he said. “We feel like we’ve advanced over the years and we’ve progressed as musicians and performers and writers.”
From the very first track of “twelvefour,” it’s clear that Rasmussen is right. The sound is mature and slick, with ‘80s-style guitar and synth maintaining the indie feel the group’s fans are used to. Bentley’s strong lyrics add the haze found between midnight and 4 a.m., giving every song a more intense vibe.
The progression also signifies a different energy brought to live performances.
“In years gone by, our shows have been a bit more acoustic and a bit more lower energy, more about the story and the intimacy and that kind of thing, whereas now the show that we’re touring at the moment [are] definitely a high energy,” Rasmussen said. “We feel like there’s a bigger connection with the crowd and it’s got a wider reach for the audiences.”
So far, the tour has taken The Paper Kites all the way from Australia to Los Angeles, and has even afforded the group a few visits to different Canadian cities before coming to Boston. The tour has been beautiful, Rasmussen said, and being able to visit so many different places is fun.
But in the end, it’s still about the audience.
“I feel like most musicians would find it hard to not say that performing is the best part,” Rasmussen said of the overall band experience.
And despite all of the challenges that come with being on tour, Rasmussen said, “It all feels worthwhile for that one hour on stage where you’ve got a packed room with enthusiastic and excited people who are connecting with the music and really happy to see us there.”
The Paper Kites will perform at Brighton Music Hall Thursday at 7 p.m.
