Here Come: The Stamps! An Interview with Australia's Hottest New Import

Not one big one, but two small sets were performed by Australian indie-pop trio The Stamps on May 31, 2026, at Berlin's Zimmer 16. By that point, the young musicians had already spent several weeks on the road, playing shows across Germany and Austria before making their stop in Berlin.

Opening the night with "Maria", their intimate set featured original songs such as "slow burn" and "move me on". In addition, the audience was treated to several tracks from their recent cover EP She Bangs The Drums, including the title track and "Femme Fatale".

Funny anecdotes between songs gave the evening a personal touch. And while an encore often becomes the highlight of a concert, it was especially memorable at The Stamps' Berlin show. Almost like a scene from a comedy, the audience did exactly what the trio had described from a previous German show: instead of loudly calling for an encore, they responded with a few synchronized claps. As a result, Berlin was probably rewarded with an extra song to close out the night.

Before taking the stage, The Stamps took their time for an Interview with THE UNSEEN Magazine.

HERE'S THE FULL INTERVIEW:

Sofia, Scarlett and Rubina, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. You three are in a band called The Stamps. Can you tell us a bit about how you first formed and how the name came about?

I saw a Instagram post of yours that you went to Europe three and a half months after graduating from high school in 2022. How has life changed since then?

Scarlett: It has changed a lot. We were 19, I think, and Rubina was 18 when we did that trip. At the time, The Stamps was mostly a hobby. We were just playing around our local community and doing small shows. Since then, we moved to Melbourne for a little while, came back, and have done a lot of touring. It's been a journey, it's been really fun. I feel like we've learned a lot.

How does it feel to be back in Europe?

Sofia: So good. This time it's summer. The last time we came, it was the middle of winter and really cold, so it's nice to be back in warmer weather. We've been here for about two weeks, playing shows in western Germany. Now we're finishing up our German dates, and then, in a few days, we fly to the UK.

Is there anything about Germany and the culture here that you would like to bring back to Australia?

Rubina: I like how people do encores. The girls have been a bit scared because everybody just does one straight clap. Usually, people yell something like "Encore" or "One more song", so it's quite loud. Just clapping for an encore is nice, I think.

Sofia: I was also thinking of pretzels. I'd love to bring pretzels back. We don't have good pretzels.

Andy: Oh, that's so sweet. I think you're in Hamburg tomorrow, and you need to try something called "Franzbrötchen". It's really good. It's like a cinnamon bun.

Pauline: It's not really a bun. It's flat and kind of croissant-like, but with a cinnamon filling.

Sofia: We love cinnamon buns.

Rubina: That sounds so good.

Last year, you released your debut album in all the ways i am, including a song called "jamie's song". Is that a hardcore name drop? Is there a Jamie out there, and do they know the song is about them?

Scarlett: It's interesting because that song is a name-drop song, but nothing happened between Jamie and me. I met this guy while traveling, and he was really in love with a girl he had also met while traveling. But she had a boyfriend, so he was pining for her, and she was like, "Nah, man, I've got a boyfriend." He was just so in love with her.

The song is about that story, but it actually has nothing to do with me. I was just watching it all happen and letting it play out in front of me. So technically, it is a name drop. I don't think he knows, though. I never sent it to him.

Sofia: We also continue to name-drop. We have another song in the set called "Charlie".

You also have a song called "slow burn", where you deal with a past relationship that has ended. You look back and replay the situation in your head, but you can't really remember what it was like anymore.

Scarlett: It actually wasn't a romantic relationship. It was about one of my friends in Canada. We're still good friends, but it got to the point where we were constantly playing telephone tag. I kept missing her calls, and she kept missing mine. It's about how relationships change when you move far away from people, and how difficult that change can be sometimes.

It almost feels a bit nostalgic to me. Nostalgia is actually the theme of our next print issue. Could you tell us about a situation or experience you three shared that you sometimes look back on and that makes you feel nostalgic?

Rubina: Europe, definitely. Walking through similar streets and having similar feelings. That's for sure.

Sofia: I feel like our whole friendship and journey as a band is nostalgic. We started in high school and have gone through so many stages of life together up until now. So yeah, pretty much everything.

Scarlett: We've also done a lot of shows in our hometowns with teachers, mentors and people like that attending. That definitely makes me feel nostalgic because it's seeing the people who knew you when you were little and who continue to know you as you get older. It's very special to experience that.

What's your favorite thing about being in a band?

Sofia: I love playing on stage. That's the fun part of it. But there's also a lot behind the scenes. Being in the studio and working on music can be really fun too.

Scarlett: I like being able to hang out with my friends, basically. We spend a lot of time together, so it's a lot of chatting shit and hanging out.

Rubina: The community and friendship.

What is something that you argue about sometimes? How do you deal with creative differences?

Sofia: Honestly, we're pretty aligned. I can't think of anything specific that stands out, but we definitely bicker. It's almost sisterly. It's mostly never creative differences. It's more day-to-day stuff. It's like, "Why have you stolen my socks today?" That type of thing.

Scarlett: Especially when we're traveling together, we can definitely get snippy. But it's never, "I don't like the lyrics of this song." A lot of the time, we'll write a song on our own and then bring it to the group. You can suggest changes, but if the person doesn't want to change something, we're pretty good at respecting that. We know it's their personal expression. So it doesn't really become an issue.

Sofia: Yeah, I agree.

Rubina: I agree with that too.

And who steals clothes the most?

Scarlett: Me. Scarlett.

Rubina: Scarlett accidentally steals clothes.

Scarlett: To be fair, when I was a kid, we had a drawer in our house called the sock drawer, and everyone just took whatever socks they wanted. We shared socks, which is crazy because every time I tell people that, they're like, "What the fuck?" So in my head, I don't really know which socks are mine. I don't pay attention. I just picked up a pair and put them on. And when you're traveling together, your socks might end up in my bag.

Rubina: And then they all go missing.

Sofia: Yeah, I opened my things and thought, "Where are all my socks?" Then I looked over at Scarlett's bag and it was full of my socks.

Scarlett: Yeah. I don't do it on purpose. It's the way I was raised.

Sofia: It's very funny.

Let's talk a little more about music. Following your debut album, you released a cover EP. What was the inspiration behind it, and how did you choose the songs?

Sofia: The idea was to find songs that were written about women by men. By singing them and arranging them in our own way, we were kind of reclaiming them and putting our own spin on them. That was really fun because we had a lot of songs. I think we tried almost 15 and explored what worked and what fit together. The songs on the EP are all quite different, but they share this overarching theme that ties them together.

It was really cool to pick and choose what felt right and then put our own spin on the songs in the studio. We spent about a week in the studio figuring out our parts and then recorded everything. It was a really cool process because we'd never recorded covers before. We'd only ever done original songs, so it was really interesting.

Andy: The cover is very beautiful. It's you showing off your matching tattoos. Whose idea was it?

Sofia: I feel like Matt, our manager, sent the photo to the group chat and said it would make a good cover.

Scarlett: Yes, but he didn't suggest the tattoos.

Sofia: No, he didn't suggest the tattoos.

How did the tattoos come about?

Rubina: I remember wanting to get a tattoo after the trip to Europe. We were all thinking about getting something, and I kept seeing stamp-related things everywhere. Then we got them done in Melbourne.

Sofia: It was on our first tour as well, so maybe it was our way of commemorating that first tour.

Rubina: We personalized them a little.

Scarlett: The inside is different, but the outside is the same.

Andy: And then your manager sent you the photo?

Sofia: Yeah, he sent it to the group chat and we were like, "Wait, that's a really sick photo. We should use that as a cover." Then the EP came along.

How has tour life been so far? Is it what you imagined it would be like? Is it different this time around?

Sofia: It's different because we're overseas for the first time. That adds a lot of stress because we're driving ourselves around in our own car. You're reading signs in a language you don't know. It can be stressful, but it's been amazing.

Scarlett: Yeah, it's been really fun. It's just been more tiring than it would probably be in Australia.

Rubina: Yes, because we're learning a lot.

Scarlett: That's true. I was talking to my mum and dad about it. Your basic comforts aren't guaranteed anymore. When we tour Australia, we usually have accommodation in every city because we know people. Here, there are fewer people we know. So you have to check into a new place, figure out what you're going to eat, make sure you have the right adapter for your phone and deal with all those little things that normally come naturally. That makes it more tiring, but also more rewarding. When you play a great show and realize you're in Austria or somewhere, you think, "What the hell?" It's really cool.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Rubina: Yeah, we do this hand thing. *The Stamps do a handshake* We also meditate sometimes, although we haven't done that in a while.

Sofia: And we usually warm up.

Rubina: And I use my nebulizer. It's basically a vocal steamer.

Is there anything unusual on your rider that is a necessity for you?

Sofia: Our rider is pretty simple at the moment. We ask for different types of tea, maybe some lemon, ginger and fruit. We're pretty boring when it comes to our rider.

Scarlett: Yeah. I think we'd have to be more famous before asking for crazy stuff. But if we became famous, we'd probably ask for caviar or something.

Sofia: There's a band in Australia called Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers. I remember watching an interview with them where they said they ask for a framed photo of Jack Black at every festival. I thought, "What? That's so weird." Maybe we need to do something random, too.

Scarlett: Just to see if the venues actually read the rider.

We've talked about nostalgia, but what about the opposite? What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

Sofia: I'm really excited to go to the UK for the first time and play shows there. I'm also excited to release new music. We've got a lot of songs ready to go.

Scarlett: I'm excited to do more touring later this year. It'll be nice to get back on the road. Although it'll also be nice to rest for a bit and see my mum and dad.

Rubina: Touring, possibly. It's in the works... maybe. Watch this space.

At THE UNSEEN Magazine, we've curated a playlist with artist recommendations. It can be anything: songs you're listening to a lot at the moment, songs that inspire you, or even your own music.

Rubina: I love Julia Jacklin. The first song that comes to mind is "Pressure to Party", which is probably her most popular one. It's really good. She also has one called "Love, Try Not To Let Go", which is amazing too. Very indie. That's my pick.

Sofia: I've been loving Wolf Alice lately, so I'd say "White Horses". I'm literally obsessed with that song. If I need to get into the zone, I'll put on my headphones and listen to it. So that's my recommendation.

Scarlett: I've been listening to Way Dynamic. He's from Melbourne and has a new album out. The song I like most from it is "Miffed It". It's very indie and folky, but also has a bit of a 70s vibe, which is fun.

Pauline (Photographer): Do you want to add one of your own songs as well?

Sofia: We probably should. That's a good idea.

Scarlett: I love The Stamps.

Sofia: Which song should we pick?

Rubina: "Maria"?

Sofia: Yeah, we could do "Maria". Let's do "Maria".

Andy: Great. Thank you so much. This was so fun.

CHECK OUT THE STAMPS COVER EP SHE BANGS THE DRUMS HERE:

WANT TO SEE MORE OF THE STAMPS? HERE ARE ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE SHOW: