Some songs feel like they belong somewhere. Not just a place on a map, but a landscape you can almost see while the music plays. The Stumblers’ latest single, “Rhyolite,” has exactly that quality.
For a Western Australian alt-country and Americana group known for witty, upbeat duets, “Rhyolite” reveals a more thoughtful side of The Stumblers. Inspired by the famous abandoned Nevada town, the song looks beyond the history of a once-thriving place and focuses on what remains: sand, stone, silence and memories.
There is something naturally cinematic about that setting, and the music leans into it. Rather than rushing toward a big country singalong, “Rhyolite” takes its time, creating an atmosphere that feels spacious, isolated, and slightly haunting. It is the kind of track that makes you imagine an empty road, a huge desert sky, and a place where the past seems to be lingering just beneath the surface.
The song began after Sarah Sands and Dan Durack returned from travels in 2017. What started as a simple composition eventually grew considerably once the full band and producer Alex Arpino got involved in the studio. The result is much bigger than a straightforward acoustic story, with the six-piece lineup giving the track plenty of room to breathe and expand.
Sarah and Dan sit at the heart of The Stumblers, bringing their country WA roots from Tambellup and Corrigin together with their Perth base. Their vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin and Dobro provide the rootsy foundation, while furious fiddle, keys, bass and drums push “Rhyolite” into broader territory.
That combination is what makes the track so engaging. There is still plenty of traditional country and folk character in the arrangement, but the full-band treatment gives the song a modern Americana scale. The Stumblers are not simply telling us about a ghost town. They are building a musical environment around it.
The darker mood also provides an interesting contrast with the band’s more familiar upbeat personality. Their wider sound draws from artists such as Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Gram Parsons and The Byrds, while influences including Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash and Tyler Childers help shape their approach to storytelling and harmony.
“Rhyolite” takes those roots and points them somewhere quieter. The humour is still part of the band’s identity, but here the emphasis is on reflection. There is a sense of standing in a forgotten place and allowing the surroundings to do the talking. That gives the song an understated emotional pull without making it overly dramatic.
The Stumblers’ five-part harmonies and dynamic musicianship also remain important to their identity, helping connect the vintage country influences with their contemporary Americana approach. Whether they perform as a duo, trio, or full six-piece outfit, their music is built around strong songwriting and an obvious appreciation for the traditions that came before them.
With “Rhyolite,” though, they show that they can do more than deliver infectious country tunes and familiar covers. They can slow things down, explore a darker atmosphere, and turn a forgotten landscape into a compelling musical story.
There is a strange beauty in places that have been left behind, and “Rhyolite” understands that. The Stumblers take an abandoned town and give it another moment to speak, creating a song that feels dusty, spacious, and quietly absorbing.
The Stumblers trade their usual country charm for something more cinematic on ‘Rhyolite’
