Sentinel, the Melbourne trio of brothers Tim, John, and Michael Stent, discuss their debut decade, new single Like Fire, and why 2026 is the year they finally go full throttle.

When Tim, John, and Michael Stent started making music together in the basement of their family home in Melbourne, the youngest was just 15 years old. A decade later, the trio known as Sentinel have racked up collaborations with Alesso and Martin Garrix, landed a publishing deal with one of their biggest musical heroes, and clocked over a million streams in a single day. But by their own admission, they haven’t gone full throttle yet. With new studios, a backlog of music they’re finally ready to release, and a brand new single ‘Like Fire’ already out in the world, 2026 is shaping up to be the year Sentinel stop building quietly behind the scenes and step fully into the light.

You’ve said you’ve achieved some incredible things over the past decade but never felt like you’d gone “full throttle.” How has the experience gained over those years shaped what the trio is going to achieve in 2026 and beyond?

These last few years have given us access to rooms, people, guidance and mentorship we never imagined when we first started out. In 2026 we’re taking everything we’ve learned and channelling it directly into Sentinel.


We’re pushing ourselves to take more risks, step out on our own creatively, and release music that feels authentic to us but also relevant to the wider dance music scene. At the same time, we’re excited to create some special live moments that bring that vision to life.

Looking back to when you were just three brothers making music in a bedroom, what did you think Sentinel was going to become? Is 2026 finally the year that vision comes to life, or is it something bigger than what you initially had in mind when starting out?

It’s hard to say exactly what we imagined Sentinel becoming when we started in 2015. At the time we were just three brothers aged 15, 17 and 20 making music together – but even then we felt like there was something special there that was worth chasing.


2026 definitely feels like the moment where everything we’ve learned starts to come together. Our focus now is on building a lasting identity for Sentinel and releasing more music that we’re genuinely proud to stand behind.

You’ve mentioned there’s so much material ready to be released and shared with fans, now that there’s nothing standing in your way. What was holding you back in the past few years, and what’s changed that will allow you to work at your full potential?

In hindsight, we were probably still growing into ourselves as artists. We’ve gone through a lot of personal growth over the past few years, both individually and as a group. It’s brought us to a place where the vision feels clearer than ever, and the path forward finally feels visible.


On top of that, many people don’t realise that for the first few years of our careers – including when we wrote some of our early coming-of-age songs like Only You and Hurricane – we were working out of the basement of our family home. Our story really comes from humble beginnings: three brothers and a grassroots family trying to build something together.


After years of consistency, hard work, and a bit of luck in the industry, we now finally have studios of our own. They’re still humble and we’re far from where we ultimately want to be, but having that space has given us a real sense of creative freedom and allowed us to step more fully into who we are as DJs and producers.

Creatively, does this new chapter represent a completely fresh Sentinel sound, or a polished-to-perfection version of what fans already know?

We’ve been working hard on crafting songs that not only feel true to what our listeners already know, but is also culturally relevant and fresh in the current context of modern dance music.

We’re always evolving sonically, and we’re really excited for people to hear some of this newer material.

How would the three of you compare your journey so far to what Sentinel is planning to achieve from this point forward?

Looking back, the first decade of our journey feels like a period of learning and coming of age – three brothers figuring out the tools and mindset needed to succeed in a scene which we all know and love.


This next chapter feels like the moment we finally put those tools to work and fully execute on the vision we’ve had for Sentinel for so long.


We’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings, but at the same time it still feels like we’re just getting started. A lot of our dreaming and planning has happened quietly behind the scenes, and now it finally feels like the time to step into the light.

Stream their brand new single ‘Like Fire’ below.

Follow Sentinel:

Spotify / Instagram