It’s a cliché. The hard second album. The weight of following-up, evolving, justifying. All that angst and self-doubt and second-guessing that chokes the creative spirit. Or not…

“I actually think this is the start of me really having fun with music.”

If anyone deserves to break the shackles and enjoy the moment, it’s multi-platinum-selling musician Matt Corby. For a decade, Corby has been pushing his own boundaries, embracing a journey of self-discovery that’s seen him wrestle a few pre-conceptions and stare down his share of demons. Now, with two ARIA Song of the Year awards on the shelf, and a #1 debut album, Telluric, behind him, Corby can genuinely lay claim to some hard-earned perspective.

“I think, in a really good way, I have stopped caring quite so much,” he says. “I don’t mean about the quality of what I am creating, but about that seriousness, about having to prove I can write a song in a clever way or perform a song in a way that makes people feel good. I can trust my instinct a little now and go with it.”

None of which is to suggest Corby’s new album, Rainbow Valley, isn’t clever or prone to making people feel good. It is both, and then some. From the surreal, dreamlike splendour of first single “No Ordinary Life” – which was met with worldwide acclaim and high-rotation on triple j – to the soulful majesty of the title track, Rainbow Valley reveals an artist who seems both more aware of what he wants and why he wants it.