The latest release to land on Sydney-based label Fifty Records is Captain Earwax’s Delicate Empires.

Captain Earwax is the musical moniker of Daniel O’Toole, an Australian multi-disciplinary artist most famously known as EARS. Delicate Empires is O’Toole’s third full-length album, following on from Blue Temple, which featured hand-painted artwork by EARS on the cover.

On Delicate Empires, O’Toole presents 13 elegant cuts filled with playful melodies, delicate percussion, and a range of guest vocalists including Jonti, Lou Millar, and Amy Kisnorbo. For the album’s inspiration, O’Toole looked to the story of Genghis Khan, as he explains:

“Delicate Empires is about the fragility of power, and looks to the story of Genghis Khan for inspiration. Genghis saw the weakness in a way of life that was removed from nature and confined by stone walls and governed by greed, the rise of the Mongol empire was enabled by this realisation.”

Delicate Empires is out now on Fifty Records and can be purchased here, with the album streaming below.