Great art goes beyond the limitations of the senses; it manifests a world of its own in the minds of its audience. Critically acclaimed Australian trio Rüfüs Du Sol has made an international career out of delivering music that does just that, combining the best of inventive production and raw storytelling.
The product has been music that reaches listeners on an emotional level while transporting them with studio-made, lush, imaginative soundscapes that enhance the experience.
Since the group’s formation in 2010, frontman Tyrone Lindqvist, keyboardist Jon George and drummer James Hunt have created a unique style and sound that has garnered them a following around the globe. The group’s first project Atlas debuted at No.1 on Australia's ARIA Albums Chart in 2013 (its globally successful follow-up, Bloom, also did). As the group’s brand and popularity grew into the U.S. market, it would change its name from Rüfüs to its current, longer moniker, Rüfüs Du Sol.
While the name change was mostly due to existing U.S. copyrights, the “du Sol” name (meaning “of the sun”) seemed to better represent a group that lives in its own creative world without any true peers. The name change also came in time for the group’s third studio album, Solace, which featured a darker, more impassioned narrative than previous projects.
The album, released in October of 2018, largely covered the emotions and personal lives of the three band members, all of which contribute to the songwriting process.
On a phone call with CL, Hunt cited living and working in L.A. as the catalyst behind this darker and more mature body of work.
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“I think specifically that the darker music started coming in organically, like we didn’t intend for that to happen,” said Hunt, who phoned in before the band’s show in Portland. “We had just moved to L.A., and we had a studio setup connected to the house we were living in, so there was basically no time restrictions. That [created] this sense of complete freedom in a way.”
But that same creative freedom, Hunt says, began to affect the band members’ personal lives as it distanced them from friends, family and home. This inevitably bled into the songwriting process, furthering the already raw, emotional sound driven by Lindqvist’s vocals.
“[During this time] I think then we were drawn to things that were a bit darker and a wider array of things that resonated with us,” Hunt added. “We recognized that, tried to run with it and acknowledge it.”
The group’s willingness to pull from such personal narratives was flaunted on Solace’s nine tracks and chart-topping singles “No Place,” “Lost in My Mind,” “Treat You Better” and “Underwater,” the latter of which was brought to life at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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After working with Odesza on a similar project in 2018, the festival paired Rüfüs with renowned director James Frost — a former collaborator of Radiohead and OK GO — to create an immersive, digital art installation to represent the music.
“James Frost’s pitch went perfectly with what we always imagined the song to look like in a visual sense. The aesthetic was really on point and in line with what we like,” James said, adding that he was able to catch the film’s debut in the 11,000-square-foot HP Antarctic Projection Dome.
“When you finally got to [walk in], it was like seeing it for the first time in a way as well. It translates in a really intense way. It was quite an overwhelming experience. I have such a strong attachment to the song itself from when we made it,” he said. “Having that visual representation really hit home and it was really cool.”
The 360-degree, immersive dome continued the group’s theme of enhancing the human experience with its dual use of music and technology. Living between the worlds of songwriting and production, Hunt says, is the source of Rüfüs du Sol’s fruitful music process, and is perhaps why their music has reached so many.
“At the end of the day we are trying to do something that has a human element, feel and emotion to it.”
If you weren’t able to catch the one-time dome experience, Hunt promises that Rüfüs du Sol’s live show maintains the group’s propensity for a transformative music experience. You can see for yourself at the group’s rare Tampa appearance on Thursday when the Aussie’s will perform at the Cuban Club across the street from our CL office.
The show was originally booked for St. Pete’s Jannus Live, but due to overwhelming demand for tickets promoters sent it across the Bay to Ybor’s historic Cuban Club venue, which has hosted expansive shows in its parking lot for groups like 311.
Check out the full Q&A with James Hunt on franzmp3.com.
Rüfüs du Sol Solace Tour. Thurs., May 9. 8 p.m. Cuban Club, 2010 N. Avenida Republica de Cuba, Ybor City. $35 & up. axs.com.
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This article appears in May 2-9, 2019.