Writing an entire album about cancer isn't the usual path to mainstream success, but that's exactly what's happened with Sydney band Gang of Youths.
Their debut album The Positions brought with it five ARIA nominations and led to a 26-show sold-out national tour.
"Never in 10 million years did I think an hour-long album about cancer could do this well," says lead singer David Le'aupepe.
Ahead of their first ever New Zealand shows, they say their success comes largely due to their brutally honest approach to music.
"The music is deeply, intrinsically involved with my personal life," says Le'aupepe. "That's the only way I can do things.
"I wouldn't be good at writing pop-songs that are somehow detached from my personhood and humanity."
That honesty and transparency cannot be questioned.
The Positions centres around Le'aupepe's ex-wife's battle with stage four melanoma -- and the demise of their relationship.
"The relationship I was in went catastrophically terrible at the end," says Le'aupepe. "So for me, listening to that is like peering into a part of my life that I don't want to relive."
That's understandable when you consider the track 'Magnolia'.
The song relives Le'aupepe's suicide attempt two years ago, when he downed two bottles of whiskey and phoned friends to say goodbye.
It's a dark subject that many bands would actively avoid.
But Gangs' Hamilton-born Bass player Max Dunn says it's that exact type of honesty which resonates with fans.
"Dave went through so much with this, that to a lot of people it's kind of a hope album," says Dunn.
They find their fame hard to comprehend, considering their humble beginnings in Sydney four years ago.
"We play every show like it's our last," says Dunne.
"So we'd be playing to like three people, opening up for some band, and we'd play like we were playing Wembley and people had a real problem with that."
But success has finally come their way.
Le'aupepe says the next step in their plan is to have another shot at the US market.
"We're relocating for a second time, but this time I'm not in a crazy relationship and addicted to substances. So this time it will be different -- I hope."
Gang of Youths play tomorrow at The Bodega in Wellington, followed by a slot at Auckland City Limits on Saturday.
Newshub.