“I’ve been sitting at all kinds of keyboards and synthesisers and finding other ways to make sounds, not trying to emulate anyone,” one half of the duo, Sime Nugent, said. 

He and his partner Alice Keath form Sweet Jean, who are one of the headline acts for the Candelo Village Festival.

Their first album, Dear Departure, was well received by critics and their song “Shiver and Shake” became a single of the week on iTunes. 

A successful musician in his own right with multiple albums under his belt, Nugent has played a solo show at Candelo before.

“It’s a beautiful little hamlet, a lot of my favourite musicians seem to come out of there – it’s a bit of a hotspot,” he said. 

Nugent and Keath met through music, as her other job is a music journalist.

Both are fans of harmony singing and once they worked out they shared that interest “it really worked from the start”. 

“I think there’s a fair bit of contrast in the way we sound and the way we work,” Nugent said. 

“Somewhere between me and Alice something happens that’s pretty interesting to both of us as musicians.

“We know when working with a song that it is a Sweet Jean song, or we know if we are working with a song for me or a song for Alice,” Nugent said. 

“I’ve really enjoyed working on two part songs for a male and female.

“There’s a lot to be said for working with other people, there’s obviously travel involved in playing music and I feel I’ve done my time as a solo artist.” 

Having practice in harmony singing has evidently benefitted the duo, and their music features their beautiful and clear voices working in unison. 

A broad range of music interests influence their style.

“Our influences include all of the music we listen to, and everything we see in the world,” Nugent said. 

“The first record we wrote was a fair bit about mortality and longing, what memories do over time.

“On our new record we’ve been making tentative steps into other ideas.”

Their new record has the working title Menar, named after one of its tracks. 

Under the guidance of their producer John Castle, Sweet Jean has started embracing new styles.

“Our new material is interested in expanding that, moving away from folk and into something else,” Nugent said. 

“I suppose you could call it space rock, or dream pop,” he laughed. 

“We are trying to make a pretty different sounding recording with our new album.

“I think with making music and putting music out you can only ever make sounds which are interesting to you as an artist.”

Sweet Jean will be selling copies of their new single “I See Stars” on vinyl at the Candelo Village Festival, held on March 28.