In 2023 Stapleton appeared on The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project album ‘The Task Has Overwhelmed us’ recording a version of ‘Secret Fires’ with UK blues instrumentalist Duke Garwood, and producing and performing on ‘Mother of Earth’ which features Dave Gahan on lead vocals and guitar.
[1] Following this collaboration Stapleton was invited to open for Depeche Mode on European arena dates as part of their Memento Mori World Tour in March 2024.
During this time Stapleton also toured across the UK and Europe solo and supported artists such as Mark Lanegan, Mick Harvey and Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind.
[4] Reviewing her support slot for Mick Harvey in Glasgow, Louder Than War wrote: "It's rare that a new artist comes along who genuinely defies easy description, but this is certainly the case with Stapleton.
Her songs seem to inhabit the dark, intense corners of the soul in a manner not dissimilar to Nick Drake or even Elliott Smith, yet Stapleton's guitar-playing is at once raw and tender, at times evoking the elemental spirit of Link Wray or Sister-era Sonic Youth... a bright new star in the ascendant.
[7] The EP was produced by Stapleton and recorded and mixed by engineer Jez Giddings at Melbourne's Hothouse Studios with drummer Craig Williamson and bassist Leif van den Dungen.
Stapleton asks "Why have we been so quick to take drastic action on coronavirus yet drag our feet when it comes to dealing with climate change which could bring down not only us but the entire global ecosystem?
[10] Reviewing the album, Louder Than War lauded a "dazzling debut" that blends "the spirit of Patti Smith and PJ Harvey with the soul of Nick Cave and Mark Lanegan".
[12] The project celebrates the life and music of Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the late front man of the Gun Club and includes contributions from artists such as Nick Cave, Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Primal Scream and Thurston Moore.