Grouplove have been around as a band for over 10 years, but it was the writing of their just-released fourth album Healer that tested them like nothing before. Hannah Hooper, co-vocalist of the band alongside husband Christian Zucconi, found herself needing brain surgery, as well as dealing with the loss of a close friend.

Both events sent the quintet into crisis - before bringing them together closer than ever. For a band that's been around for so long, the writing process of Healer was one that was more emotionally charged than any that had come before.

READ MORE: Grouplove Are Back For The First Time Since 'Big Mess' With 'Deleter'

We spoke to Christian on the eve of their now-released fourth album, who says the album was a welcome relief for the band to write. "It was a distraction to take us out of that reality. It was an escapist thing to be able to write music each day."

There's a palpable sense of relief in Christian's voice to be able to get the music out there - even with the uncertainty hanging over the music industry at large. Our conversation began by talking about the coronavirus, and the way it's impacting those in the creative industry. The band has since announced their US tour has been postponed - proving that now, more than ever, positivity needs to come from within.

In October 2018, the band travelled to El Paso, Texas to work with producer Dave Sitek for a month on Healer. It was the first time that they'd worked with an external producer, with former drummer/producer Ryan Rabin previously taking care of all production.

Christian remembers the time in Texas fondly, saying, "It was down in Texas that we had a whirlwind of a time and grew into things. We learnt how to be better musicians, and better collaborators. At the same time we were down there, we were lighting bonfires, starting work at 10pm, staying up until 1pm and sleeping all day."

It was down in Texas that the band bonded, which continued for the rest of the album writing process. Speaking about Hannah's brain surgery, he says it's something that brought the whole band together. "It brought the band closer than we were. We were all healing together. These crazy, fractured times we're all living in, I think everyone needs healing."

The opening song of the album, Deleter, touches on this idea of healing, which is something that is conveyed across the whole album. The line from the song, “All this time been burning with a fever / It turns out I've always been my healer,” is one of the mantras the band had during writing the album, and Christian speaks to this idea of being your own healer. 

"We all have this ability within us to solve issues we're having. We learned to look to ourselves. We're always looking for external validation rather than validation within ourselves. Instead of feeling like we're all separate from each other, when we look inside ourselves we realise we're all built the same way. 

"We're all made of the same magical dust from the stars and the sky. We can all look into that, and all tap into that. If we could all do that, imagine how beautiful the world could be, if people realised you don't need all this external bullshit. It's distracting us and keeping people from looking at each other in a coffee shop. It's just a strange time, so we're trying to bring everyone together and bridge that gap."

Bringing such personal lyrics to the band might be intimidating for some, but Christian says that together they've come to realise they're "on the same page a lot of the time" when it comes to their worldviews. "Everyone would always trust our instincts, and a lot of the time we'd think the same way.

"The same thing goes for when Andrew (Wessen, guitarist) comes up with a guitar line, it usually comes up in the first time we jam. We're lucky that we realised that. We learnt to trust the first thing that we thought of or the first thing we came up with. The first thing you responded to is usually the best thing. The best lyrics come out when you're not overthinking things."

Christian says that the band's writing is "the best it's ever been", which he puts down to experience. "Going through hard times together, Hannah breaking down and letting the band in on it, where we were and where our heads were at led to everyone's guards coming down. Everyone was able to put their own experiences on the table for what was really for the first time, and it's always nice to know there's an evolution in our relationships."

In their decade in the business, the band has seen the musical landscape evolve and change, going from focusing on an album format to something more resembling the streaming era that now exists. Christian says that while the quintet is aware of it, it's not something that shapes their music. "If you want to create true art you can't think about those things. It shouldn't come into play when it's just you and your band making music. It should just come from a natural place. If you get carried away with that stuff, I don't think you're going to make honest music."

The concept of home is something that Grouplove has mentioned in the past, saying that Australia feels like a second home to them. "Australian shows are some of the best shows we've ever played, so it's really nice to have that feeling so far away from home. It travels with you."

To Christian, the idea of home isn't where you're located, but rather an emotional thing. "Hannah and I have lived in LA for 10 years now, and we're still not sure if this is our home. If we lived anywhere we'd feel that way. There's this sense of searching for something better. Is there something better out there? Would we be happier if we lived in a different place? We're trying to get to the bottom of that. Why do we always feel not at home?

"The bottom line is, if you feel at home with yourself, you won't feel like that. If you're good, and your friends and family are good, then you'll be at peace. There's so much distraction that I think people lose sight of what that is." 

2020 brings uncertainty, but there's only one thing that Christian is focusing on providing - "a sense of community through our music. We're really lucky we get to experience that."

Whether it's on the road, or on record, Grouplove lives up to their name.