"It's a very strange time, and a lot of people are suffering, whether it be financially, whether it be emotionally, people are going through things.
"And this is our gift to people to say 'hey, look I know it's crazy, but we've got you.' We will do what we can to make music to really up you and give you hope."
What sets this album apart is not just the time the album is coming out, but how it was made. Amitai and Moses explain the album was recorded in only a few days, with the help of producer Nic Manders. Several of the songs were recorded in just one take.
"Everything that you hear, you will be able to hear that played live exactly how it is, and that's what we wanted," Pati says.
And that is exactly the feeling they wanted to replicate.
"The majority of the time people will say at the end of our shows that the most enjoyable part was seeing us having fun on stage, and that sort of comes spontaneously," Pati adds, explaining they wanted to keep that energy on this new album – think a backyard performance that brings people together.
"It's just us, our voices, and our musicality."
It fits their operatic training too: The idea of leaving it all out on the stage and having one chance for perfection.
On the album, they cover Kiwi classic E Ipo by Prince Tui Teka which is the album's first single. It's a song so many are familiar with, Mackay says, and is one that they grew up with. There's a song for everyone – covers of To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees and Used To Love you by John Legend also feature.
"E Ipo is lead by Pene [Pati] and he's the main vocalist, and Amitai and I are adding all the embellishments and all of the vocal harmonies, and we're playing all the instruments.
"And there's something in the simplicity of that really hits home."
Pene is overseas, and although the two other members of the trio would have loved to have him home right now, the band ultimately made the call together to not fly him home for safety and logistical reasons during the pandemic.
The Sol3 Mio boys have had an interesting time during the pandemic: they started a new gig as NZME's Flava radio Breakfast show hosts. Being able to share stories and music with a new audience every weekday helped them creatively, they both agree.
And Mackay of course entered his second reality show as TVNZ's The Bachelor this year. When asked if a third reality show is on the cards (Mackay previously competed on Celebrity Treasure Island), he bluntly says a definitive no.
"You know what, I'm not afraid of the whole reality scene. I feel like it didn't waver me. I was just myself," he reflects. Mackay gave his final rose to Annie Theis but the couple ended their romance shortly after the season ended.
"And I feel like people who do get caught up in their whole realities scene and, I guess, do it for the fame or do it for whatever their reason is, they can get lost in the whole thing. I looked at it like it was a challenge, it was something that I typically wouldn't take on."
For now, Mackay says his focus is on creating music.
"I have no idea if there is going to be another reality show, don't ask me," he laughs.
• Sol3 Mio's new album Coming Home is released on November 12 on Universal Music New Zealand.
