That philosophical wrestle is his MO: Spike finds the purest way to present  is by not labelling it a work of art. “To consider yourself an artist or musician is the Achilles’ heel of any creative,” he says. The gratuitous hats such individuals need to wear in today’s fragmented, algorithm-dictated world do undermine the success, idealism, and magic of making art in general. Australia also has its own institutional problems with the arts, where it’s unfortunately not far-fetched to see government powers often starving the industry of funding and support. Spike mentions his brother is a firefighter to justify that he’s living his own life frivolously. But it’s Spike’s conviction that says otherwise: “For me, there is no other way to do this. I don’t want to do anything else. I can’t do anything else.” If art makes life fulfilling, then it is sorely needed.

Spike’s return a couple of years ago included not only the arresting, evocative singles “Other Right Hand of the Lord” and “Eternity & Time”, but also live performances with a backing band. Around ’s 2 October release, he’ll be touring extensively across Australia, the UK, and Europe – the biggest tour he’s ever embarked on. Resuming touring after a long absence fraught with trials and tribulations, the scale is bound to be overwhelming. I can’t help but ask Spike how he’s taking it all in.

“How do I feel? I’m pretty terrified, honestly, to release something so on-the-nose, hard-on-the-sleeve, and whatever other clichés there are,” he says plainly. “I said before that I don’t care about being understood, but it’s all I want: I deeply, deeply want to be seen and understood. I think my defining characteristic, if there is one, is that I’m constantly changing. It’s exhausting, honestly. This identity in flux has no central point, and maybe the only central point is to create something, share it, and want for it to be received in the way that I intended.”