Released at the end of October, Some Kind of View sees Magpie Diaries return with their second full-length album. A collection that feels steady, reflective, and closely tied to the Hunter Valley setting where it was made. Recorded at Tractor Studio in Dashville, the album carries the sense of a band working from home ground — familiar surroundings, slow pacing, and a focus on lived experience rather than reinvention.
Across ten self-produced tracks, written by Magpie over the course of 2020 to 2024, the record documents a difficult period without overstating it. The songs often sit in contemplation: looking back at mistakes, acknowledging stalled plans, and navigating uncertainty with a kind of resigned patience. Rather than dramatic highs or bold stylistic shifts, the album favours small movements — incremental changes, quiet observations, and lyrics that read like internal conversations rather than statements of purpose.
There is, however, a strand of lightness woven through the heavier material. New parenthood, shared work, and domestic routine appear not as grand themes but as part of the landscape, shaping tone more than narrative. The detail of Jess recording drums while wearing a baby suggests a practical reality rather than a symbolic one — life continuing even when things are unclear.
Musically, the band leans toward their established blend of country, soul, and 70s-styled folk-rock. Harmonies remain central, cushioning Magpie’s vocals without drawing attention to themselves. Singles “Go Anywhere”, “Old Road”, “Love Is Hard”, “History”, and “Land For Sale” follow this pattern: measured tempos, restrained arrangements, a sense of songs settling rather than striving.
Some Kind of View is out now on CD, LP and digital via Magpie Diaries Bandcamp.