For nearly two decades, Australian electronic music duo Empire of the Sun has been a remarkable musical force, something they recently brought to the 2025 CRSSD Festival.
To date, Empire of the Sun has released four studio albums, starting with 2008’s multi-platinum Walking on a Dream. In September, they dropped Walking On A Dream (Reimagined), a 7-track EP that features new remixes by BLOND:ISH, Marlon Hoffstadt, and TEED.
Empire of the Sun’s most recent album is 2024’s Ask That God, which also comes as a Deluxe version with a handful of remixes. Recently, Vice had a chance to talk with Empire of the Sun frontman Luke Steele while the group was playing CRSSD, and he did not hold back.
Empire of the Sun is known for its immersive world-building. How has your live show evolved over the years, and what new elements are you bringing to this tour?
Well, I think the show—you know, it’s like anything, you just keep adding and evolving. Like your house—when you buy a house, you just keep painting walls and changing things. So I like to think this show’s a little bit more detailed and dimensional; it’s telling a bit more of a story. This particular show is called Ask That God.
In the pandemic, I shut the band down and I said, “That’s it—after 20 years, I can’t do it anymore.” But then I had this vision of me abandoning the man and the castle that was the Empire, and then coming back. So we kind of built the show on that premise: there’s a big head and a rock on stage.
It’s sort of like the emperor’s mansion and statues have fallen, and we’re back—and it’s telling his story through his life, you know. He has to ask the Lord for the direction and the guidance to make it through, so we’ve always tried to build the show like a movie, like a story with three acts. Yeah, hopefully this is a bit more… dimensional.
You released a reimagined EP of Walking on a Dream this week. What drew you back to that track, and how did you approach giving it new life through these remixes and collaborations?
What drew me back to “Walking on a Dream?” The song that keeps on giving, you know. This song is incredible. We first wrote the song as a prayer. An ex-girlfriend was in the Amazon jungle, and she was really sick and was about to die, so we just couldn’t reach her, and we just wrote the song as a healing prayer.
You know, it just goes to show when something comes from that divine place, it’s pure. It’s really pure. So here we are, sixteen, seventeen years later, and people still want to remix it. So it’s great—you know, big artists, like the Swedish House Mafia guys, just did it, and heaps of other amazing acts. Just gotta be thankful, you know, for a song that just keeps on staying relevant, you know, really.
How does your latest album, Ask That God, capture where Empire of the Sun is creatively in 2025?
You’re always capturing what’s happening in your life at the time. This record is about all the different things we’ve gone through — “Changes” talks about metamorphosis, what happens to a band after it all falls apart. “Cherry Blossom” is about bringing heaven to people rather than trying to get people into heaven. It’s about finding paradise in what’s right in front of you. The record reflects everything that’s happening now — it’s very much of this moment.
What artists are currently inspiring you?
I’ve been really into Magdalena Bay lately, and this guy Alex Panos, who does some really wild electronic stuff.
If you could use one word to describe future Empire of the Sun music, what would it be
Imaginative.
What other projects do you have coming up in the next year? Is there anything fun you can share?
I can’t share that — it’d be like telling the kids what’s under the tree. It’s gotta stay fresh for the fans.
Empire of the Sun is currently wrapping up their Ask That God world tour. You can find all remaining dates by clicking here.
The post Empire of the Sun Talks Musical World-Building, Inspirations, and the Legacy of ‘Walking on a Dream’ at CRSSD Festival (Exclusive) appeared first on VICE.
