Bud Rokesky is used to the isolation of lengthy spells on the road – though born in Brisbane and residing briefly in Rockhampton, from the ages of eight to 17 he lived on a 170-acre property just outside – there’s that word again – the tiny rural Queensland town of Imbil, population 300. As with the best storytellers, though, Rokesky’s songs can be interpreted in many ways, not least because they seek to explore how different people have different takes on the same situation. It’s a perspective gained from a lifetime of observing others.

“Being an outsider meant I had a lot of free time growing up to question what everyone was doing, or why everyone was doing what they were doing,” he explains. “When people listen to the record I’d love for them to hear the beauty in other characters’ troubles so that they can think of their own troubles or questions as beautiful. And the fact that we have questions and troubles is beautiful, because we’re all here experiencing them.”