It all started with mates on Waiheke Island, soaking up the vibes, maybe making some music together if the mood struck. That’s how That’s Life, Baby!, the second Foley album, came together.
“We just made what felt right,” Ash Wallace says. The duo wrote the album on the island, letting the place dictate the pace. Gabe Everett adds, “We just sat with our feelings, had deep chats, and tried to figure out what we wanted to say – but we never tried to solve any of life’s massive conundrums.”
The result? An album that’s already been called an “electropop gem” by Rolling Stone AU/NZ, with guitars that hit just right, vocals that shimmer, and hooks that stick with you.
Since their debut in 2023, Foley’s fanbase has been growing, and their move to Sydney has only turned up the volume, especially after their first national tour.
Wallace describes it as “watering the grass,” letting things grow naturally while keeping their feet on the ground (like that stunning Muriwai Beach video for the title track).
With the new album out now, we caught up with the duo to chat about friendship, new cities, and rolling with it.
Foley’s That’s Life, Baby! is out now.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How was making That’s Life, Baby!? Was it fun?
Gabe Everett: I think it was probably the funnest thing we’ve ever made. The story of the record is that we went away to this retreat on Waiheke and really tried to lean into the emotions of the day, letting the weather dictate our mood, and really flowing with our producers, Harry [Charles] and Josh [Naley]. We just tried to sit with our feelings, have deep chats, and figure out what we wanted to say and write, but never trying to solve any of life’s massive conundrums.
I feel like that’s the distinction between this record and our past work. We’re more developed as writers, and we don’t feel the pressure anymore like we have to solve every crisis or have an answer for everything. We know that sometimes you just gotta roll with it.
It sounds like your friendship plays a big role in the music. How does that shape the way you write together?
Ash Wallace: Gabe and I’s friendship, the way we talk to each other about our lives, was always the seed of the music. On our last album, there were a lot of collaborators. We worked with lots of people in the US and across New Zealand. This time, doing it together with just Harry and Josh, who are two of our dearest friends, it expanded that part of the music. It’s still very much Gabe and I’s story… these songs came from just the four of us talking in a group. The depth of that conversation got a lot deeper, and it meant that we could talk about things from a lot of different angles.
Our previous approach to songwriting was like trying to find the answer. Now it’s just like, “We’re here, we can work it out together.” Being a few years older, I personally start to sit into that more, like, yeah, things are just gonna come at you, and you have to figure out how to be comfortable with those emotions, good or bad, you know? You have to learn how to just take things as they come and move through them, as opposed to constantly fighting them.
What’s a song that shows that?
Wallace: “Unstable” is a song about being the one in the relationship making a lot of missteps. And for me, it’s not about thinking, “Oh, I need to fix this because there’s a problem in my relationship.” It’s more like, sometimes you have to look at yourself and take ownership. Maybe I’ve been acting a little bit nuts, like I’m going through a stage where you think you have to be perfect when you’re in a relationship.
What did you want the record to sound like?
Wallace: “We wanted to capture more of our live energy in the recordings. Playing live has always been a huge part of what we do. There’s this photo I have—guitars scattered all over the floor, Josh sitting on the couch, the windows open, sun streaming in. That moment really sums up the process.
“Low and High” was one of the first tracks where we just picked up a guitar at Harry’s studio in Auckland and started strumming it weirdly. Harry recorded that on his phone and worked it into the track – it’s so raw and simple. From the start, the ethos was making something that felt like the live show. We even played some of the songs live before releasing them.
How did making this album compare to your debut?
Wallace: Our last album was definitely our debut moment, focused a lot on our New Zealand fans. Then Covid hit, and we were really trying to come back with something amazing to build up the momentum we lost during that time. This one’s really leveled up in terms of the songs and reaching totally new audiences.
I think we’ve developed a lot as writers and have more confidence after the first album. You really put so much pressure on that first one. This time, we had a new mentality of, “Let’s just make what we want to make,” so the process was so much more fun and satisfying. I think the music has really developed as a result.
What made Sydney feel like the right next step for you?
Wallace: After our first album, we went from being quite localised to New Zealand to suddenly having a bubbling audience in Australia, on streaming, and from the feedback on our socials, with people finding us. We wanted to be really intentional about coming here, and I think the place you spend time on the ground is like watering the grass – it grows.
We’d come here a lot in the past couple of years for writing and hanging out, and we did a few showcases like SXSW and BIGSOUND. When we’ve been over here, we’ve been really welcomed by the music industry, and there are a lot of artists very similar in style to us. It felt like a good place to nurture this new wave.
You both were in music projects before Foley, what brought you together?
Wallace: We met through bands, and we both always had this desire to be challenged by pop music. Neither of us had written pop before. We came together over this shared passion of wanting to master making a good pop song one day. Our influences have changed, and we’ve found more confidence in our sound over the years, but that same energy is still there.
What is it about pop music that keeps you hooked?
Everett: The deeper you get into it, the more you realise how much skill is involved. Pop music is so universal because it pulls from every genre – rock, grunge, electronic – it’s just a different coat of paint on the same foundation. The challenge is condensing as much emotion into as few words as possible, while still keeping it relatable. It’s the toughest challenge in music, but also so rewarding.
