<p><span><span>- There’s a confluence of factors when you find a new band that gives you the impression that they're just starting out; and I’ve made the mental fault of painting that impression all over Ratking. You have the discovery of something that clouds your mind and makes you think they’re an undiscovered gem; the timing of where your listening habits are at that point; and how the record you’ve found seems to be perfect for that moment in time, like a master deciding when to drop a koan on a pupil.

<p><span><span><span>- Full disclosure, Lucy Roleff &amp; Lehmann B. Smith are two of my favourite musicians, certainly in Australia, probably further than that. Their subtle, quiet endeavours of depth, skill and beauty make them quintessential musicians’ musicians, the sort of artists you expect to consistently delight and never in their whole lives storm up any kind of music chart. For all those reasons and a few more besides, it makes sense to see them together on the masthead of a new record, even though their styles are a little disparate.