There's no denying that The Teskey Brothers have worked hard in establishing themselves as one of Australia's most success groups in recent memory.
For the better part of the last decade, they have created a lane for themselves.
It's one that has one foot set in a vintage era soul realm, worlds away from their Warrandyte beginnings, with the other set in a present-day, musically relevant space.
Since 2017, The Teskey Brothers have been producing music that has brought them Australian and international acclaim; Half Mile Harvest and Run Home Slow each providing creative touchstones for the then four-piece outfit, pushing their brand of soulful blues rock further into the mainstream.
Their new record, The Winding Way, is the first Teskey Brothers project that positions the band in a new spotlight. Reintroducing themselves with this ten-track collection, The Winding Way is a sophisticated lesson in storytelling built on a foundation of heart, yearning and strong musicianship.
Let's get the obvious point out of the way first.
The Winding Way is the first Teskey Brothers record released by the outfit in duo form; brothers Josh and Sam announcing the departure of drummer Liam Gough and bassist Brendan Love in 2022.
"This year we decided to bring it back to where it all began, just the two of us brothers making the music we love," Josh and Sam's statement read.
In stripping their dynamic back to its roots, The Teskey Brothers has rediscovered their strengths as songwriters.
The album rides hard on the back of excellently structured melodies and meaty blues-driven arrangements.
Songs like 'Carry Me Home' and 'Remember The Time' provide quick album highlights; two clear examples of The Winding Way's potential to become a classic entry in The Teskey Brothers' catalogue in years to come.
In 'I'm Leaving' and 'Take My Heart', the feel of the music could be taken straight out of the Al Green or Otis Redding playbook.
From the buttery guitars and grooves to Josh's lacquered vocals, these two songs isolated from the rest of The Winding Way are perhaps the most emotionally weighted.
"So take my eyes 'caus? after all they're us?less," Josh croons on 'Take My Heart'. "Oh just one look at you, it's all they ever wanna do..."
If there was ever a time where the Otis Redding comparison was at its most potent, it's here. Three songs into the album and we've hit its These Arms of Mine'-esque peak.
In making The Winding Way, the brothers swapped recording locations; taking things from the familiarity of Warrandyte, to Sydney, where they recorded with award-winning producer, Eric J. Dubowsky (Chet Faker, St. Vincent).
The Eric J. touch is recognisable; the music he lays his hand to has an unmistakeable shine and warmth to it. Teaming up with The Teskey Brothers, Dubowsky's input has made the album's brighter moments pop with even more vibrancy.
"We didn't want to go for a producer that was too close to our genre," Sam had said of the duo's work with Dubowsky. "We just wanted to branch out a bit and try to explore someone who was a bit down a different avenue."
For Sam, the opportunity to bring an external producer into the process meant that he could focus his creative brain on delivering on the musician's side of things, instead of needing to bounce between artist and engineer himself.
"I was able to step away from the engineering role which was huge for me," he said.
"It felt fun and exciting in a way that recording music hadn't for some?time?and it took the songs in really interesting new directions. Stepping outside the comfort zone of the old studio?definitely helped?make this one a more mature and 'classy' record."
To listen to The Winding Way in context with where The Teskey Brothers have found themselves as a unit, makes for an interesting experience.
Their previous two albums, while obviously successful (rightly so), offered an insight into a band who knew their influences clearly. And with this set of influences and a honed style of musicality in mind, they were a band who found their safe zone quickly.
It's not to say that it hindered the music, but it can be argued that The Teskey Brothers perhaps developed a set of expectations that some didn't expect them to exceed. If the record ain't broke, right?
Yet here, The Winding Way has seen them deconstruct this framework and step outside the warmth and familiarity of past processes. In doing so, the music has benefited.
The album reflects upon change in different ways and with that, there are recurring themes of nostalgia, loss and reconnection. Unintentional or not, The Winding Way has seen Josh and Sam find their way back to themselves as creators; producing a record that would be a great entry point for newcomers to The Teskey Brothers fold.