Get to know SHOUSE: Dancefloor alchemists turning connection into collective ecstasy

In a world increasingly defined by algorithms, isolation and individualism, SHOUSE are making music for the collective. The Melbourne/Naarm-based duo - Jack Madin and Ed Service - burst into global consciousness with “Love Tonight,” a warehouse-born anthem that slowly rippled from backyard jams to billion-stream ubiquity. Now, with their long-awaited debut album Collective Ecstasy, SHOUSE return to the source: music as human ritual, as communion, as real-time resonance.

Built across five years in a mudbrick studio, Collective Ecstasy is a sonic journey, a document of connection. Voices, horns, strings, synths, friends, and strangers come together across thirteen tracks that stretch from Balearic sunrise to late-night introspection. Genre boundaries melt away. Instead, the album flows like a full night out: euphoric highs, warm afterglow, and soft come-downs.

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Standouts like “Only You” (with Cub Sport), “Whisper” (with Habits), and “Wherever You Are” (with Vance Joy) speak to different shades of love - ecstatic, sensual, and enduring. On stage, the duo transform crowds into choirs, inviting audiences to not just listen but participate in something bigger than themselves.

And that’s the point. “We believe in musicking,” they say, “not just music.” In the hands of SHOUSE, a track isn’t a product - it’s an invitation. An experiment. A promise that even when the club empties and the lights fade, something sacred remains.

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Hi Guys, let’s start at the roots - how did SHOUSE come together, and when did you realise your sound had the potential to move dancefloors worldwide? (From Melbourne jam sessions to global anthems, your rise has been anything but ordinary.)

We met in a short‑lived bizzare nightclub in Melbourne. It was mid‑winter, Ed had a bag of mushrooms…We already knew each other from the band and music scene, and were out for a fun night.

We talked all night and the next week were in a studio together writing Love Tonight. True story. That track took a long time to find its place in the world, but through backyard sessions and warehouse parties our sound slowly knit togetherb and eventually landed on dancefloors around the world.

You once balanced day jobs in education and arts—what was the tipping point that pushed SHOUSE from a side‑project into a global phenomenon? Was there a moment you looked at each other and thought, “This is really happening”?

The tipping point came in the middle of the pandemic. Love Tonight started traveling the world while we were stuck at home in Melbourne lockdowns. We’d wake up to videos of huge crowds singing it in Europe and America while we were making coffee in our kitchen. That was the moment we realised this project had a life of its own. We went from a side project to something that connected people globally at a time when we couldn’t leave our own suburb.

“Love Tonight” became an anthem—over a billion streams, diamond in France, and a choral hook that won’t quit. Looking back now, did you ever expect its global reach?

Not at all. It came from a warehouse jam with friends, and at the time it felt completely local. We never envisioned it climbing charts or becoming a pandemic anthem. But seeing it bring people together across languages and borders still surprises us. That’s the beautiful part: a simple invitation to sing together resonated when the world needed it most.

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Let’s talk Collective Ecstasy - five years in the making. How did this album come together both sonically and spiritually? And is it fair to say it’s a document of connection?

Absolutely. This album is a document of our lives over the past five years. We built most of it in our mudbrick studio in Naarm/Melbourne, gathering friends, artists, singers and neighbours. It’s human, musical and alive.

Some songs came from long jam sessions, others from spontaneous moments, but they all capture the energy of people making music in real time. That’s the essence of Collective Ecstasy: breathing life into songs, together.

There's a strong sense of community running through the album - from Melbourne collaborators to voices around the world. Was that always part of the mission? How do you choose people for your sonic universe?

Yes, that was always core to SHOUSE. We believe in “musicking”, the idea that music is a communal process, not just a product. We choose collaborators who understand that spirit, who will bring energy, presence and honesty. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the resonance of a room singing together. That energy shaped the record more than any arrangement ever could.

“Only You” with Cub Sport is a standout - euphoric, tender, emotional. How did that collaboration happen, and what did Tim Nelson bring?

We’ve been fans of Cub Sport for a long time. When we wrote Only You at Jack’s bush shack it felt intimate and vulnerable, so we reached out. Tim’s voice brought emotion and softness that matched the mood perfectly. It was natural. His vocal carries a devotion that turned the track into one of the most delicate yet powerful moments on the album.

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The tracklist flows like a sunrise-to-sunset dancefloor journey - Balearic grooves, funk flickers, introspective folk. Was that genre fluidity intentional, or did it emerge naturally?

It emerged naturally. We love many sounds: Balearic house, funk, ambient introspection, and wanted the album to feel like a full night: the build, peak, afterglow and dawn. We didn’t force it into a neat arc. Instead, we followed the songs as they came, and the narrative took shape as we went along.

From Pacha Ibiza to Northcote Theatre in Melbourne, your live shows hit differently. What can fans expect from the Collective Ecstasy tour? How does translating the record to stage change the experience?

Fans can expect something bigger, alive, communal. We bring choir, horns, strings, synths and drum machines, and a rotating cast of singers to breathe real-time energy into the record. The stage becomes more than performance, it becomes participation. The songs lift, the choir breathes, and suddenly the audience isn’t just watching, they’re part of it.

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“Wherever You Are” with Vance Joy closes the album on a lullaby note rather than a rave peak - what inspired that shift? Is it about love lingering after the lights fade?

Exactly, love that! We wanted to end the record on an intimate note, like the final heartbeat after a long night. Vance Joy’s voice has a lullaby quality, soft and enduring. It’s a love letter to connection, reminding us that even when the crowd goes quiet, the feeling carries on.

With Collective Ecstasy now out, what’s next for SHOUSE? More music, another album, or letting this one breathe globally?

First we’re letting this album breathe in the world. That means touring, singing with community, translating the record live and letting those moments grow.

After that, we’ll see where inspiration leads. One lesson we’ve learned is patience. Trust the songs. Trust the people in the room. There’s more ahead, but for now we’re staying present in what we’ve built.

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Images: SHOUSE

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