Singles Spin #31
So what’s the latest singles in Singles Spin #31? Check out the latest from:
Soothsayer are delighted to reveal Willaris. K (Jack McAllister)’s latest single INDIFFERENT, the Australian electronic and ambient producer’s first-ever track to incorporate vocals, featuring Australian singer, songwriter and producer, Gordi (Sophie Payten).
The track was originally conceived at Willaris’ home in NSW, then fine-tuned on Sophie’s farm in rural Australia, and finally perfected alongside renowned Sigur Ros collaborator and film composer Alex Somers at Shangri La Studios in Malibu, inside Bob Dylan’s iconic old tour bus.
“I wrote the instrumental as an experiment to see where I could take my music sonically. I wanted to explore it for film but also explore the more vulnerable side of Willaris. K. I melted when Sophie started singing the first line when we were recording.” – Willaris. K
Sydney act Winston Surfshirt unveil the striking new music video for Show Love – taken from the sophomore album Apple Crumble, released with critical acclaim late last year on Sweat It Out. An album stand-out, and a favourite amongst critics, Show Love embraces the wonderfully smooth, and sensitive charm of Winston Surfshirt, paired with understated keys and cool brass tones.
Winston unveils the hypnotic visual accompaniment to the charismatic single, directed by Jordan Kirk. Delving into the artistic approach for the video, Jordan explains “When I was first approached to submit a treatment for a music video for Winston Surfshirt’s ‘Show Love’ – I knew that I had to work with an old Uni classmate of mine, Genevieve Kaiser. I had been admiring some of the trippy animated visuals she had been putting out over the years, and thought that she had the right eye to come on board and help with the animated elements that I envisioned for this clip. The treatment was largely a performance piece, that was then to be transformed via the application of repetitive effects to create a hypnotic visual. Having not worked much with green screen or heavy post production effects previously, I knew that my idea was going to be challenging to pull off. Luckily, I managed to assemble a very talented team at short notice, and together we were able to bring the idea to life.”
Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist Boats, aka Blake Paterson, follows up the recent KEXP supported single Falling Off Rainbows with a new single and video for Van Diemens Land. Detailing Blake’s experience of becoming lost in the Tasmanian wilderness, the single is the second track lifted from the impending Time To Open The Machine EP, due for release on Monday 2 March.
Of the ‘“terrifying” experience which inspired the track, Blake says “Upon realising you’re completely lost in the wilderness your memories flood in and your life flashes before your eyes. Despite this, Tasmania became a special place for me. The track celebrates the power and glory of Tasmania and the respect and humility that nature brings to us.”
Off the back of a phenomenal 12 months, prolific in both touring and releases, Sydney producer POOLCLVB teams up with UK/Belgian singer Moli for the release of his telling new single Erase, out now on etcetc. Using darker tones throughout the production, POOLCLVB adds a depth to his latest work by wearing his heart on his sleeve, explaining “‘Erase’ was shaped during a time in my life where I was feeling displaced. It’s me at my most vulnerable. There was a pivotal moment last year where I had to learn to put aside the self doubt and open up to discover the deeper parts of myself, and actually release the music instead of just sitting on it. It’s been incredibly liberating.”
Ethereal cellist and singer-songwriter Sage has announced her debut single From Dust, a gorgeous, introspective meander made especially for soulmates, out February 3. Accompanying this stunning track is a beautiful, nostalgic video, shot in collaboration with director Hugo Rose (Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird). From Dust is the first taste of Sage’s upcoming EP Tethered, a collection of gentle yet striking songs for cleansing the soul, set for release on February 27.
For fans of Laura Marling and classic folk auteur Joni Mitchell, From Dust is a soft bed to fall into after a long hard day. Enchanting and delicate, this song allows space for Sage’s elegant vocal to feature front and centre, while her adroit cello playing provides a warm glow that eminates throughout. Speaking on the inspiration behind From Dust, Sage says, “This song is about soulmates, innocence, memories, and endless love. It’s one of those miracle songs that was written in no time at all by myself in my run-down apartment. When I sing this song, I think about the movie Stardust. At the end of the film the two star-crossed lovers, having lived a full and beautiful life together, pass away and become stars in the sky, their love living on forever and shining over everyone. There’s longing involved, but also hope.”
Josh Homme’s collaborative motley crew Desert Sessions return with the music video to Easier Said Than Done, from Vols. 11 & 12 (aka respectively Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels). Directed by photographer-director Chapman Baehler, this nightmare vision contains fascist-humiliating watersports, pig-men ejaculating glitter, a little defenestration, some light immolation… and Joshua Homme on roller skates.
The unique delight of Desert Sessions lies in unexpected collaborations between musicians who might otherwise never work together, and alongside the new video, Desert Sessions have teamed up with artists in other media including palm-painting, sculpture, jewellery, film-making, and, in this instance, quilting, to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art inspired by, and indelibly connected to — the music, for a series of charity auctions benefiting The Sweet Stuff Foundation. For the inaugural auction in this ‘Bizarre Bazaar,’ hosted on a dedicated eBay page, acclaimed textile artist Ben Venom has created a 3′ X 3′ quilt expressing the sounds of Desert Sessions in fabric and thread:
“I describe my art as a collision between fine art, craft, and the fringes of society,” says Venom. “Working with textiles, I contrast the often menacing and aggressive counterculture components of gangs, punk/metal music, and the occult with the comforts of domesticity. For the Crawling Death quilt, the fragility of the materials and their assaulting imagery are brought together in the form of a functional piece of art. This piece was made in collaboration with the Desert Sessions and it has been an honor to participate in the project.”
On the eve of her very first Australian shows, breakout UK artist and BRIT-nominated singer-songwriter Freya Ridings follows the success of her Top 10 Australian airplay and ARIA platinum hit single Castles with the stunning self-penned ballad Lost Without You. A top 10 hit in her native United Kingdom, the song is taken from her critically-acclaimed eponymous debut album.
Lost Without You is a hymn to lost love and regret, a once-in-a-lifetime song that immediately put Freya on the map. It reached platinum status in the U.K., where it charted in the Top 10 for eight weeks and is now approaching 200 million streams. The last time a female artist hit the Top 10 with a song 100% written by themselves was in 2012 with a re-charting of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill.
100s + 1000s is delighted to welcome Melbourne-based artist D’Arcy Spiller to the family as she inks a record deal with the new Mushroom imprint. To celebrate the union, D’Arcy shares her fierce new single Wildfire, the follow up to her debut release Cry All Night.
Wildfire is a euphoric and emotionally charged track that was written in a cosy bedroom set up in a basement with Phebe Starr and Xavier Dunn. D’Arcy says she was reflecting on two somewhat contradicting worlds through wordplay, focussing on the two words that had been repeatedly lingering in her head over a period; ‘wildfire’ and ‘dollhouse’.
“We were talking about what these words represent to me. To me ‘wildfire’ symbolises independence, freedom, having a wild soul. ‘Dollhouse’ has an almost contrasting meaning – a stable house and the perfect life.
I wanted to write a song about a person’s journey between these two words and what they represent, when loving someone so much can cause you to lose your independence. A song about making choices to regain independence, knowing full well that love sometimes doesn’t conquer all and walking away is the best choice you can make. Being in love isn’t easy and the choices we make to stay in that love can sometimes mean sacrificing some happiness, but there’s resilience to be gained through each experience with love.”
Alt-Pop prodigy Yorke launches her new year with the release of a brand new single Treading Water. An empowering and heartfelt ode to perseverance, which pairs rousing pop hooks with immersive instrumentation, the song was written to inspire others to be resilient and stick with their passions, especially during moments of hopelessness and hardship.
Co-written by Sam Burtt (Sam Phay), produced by Andy Hopkins and mixed by Chris Collins, Treading Water was inspired by this impasse. “It’s about feeling like yes [this career] is a struggle, both emotionally and financially, but I’m still doing what I love, and [knowing] I’m tenacious enough to get through it,” Yorke says.
AWOLNATION is preparing to release the new album, ANGEL MINERS & THE LIGHTNING RIDERS, via Better Noise Music on April 24, 2020.
Pre-orders begin today for the full-length, which features the fastest-growing song at Alternative Radio – The Best and the more recent single, California Halo Blue, that singer / songwriter Aaron Bruno penned about the California fires that ravaged his studio and nearly his home as well. The album features guest appearances from Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo and Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Ebert’s collaboration on the single Mayday!! Fiesta Fever is out now!
“I was absolutely honoured that an old friend of mine named Alex Ebert agreed to do a feature on this song. He played in a band called Ima Robot and of course Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, and now he has his own solo project he’s doing, and he’s just an incredible artist,” says Bruno. He explains of Mayday!! Fiesta Fever, “This track is kind of an old school throw down party song. It was influenced by a feeling I’ve always had, which is that this [music] industry isn’t, and wasn’t for me, an easy place to get into or be accepted by. It felt like in some way I had to kick down the door to get in. So the song is an anthem of sorts for those of us who have never been invited to the cool party, or the exclusive club. It has an energy and attitude that imagines the feeling of once you are able to crash inside that cool party, you just go wild and do stuff like spray paint the walls a little bit to disrupt things.”
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