Biography
Hailing from Australia, the folk duo Luluc achieved global recognition after issuing their second album, Passerby, in 2014. This understated yet refined set spotlighted the compositional gifts and vocal prowess of Melbourne natives Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett. Earlier admirers including legendary producer Joe Boyd and the National’s Aaron Dessner had already embraced the pair’s independently released 2008 debut Dear Hamlyn. The duo later settled in New York and began working with the Sub Pop label, which released their third album, Sculptor, in 2018. On subsequent records such as the beautiful Dreamboat from 2020 and the contemplative Diamonds of 2023, Luluc broadened their sonic range, folding in drums, horns, and electronic touches while preserving their essential acoustic foundation.
Randell and Hassett shared an extended shared history before gaining recognition as Luluc. The two Australia natives first crossed paths in Scotland in 1999—nearly ten years prior to any release—while Randell worked at the Edinburgh Festival and Hassett toured Europe carrying his guitar. An immediate connection led them to sing and compose together, yet upon returning to Australia each became absorbed in separate bands, employment, and personal circumstances for an extended period. Following the death of Randell’s father, she experienced a profound shift and chose to place music at the center of her ambitions. With Hassett serving as her writing partner and editor, she gradually shaped a collection of spare acoustic pieces that formed the duo’s first album, the 2008 self-released Dear Hamlyn, dedicated to her late father. Issued independently in Australia, the record centered on Randell’s grounded, evocative singing, supported by Hassett’s harmonies and understated embellishments atop gently picked acoustic guitar.
Recognition arrived gradually, yet influential listeners such as producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention), Lucinda Williams, and Aaron Dessner soon took note. As the band increased its presence in the U.S., they performed at more prominent venues, appearing onstage with Fleet Foxes, the National, and José González. Dividing time between Melbourne and Brooklyn, they benefited when No Depression editor Peter Blackstock, an admirer of Dear Hamlyn, arranged an introduction to Sub Pop founder Jonathan Poneman during a shared visit to Brooklyn. Poneman signed the duo after a single meeting, after which they undertook the demanding process of recording their next album, co-produced by their supporter Dessner.
Around this time Luluc also developed a rapport with Joe Boyd, who invited them to record two songs for a 2013 Nick Drake tribute album under his direction. In summer 2014—fifteen years after their initial encounter and six years after their debut—Luluc made their worldwide introduction on Sub Pop with Passerby. The album earned widespread praise and markedly increased their visibility. The following year Dessner enlisted them for a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Til the Morning Comes” on the 2015 tribute collection Day of the Dead; Dirty Three drummer Jim White and lute player Giorgio Xylouris contributed to the track, and White later appeared on Luluc’s self-produced third album Sculptor in 2018. Recorded at the band’s own Brooklyn studio, Sculptor broadened their instrumental palette with further input from Dessner, Kiwi musician Matt Eccles, and J Mascis, an artist Luluc had previously supported on tour. In early 2019 Sub Pop reissued the 2008 debut Dear Hamlyn, previously unavailable beyond Australia.
Luluc’s fourth album, Dreamboat, appeared on their own Sun Chaser imprint in October 2020. An immediate critical favorite, it extended the experimental direction first explored on Sculptor, blending intimate acoustic material, fuller band settings, and restrained electronic accents. Luluc subsequently joined the Community Music collective, which issued their fifth studio album, Diamonds. Released in September 2023, the record offered a meditative exploration of peace, longing, and awe toward the natural world, reuniting the duo with saxophonist and horn arranger Stuart Bogie and drummer JT Bates from their prior release.
Randell and Hassett shared an extended shared history before gaining recognition as Luluc. The two Australia natives first crossed paths in Scotland in 1999—nearly ten years prior to any release—while Randell worked at the Edinburgh Festival and Hassett toured Europe carrying his guitar. An immediate connection led them to sing and compose together, yet upon returning to Australia each became absorbed in separate bands, employment, and personal circumstances for an extended period. Following the death of Randell’s father, she experienced a profound shift and chose to place music at the center of her ambitions. With Hassett serving as her writing partner and editor, she gradually shaped a collection of spare acoustic pieces that formed the duo’s first album, the 2008 self-released Dear Hamlyn, dedicated to her late father. Issued independently in Australia, the record centered on Randell’s grounded, evocative singing, supported by Hassett’s harmonies and understated embellishments atop gently picked acoustic guitar.
Recognition arrived gradually, yet influential listeners such as producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention), Lucinda Williams, and Aaron Dessner soon took note. As the band increased its presence in the U.S., they performed at more prominent venues, appearing onstage with Fleet Foxes, the National, and José González. Dividing time between Melbourne and Brooklyn, they benefited when No Depression editor Peter Blackstock, an admirer of Dear Hamlyn, arranged an introduction to Sub Pop founder Jonathan Poneman during a shared visit to Brooklyn. Poneman signed the duo after a single meeting, after which they undertook the demanding process of recording their next album, co-produced by their supporter Dessner.
Around this time Luluc also developed a rapport with Joe Boyd, who invited them to record two songs for a 2013 Nick Drake tribute album under his direction. In summer 2014—fifteen years after their initial encounter and six years after their debut—Luluc made their worldwide introduction on Sub Pop with Passerby. The album earned widespread praise and markedly increased their visibility. The following year Dessner enlisted them for a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Til the Morning Comes” on the 2015 tribute collection Day of the Dead; Dirty Three drummer Jim White and lute player Giorgio Xylouris contributed to the track, and White later appeared on Luluc’s self-produced third album Sculptor in 2018. Recorded at the band’s own Brooklyn studio, Sculptor broadened their instrumental palette with further input from Dessner, Kiwi musician Matt Eccles, and J Mascis, an artist Luluc had previously supported on tour. In early 2019 Sub Pop reissued the 2008 debut Dear Hamlyn, previously unavailable beyond Australia.
Luluc’s fourth album, Dreamboat, appeared on their own Sun Chaser imprint in October 2020. An immediate critical favorite, it extended the experimental direction first explored on Sculptor, blending intimate acoustic material, fuller band settings, and restrained electronic accents. Luluc subsequently joined the Community Music collective, which issued their fifth studio album, Diamonds. Released in September 2023, the record offered a meditative exploration of peace, longing, and awe toward the natural world, reuniting the duo with saxophonist and horn arranger Stuart Bogie and drummer JT Bates from their prior release.
Albums
Singles
