AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Questions about the path we've taken in life can be haunting. Did I select the right career? Did I marry the right person? Did I do right by my kids? New music from the Australian folk band The Paper Kites offers some comfort. Sam Bentley is the lead singer.
SAM BENTLEY: When you understand that you have parted ways with a version of yourself that you could've been, some people accept that, and some people regret that. But, you know, for me, trying to live with as little regret as I can, the way to do that is to really accept that you can be a multitude of a person.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHEN THE LAVENDER BLOOMS")
THE PAPER KITES: (Singing) Running. I keep running from the good things that I'm giving.
BENTLEY: "When The Lavender Blooms" - it's a very grounded-to-home kind of song. I think in the first verse, it's sort of talking about the idea of running from the good things that you're given, good people around you, good family, good partner. Not for lack of wanting them, but I think it was the idea of this kind of version of my life that I'm now in. You know, I have a family, and I have children, and I have a wife. I don't think I was aware that I could have those things and still do this job that I love, where I get to travel and play music. And that song talks about surrendering yourself to trying to live the best way you can.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHEN THE LAVENDER BLOOMS")
THE PAPER KITES: (Singing) When the lavender blooms.
BENTLEY: And when this song came together, we kind of had that strumming pattern. It kind of felt - it was this weird cross between, like, something that felt almost like a '90s kind of jangly guitar song. But then it was kind of pulling from these, like, '70s kind of soul vibes with the bass and the drums. I think through this record, there's a lot of very fragrant things - the lavender blooming, you know, in our backyard. You know, you kind of got these lavender bushes that is just - they're so fragrant when they bloom. The bees are kind of buzzing around them, and I don't know, there's just something about it that just feels grounding. You know, you have these moments that you step back. It's almost like you step outside yourself for a minute, and you realize that you're not the most important thing in the world, and that there are other things that, you know, make life rich. You step back and realize, thank God I was able to let my guard down and accept that kind of direction for myself.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHEN THE LAVENDER BLOOMS")
THE PAPER KITES: (Singing) I want to put my feet in the ground, under the place that I found me. Try some good living when the lavender blooms. When the lavender blooms.
BENTLEY: So this track is the third track of the album, and the album is called "If You Go There, I Hope You Find It." These songs, they're all kind of exploring different ideas about where you sort of find acceptance and love. But I think this song, in particular, is sort of saying, you know, it's time. Let that good living in.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHEN THE LAVENDER BLOOMS")
THE PAPER KITES: (Singing) I'm going to try some good living.
BENTLEY: Presence is such a tricky thing this day and age. We've got so many things trying to distract us and pull us away from the moment. You know, you're either living in the past and thinking about what you should've done, or you're contemplating the future. That's something for me I've been trying to do a little more, is just appreciating where I am in the moment, what is around me and trying to think less about both sides of that - the past and the future.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE PAPER KITES SONG, "WHEN THE LAVENDER BLOOMS")
RASCOE: That's the musician Sam Bentley from the band The Paper Kites talking about their song "When The Lavender Blooms." The Paper Kites have a new album coming out this week. It's called "If You Go There, I Hope You Find It."
(SOUNDBITE OF THE PAPER KITES' "EVERY TOWN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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