Hermitude’s Angus Stuart Talks New Album ‘Eight’, Club Culture and 25 Years of Creative Trust
Aussie electronic duo Hermitude are back with their creatively titled eighth studio album, EIGHT. Comprising 11 pulsating tracks influenced by ‘90s rave culture, this is the type of record that makes you want to get up and dance. One half of Hermitude, Angus Stuart, opened up to The Note about the influences behind EIGHT, collaborating with Bob Vylan and the visual aspect of their latest release.
Words Tobias Handke // Image Mie Nakazawa
Congratulations on Eight. It’s a fantastic collection of high-energy electronic tracks that’s made for the club. Was that your intention with this album – craft uptempo bangers perfect for dancing the night away?
We definitely set out to make a high-energy club record. It felt like a natural evolution for us after dabbling in our last album, Mirror Mountain. We’ve never really made a whole album of just bangers too, so that was a good test for us. We almost made it, haha, still had to have a couple of moody joints on there.
There’s a real early ‘90s rave feel to the album. How big an influence was that period of music on the record and your own interest in dance music?
It was pretty massive for us. The Prodigy was pretty influential on us back in the day, but I also had a mate who was into happy hardcore and gabba, so I ended up listening to a lot of that style of techno coming out of the Netherlands in the late ‘90s. That then led into hard house and trance and some IDM alongside all the trip hop we were digging. It was quite a melting pot, thinking back on it. It’s been really fun revisiting dance and club music culture after all this time.
What is it about that era of music that appeals to you?
I think electronic music in general was very experimental, especially back then. Innovation was just bubbling out of all corners of the globe. I think a real resurgence has been happening over the last few years with artists like Fourtet, Caribou, Fred Again.. and Floating Points leading the charge. They definitely helped rekindle our love affair with uptempo dance music again.
You and Luke Dubber have been making music together for over 25 years. What’s the key to your relationship as artists, and how do you keep motivated?
If I had to narrow it down to one word, it would be “trust”. Not only in a writing sense but in all aspects of our relationship. Trust when it’s time to take a break. Trusting each other with decisions about the music, but also the visual art or the show or anything really. Drop the ego, listen to the other person and trust in what they say. You may not always see eye to eye, but trust in each other goes a really long way.
Motivation, I think, comes from just being generally inspired to create. If the conditions are right, and you can make the process feel fun like it’s meant to be, then the motivation will come.
How has your process changed when it comes to writing songs over the journey?
It’s constantly changing. It has to evolve otherwise it gets stale and you won’t be able to harness that energy that will deliver your best work. It could be environment, people, gear, inspiration…whatever it is that keeps the fire burning.
Eight includes several collaborations. How do you go about deciding on who you want to work with?
Sometimes it’s a wish list, sometimes we get introduced to new people along the way and we really click, or sometimes we actively seek people out. It’s different every time.
Bob Vylan appears on the track ‘Light Up’. How did this collaboration come about and what was it like to work with him? I’ve seen Bob Vylan perform live, and he's full of energy. Did he bring this to the studio?
It was funny actually, because he was in the middle of the Amyl and The Sniffers tour over here and he said that his voice felt flat, but it sounded great to us! Our publishers actually connected the dots on that one, and when we heard his music, we were instant fans. He had such great energy on and off the mic. It just felt like hanging out with a mate the whole session. He shared some great stories of being on the road out here and in between just laid down these fire takes. Really earnest dude with a lot of talent.
Another highlight is ‘I Want You’ with emerging Melbourne/Naarm DJ and producer ISGWAN. What was it like working with him?
Again, a super natural and easy experience. He’s actually an OG mountains cat, so we had a bit of history, which helped. He has a real melodic sensibility when he writes, which I loved, so those sessions were really fruitful. We actually got a few ideas down, so hopefully we can work on those other ones in the future. He has so much talent, can’t wait to see what he gets up to in the next little while.
You enlisted Matt Colton (Tame Impala, Aphex Twin, Little Simz, James Blake) to master the album. What impact did he have on the finished product?
We’ve loved Matt Colton’s work for a while, so we were super stoked he had time to jump on this project. The depth he brought to the finished product is just crazy. The vinyl especially sounds so deep and rich. We couldn’t be happier!
You’ve also enlisted acclaimed artist Michael Askew to help out with the artwork. How important is this aspect of the album, and what are you trying to create when it comes to the visual side of things?
Our friend steered us towards Michael’s work, and it resonated with us immediately. Something about the textures he creates and the thought process that goes into every piece. He really sat down with our music and carefully constructed a world where each piece related to the others, and he always had the end goal in mind. Each single felt like an instalment of Indiana Jones where we’d finish a single and he’d dig out a relic at the same time (haha).
Are you planning on introducing these visuals into your live show, and if so, how?
You’ll have to come to the show and see.
Speaking of performing live, Hermitude are hitting the road for a run of shows across May. How much do you enjoy playing live, and what can fans expect from a Hermitude show?
This record was a real club-centric record, so we wanted to turn these venues we’re playing into dimly lit rave-inspired dance floor-focused affairs so everyone can let loose however they feel while we take you on the journey of Eight and beyond.
What does the rest of 2026 hold for Hermitude?
Music, music music!
Eight by Hermitude is out now. Listen here. Catch Hermitude performing at The Gov on Friday 15 May. Tickets on sale now at hermitude.com.
