Flora Smith and Jim Arneman are Small Town Romance. With watertight harmonies, button accordion and interlocking guitars they fuse folk, country and roots influences creating a sound that is uniquely their own. STR songs burst with life and finely attuned insights, their writing underpinned by an uncanny ear for melody and an innate poeticism. At times confessional, and at others observational, they know their way around a classic country song but make no apologies for singing in an Australian voice.

Their upcoming release sees them stripping things back and foregrounding the effortless musical understanding between them.

Their 2024 album Home Fires debuted at number 5 on the Australian Country ARIA Charts, number 3 on the AIR Chart, was selected as PBS Feature Album, 3RRR Feature Sounds and ABC Country Spotlight Album. Add to that three CMAA Golden Guitar nominations, a Music Victoria nomination and a slew of high-profile festivals and supports already under their belt, and it’s quite clear that STR are proudly carrying on the incredible legacy of Jim’s mother Anne Kirkpatrick and grandparents Slim Dusty and Joy McKean. And like Slim and Joy, you can expect to find them playing right across this big country, kids, guitars and stories in tow.