Luke Steele has fondly recalled his former Empire of the Sun bandmate Nick Littlemore embarking on a solo career.
The 'We Are The People' hitmakers are back with their first new album in eight years, 'Ask That God', and Luke reveals that things just aren't the same without his collaborators after deciding to end their partnership during the coronavirus pandemic.
Luke told The Sun: “We're rejuvenated and ready to go. After 'Two Vines'[their 2016 album]we were pretty worn out and everything just fell apart. Nothing was coming together.”
“When the pandemic started, I was adamant that 'I'm done, I'm done, I'm quitting.' I told Nick, the management and the record company that the band was over. I was never going to make another record. And so I quit.”
The 44-year-old artist continued, “I made a solo album and moved to Northern California, and slowly I started to realize what I'd been missing and what it was that was so beautiful about Empire in the first place.”
“You work with other people and you're like, 'That's great, but it doesn't work with Nick,' and then you start getting obsessed with Empire again.
“Afterwards, Nick and I went back into the studio and it was an amazing experience. The hardest thing about being in a successful band is that there's so much extreme pressure.”
“With Empire, if the spirit is right, it sounds like nothing else. We've done a few albums before, but with this record we've broadened it out, which feels good.”
Luke has promised fans that with his relationship with Littlemore now stronger than ever, there won't be another eight-year wait for the electronic musician pair's next album.
He said: “Our relationship is the best it's ever been. We both have families now and when we go into the studio we just put our heads into the work. The beginning was the hardest – there was so much emotion, ambition and ego built up.”
“But I love the way we work now. We're hungrier than ever and we know what we're doing. We've made four albums and hundreds of songs. I have three or four folders of Empire rarities. We're really passionate about our work and we're very proud of it. We're always trying to find the next rare gem.”
“That's why fans won't have to wait eight years for an album after 'Ask That God'. We're trying to keep the train moving.”