On the day Spacey Jane kicked off their ambitious ten-week North American tour in Atlanta, frontman Caleb Harper was feeling the familiar mix of excitement and trepidation that comes with embarking on such an extensive journey. “It looks a little daunting on paper,” he admits, though his voice carries an unmistakable enthusiasm for what lies ahead. For a band that has built their reputation on tireless touring and genuine connection with their audience, this return to American venues represents a new chapter in their remarkable ascent.
The Perth quartet’s latest album, If That Makes Sense, has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response since its May 9th release, something that has pleasantly surprised Harper. The record, produced by Mike Crossey (The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Wolf Alice) and featuring collaborations with songwriters Jackson “Day Wave” Phillips and Sarah Aarons (Childish Gambino, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li), sees the band exploring new sonic territories while diving deeper into themes of love, trauma, and healing.
What has struck Harper most profoundly is witnessing fans singing along to the new material during their Australian tour dates in June. “It was really something to see people connecting with these songs so quickly,” he reflects. Even more moving has been hearing from fans about how the music has helped them through their own struggles with grief and loss, despite Harper’s lyrics not explicitly addressing those subjects. It’s a testament to the universal language of emotion that Spacey Jane has mastered—the ability to create space for listeners to find their own meaning within the vulnerability Harper so generously shares.
This connection between artist and audience wasn’t always guaranteed, particularly when Harper found himself stepping far outside his comfort zone during the album’s creation. The writing process began with him travelling to Los Angeles, immersing himself in the city’s notorious songwriting culture, an experience he describes as “fucking terrifying.” Working with new collaborators in an unfamiliar environment forced him to confront questions about identity and authenticity that would ultimately shape the entire record.
“I was worried about being vulnerable in my lyrics when working with these new writers,” Harper explains. The fear of exposing too much of himself to strangers in a professional setting is understandable, yet what emerged was perhaps his most intimate songwriting to date. Rather than encouraging him to hold back, his collaborators pushed him to dig deeper, to mine the uncomfortable truths that make for the most compelling art.
This process of excavation—both musical and personal—became central to If That Makes Sense. The album’s title itself speaks to the uncertainty that permeates both the record and Harper’s current state of mind. During the writing process, he found himself searching for answers about who he really is, though he admits he doesn’t feel any closer to that goal. Interestingly, he’s discovered that he prefers searching for those answers outside of his work with the band, suggesting a healthy separation between his artistic expression and his personal journey of self-discovery.
The themes explored on tracks like “Falling Apart” and “How to Kill Houseplants” reveal a songwriter unafraid to confront difficult truths about family, relationships, and personal growth. When Harper sings about harrowing childhood memories or his struggles with maintaining connections, he’s not seeking pity but rather understanding, both for himself and for listeners who might find echoes of their own experiences in his words.
This willingness to be uncomfortable has served Spacey Jane well throughout their meteoric rise. Formed in Perth, Western Australia, in 2016 while Harper, drummer Kieran Lama, and guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu were still at university, the band built their following the old-fashioned way: through relentless gigging and genuine connection with their audience. When bassist and backing vocalist Peppa Lane joined in 2019, the lineup was complete, and their chemistry became the driving force behind their success.
Their debut album Sunlight (2020) connected instantly with listeners, topping Triple J’s annual album poll and earning them an ARIA for Song of the Year with “Booster Seat.” The follow-up, Here Comes Everybody (2022), debuted at number one on the ARIA charts and established them as Triple J’s most played artist that year. With overall worldwide streams currently clocking in at 518 million and consistently sold-out tours, Spacey Jane has proven that authentic, emotionally resonant indie rock still has the power to move masses.
Looking ahead, Harper’s vision for the band is both humble and ambitious. When asked where he’d like to see Spacey Jane in twenty years, he hopes they’ll still be touring the world, sharing music, and connecting with people—ideally in larger venues. The prospect of playing arenas doesn’t seem to intimidate him; rather, it represents an opportunity to reach even more people with their message of vulnerability and connection.
The band’s current musical influences reflect both their Australian roots and their global perspective. Like much of the world, Spacey Jane finds themselves in “Oasis-mode,” inspired by the Gallagher brothers’ recent reunion announcement. Harper even caught them at Wembley Stadium this summer, an experience that likely reinforced his own arena aspirations. His listening habits also include Tyler Childers, despite admitting he’s not typically drawn to country music. What impresses Harper about Childers isn’t just the music but how the artist uses his platform to help people—something Harper hopes to emulate as Spacey Jane’s influence grows.
The band also champions fellow Australian artists, with Harper noting his appreciation for friends like Phoebe Go and Radio Free Alice. This support for their local scene speaks to the collaborative spirit that has defined Spacey Jane’s approach from the beginning.
As the tour progresses through major North American cities, including their September 14th stop at Studio TD in Montreal, Spacey Jane carries with them not just new songs but a renewed sense of purpose. The album’s creation process may have left Harper feeling broken down, but it also made him “way more sure” of who he is as an artist. The contradiction inherent in that statement—being broken down yet more certain—perfectly encapsulates the album’s central theme of finding clarity through confusion.
The band’s willingness to step off the cliff daily during the recording process, as Harper puts it, has resulted in their most accomplished work to date. It’s a record that doesn’t try to be anything in particular, sometimes sure of itself and other times whispering uncertainty. This honesty about confusion and imperfection makes If That Makes Sense feel like a genuine conversation rather than a carefully constructed narrative.
For fans attending the North American dates, they can expect to witness a band at the peak of their powers, armed with songs that have already proven their emotional resonance. The intimate venue sizes, from Paradise Rock Club in Boston to the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, ensure that the connection between band and audience remains immediate and powerful.
As Spacey Jane continues to navigate their path from Perth upstarts to international sensations, they carry with them the understanding that art serves multiple purposes: it provides meaning for those who create it while offering itself up for interpretation by those who experience it. What listeners take from Spacey Jane is ultimately for them alone to divine, but Harper and his bandmates have created a space where that interpretation feels both personal and universal.
Spacey Jane play Le Studio TD on September 14.
Photos – Cole Barash
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