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With the release of third album Possum, Sunbeam Sound Machine engages a new phase of creativity: a phase marked by vibrancy and a desire to embrace new attitudes regarding his approach to music. Across his career, Sunbeam Sound Machine - the project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Nick Sowersby - has evolved a unique sonic landscape that has been lauded for its blend of beauty and melancholy, and its embrace of expansive arrangements and ideas. Since debut album Wonderer served to introduce the project back in 2014, Sunbeam Sound Machine has amassed over 35 million Spotify streams and beautifully resonated with audiences in Australia and abroad; particularly in the United States, where Wonderer’s release on the Echo Drug Recordings opened Sowersby up to what remains one of his most successful territories to date. Wonderer and sophomore effort Goodness Gracious saw Sunbeam Sound Machine emerge and become established as an artist who fans could turn to for music that could soothe as much as it could hypnotise. And with Possum, Sunbeam Sound Machine takes the intimacy of his previous work and brings it into a bright new space. Recorded between the Australian bushfire tragedies and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sowersby’s songwriting lent itself to exploring themes where optimism and hope were never far from featuring, in amongst ideas of growth and change. Built around a core idea of fear vs love, Possum is Sunbeam Sound Machine’s journey of navigating the beauty and complexities of both. Possum is 12 tracks of pure confidence and energy channelled through shimmering synths, rich rhythms and guitar work that buoy Sowersby’s captivating vocals beautifully. On the release, Sowersby says “It’s a much more positive album than previous ones. Musically, it’s a lot more upbeat. It’s less reflective than other stuff I’ve done. If I did have a vision, I guess it’s that I wanted it to be almost like a playlist. I wanted it to be a bit eclectic, have it go to different places.” Different places include the glittering tones of tracks like ‘Easy’ and ‘Paradise’, through to songs like ‘Mutual Life’ and ‘Worst Kept Secret’ - music that can evoke the best memories for fans of POND, Toro Y Moi or even St. Vincent. A fusion of sounds that doesn’t alienate the record from previous Sunbeam Sound Machine work; instead, Possum stands as a continuation of Sowersby’s explorative perspective as a musician and writer. As Sowersby says, normally he doesn’t work to any one specific vision, however Possum saw him challenge himself in new ways - ultimately resulting in the record we have today. He continues “My challenge with this one was to be a lot more focused. Previous albums, they’ve been about creating a landscape and wandering around in that for a while. That’s what I wanted to do then, but you get sick of doing things a certain way. This time, it was more like, just about getting to the point of the song. Try to use everything as effectively as possible. Learning to strip things away a bit and trying to be a lot more instinctual. Going with my gut feel on everything.” A snapshot of a period of change, peace and contentment for Sowersby, Possum reflects a refreshed outlook for Sunbeam Sound Machine. Music that leans into the artist continuing to discover more about himself and his place (and ours) in the world, Possum is a striking effort that can offer an avenue for escape, or a moment for the listener to find comfort in.