The Paper Kites Interview - New 2026 Album, Songwriting

Since the release of their debut single “Bloom” in 2010, Australian indie folk-rock band The Paper Kites have built a large following worldwide with their appealing blend of guitar-based melodies, thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics, and lush harmonies. They have previously released six studio albums, and this month (January 2026) they will be releasing their seventh album, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It (released by Nettwerk Music Group).

Led by founding members Sam Bentley (lead singer, songwriter & guitarist) and Christina Lacy (keyboardist, co-songwriter & harmony singer), The Paper Kites will be making a strong impact in 2026. In addition to releasing their new album, they will be launching a major concert tour, playing shows in Australia, the United Kingdom and other European countries, followed by a tour of the U.S. and Canada. The band also includes members Josh Bentley (drums), David Powys (guitar/banjo) and Sam Rasmussen (bass).

The new album, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, is a strong collection of 10 songs written by Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy and other members of the band. Highlights include the uptempo first single “Change of the Wind,” the graceful opening track “Morning Gum,” the beautiful midtempo tune, “Stormwall,” “Shake Off The Rain” and “When The Lavender Blooms.”

We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Christina Lacy of The Paper Kites. She originally formed the band in 2009 with Sam Bentley in Melbourne, Australia when they were teenagers. Then in 2010, they had a breakthrough when they released their song “Bloom” and it became popular worldwide.

It was in 2013 that The Paper Kites released their first album, called States. It was followed by Twelvefour (in 2015), On the Train Ride Home (2018), On the Corner Where You Live (2018), Roses (2021) and At the Roadhouse (2023).

Here’s our interview with Christina Lacy. She talks about the band’s early years and their hit, “Bloom.” She also discusses their new album and their songwriting.

DK: I read that you and (co-founder) Sam Bentley met as teenagers, and you started performing together. How did you and Sam meet, and decide to put a band together?

Here’s the video of The Paper Kites’ song, “Change Of The Wind.”

Christina Lacy: We met through a mutual friend who told me about Sam. Back then, Sam was playing in a band that was more punk-rock. Then he and I met and we started getting together. At the time, I wasn’t really writing music yet. But I loved music and singing, and I did a lot of singing at school, doing choir and things like that.

So we got together and mucked around on the guitar, and we sang songs together. We realized that our voices felt compatible and blended nicely, and we loved singing together. Then we had a few friends who asked us to play at some weddings, and we played at a local bar every Thursday night. So we did that for a few years, and we fell in love with singing together and writing songs. Sam is a beautiful songwriter, and he would show me things and we would sing them together, doing harmonies. And that was the beginning for us.

DK: In 2010, The Paper Kites had a breakthrough with your song “Bloom,” that you wrote with Sam. How did you and Sam write that song, and how did it become a success?

Lacy: That song is funny because when you write a song, you are never thinking about what that song may become. You’re just in the moment writing music and writing a song together. Sam showed me that song and he had that acoustic guitar riff, and he had a bit of the chorus and maybe a verse.

It came together really quickly. He showed it to me and I was like, “Oh wow, that’s really beautiful, let’s work on another verse.” Then we worked on those lyrics and the following verses together. Sam had the first part, but I think we finished the rest of it in about 30 minutes. We thought it was a really nice song, that we thought was catchy and that people would like it. Then we had a friend who was a videographer and he offered to do a video with us.

At this point, we had played a few shows with the rest of the guys in the band. At first it was Sam and I, then we’d asked these people to come and play with us. And by the time “Bloom” was written, we had become more of a band. Then we did the video of “Bloom” together.

We put our music onto the internet for people to see, and people slowly started to find it and our music circulated around. And obviously as a band, we’ve developed and grown so much since then, but that song gave us that early opportunity.

Here’s the video of The Paper KLte’s song, “Shake Off The Rain.”

DK: You’re about to release your new album, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It. Can you talk about this title, and your new album?

Lacy: I think Sam mostly came up with that line, but we were all kind of involved in it. With that title, I never like to tell people exactly what they think something means, if that makes sense. I think it’s just exploring the idea of searching, and we’re always all searching and looking for our place and looking for what fulfills us and what makes us happy. So I’d say that is the general idea behind the album. But I also think it’s really beautiful for people to take their own meaning from a lyric or title. The title is definitely based around that sense of longing and sense of searching, but I hope everybody takes it and makes it what they will for themselves.

DK: I like the opening song on the new album, “Morning Gum.” It has a very pretty melody and a unique title. What inspired you and the band to write that song?

Lacy: It’s funny, because in America with the word “gum,” your mind probably goes straight to what we call chewy or chewing gum in Australia. But it’s actually written like morning gum…more of the idea of stepping out in the morning and smelling the gum, like smelling the gum trees. So I remember thinking…Oh, that’s going to take on a different meaning for some people in different countries. But obviously Australia is full of beautiful gum trees and the idea of it is…it’s a beautiful song—a bit of a reflection of waking up in the morning, stepping outside and smelling the gum trees. It’s definitely one of our favorite songs on the album. It’s a beautiful opening track because it starts with that acoustic and vocal, and then it slowly builds into the whole band coming in. And it’s going to be a nice one to perform live.

DK: I also like your new song, “Change of the Wind.” What’s the story behind writing that song?

Lacy: Sam wrote that song when we were on tour. We were touring North America, and I remember he was sitting on the back of the bus quite a few days in a row and he was playing that chorus over and over. Every now and then I’d come into the back lounge of the bus, and he’d be playing it. He’d throw me a line and ask me, “What do you think of this? Or he’d play the line and say, “Oh, what can I put here?” He definitely wrote it, but there was a few lines where I’d say, “Try this.” It was cool watching that song unfold, and I think the song gives you a good idea of the feeling of the album. It captures the feeling of the album and particularly the lyrics. It’s talking about not being able to change everything, but being able to change your mind and your mindset. I think it’s a good song that gives a nice idea of the feeling of the album.

Here’s the video of The Paper Kites’ song, “When The
Lavender Blooms.”

DK: Besides those two songs we just talked about, what are your other favorite songs on the new album?

Lacy: There’s a beautiful song called “Stormwall,” which I’m looking forward to people hearing. It’s really beautiful…it’s a band song. There’s some beautiful piano in it, which I’m biased to because I played the piano. We did some cool work in the studio with that piano. After I recorded the piano part, we ended up sending it back through a Leslie, and it created this beautiful, interesting sound. I also like the lyrics and the sound of it. It’s not going to be one of the singles, but I think it might be one of those songs that become quite popular.

DK: I read that The Paper Kites will be launching a big tour starting in the new year, playing the U.K., Europe, and North America. Can you talk about your live show and the new tour?

Lacy: We’re so excited to be bringing a new album onto the tour. because it feels like a long time in between. You release an album, and then you can play that album for a few years. It’s nice to be back doing a tour where it’s a heap of new music. We’ve been working hard on this live show and I feel like it’s the most preparation that we’ve been able to put into it. We’ve spent a lot of time putting the set together. There’s going to be some really special moments.