8/10

Seven albums in, Angus & Julia Stone sound remarkably comfortable letting the world around them seep into the music. 'Karaoke Bar' is shaped by a time exploring Greece, France, Australia, Tokyo and Mexico City, but rather than feeling scattered, the record turns those places into different shades of a wider connection.

There's this easy openness running through the album. The opening title-track captures that particularly well, taking the familiar strangeness of a karaoke bar and turning it into somewhere music briefly erases the distance between people who might otherwise remain strangers. It's a fitting introduction for a record interested in the emotional possibilities of shared spaces.

Elsewhere, the duo continue to make strong use of contrast. ‘The Start’ carries a brighter rhythmic lift, with Julia’s vocal bringing a sense of release, while ‘Strangely Strangely’ moves into a smoother, more nocturnal space under Angus’ lead. ‘Celestial Bodies’ reaches for something broader and more atmospheric, while ‘Take Me Back to Japan’ finds its strength in a gentler sense of nostalgia.

But it's the more playful moments that prevent the album from becoming overly wistful. ‘Cowgirls Lover Boi’ loosens the mood with a country-leaning groove and a knowingly chaotic romantic streak, while ‘Brightest Place’ and closing track ‘Mexico City’ inject more movement and colour into the latter half.

Still, the quieter songs often leave the deepest impression. ‘The Cherry Farm’ sits with memory and loss without forcing either into a dramatic conclusion, showing how good they remain at letting small details carry significant emotional weight.

Their vocal chemistry continues to be the album’s most recognisable feature. Whether singing together or trading lead roles, both Angus and Julia retain an instinctive understanding of when to leave space and when to let the arrangements widen around them.

'Karaoke Bar' doesn't radically overhaul their sound, but it does feel refreshed by travel, spontaneity and a greater sense of ease. Warm, varied and beautifully paced, it captures Angus & Julia Stone continuing to find new emotional territory inside a musical language that has long since become distinctly their own.