Singles Spin #39
So what’s the latest singles in Singles Spin #39? Check out the latest from:
Australian Hip Hop pioneer, writer and actor BRIGGS has teamed up with the multi-talented comedian, actor and composer TIM MINCHIN to record a new song titled HOUSEFYRE. A collaborative effort undertaken during self-isolation, the track provides a comedic and observational commentary on the Australian political leadership during the recent bushfire crisis and the COVID – 19 pandemic.
Briggs explains how the idea came about: “Cabin fever manifests in strange ways and while I’ve been stuck at home working on new music and practising good social distancing, the idea came to me to hit up my friend Tim Minchin to work on a fun idea. Black and red together hasn’t looked this good since the ’93 grand final.”
On the collaboration Tim Minchin says ‘I’ve been wanting to do something with Briggs for years but couldn’t work out what idea to go to him with. Then a few days ago, he sent a track over and asked if I’d wanna write a chorus for it. I think my exact words were “fuck yeah”. So much fun to make, and such a buzz to work with the Senator.’
Praised for their forward thinking dream-pop stylings, today, Mt. Wolf announce their return with the release of the stunning new single Tayrona featuring the flawless vocals of Tamsin Wilson of stand-out indie trio Wilsen. The first single from a forthcoming collaborative project to be released on Akira Records, Mt. Wolf have promised to deliver a steady stream of music throughout 2020.
Featuring a mellifluous guitar melody, whilst Wilsen’s vocals take centre stage, Tayrona, is delicately produced with lush harmonies, adding to the dreamlike soundscape of the folk masterpiece.
Speaking about how the track came together, Stevie shares, “this track was birthed in the studio with Henry Green who has helped produce the song with us – one of the most talented producers I’ve ever met. We’ve been big fans of Wilsen for a long time and have always loved Tamsin’s vocal. Once we came up with this instrumental idea we sent it to her, luckily she loved it and was happy to write some vocals on it. As soon as we started writing again we felt incredibly excited. Working on this project has been so refreshing and we are having a great time collaborating with some very talented friends of ours.” Further discussing the how the lyrical content came together, Tamsin of Wilsen explains “the instrumental track lead me to think of sun glitter, setting the tone for a contemplative coastal story of a relationship that ended as quickly as it began. The vocals were inspired by a phrase I overheard, “Staying together was meant to be easy.” Equally earnest, melancholy, and accepting.”
Showcasing his renowned nu-disco stylings and the evolution of his musical outputs from club delights to international hits, Purple Disco Machine, the moniker of German disco house producer Tino Piontek, shares his stellar new single Hypnotized, marking the next era for the critically acclaimed project. With an artist name that pays homage to 80’s funk hero Prince and the uplifting dance beat of Gloria Estefan’s ‘Miami Sound Machine’, Purple Disco Machine was destined to bring together the elements of synth pop, funk, Italo Disco.
With over 250 million streams across his works to date, and a recent run of A list remixes for Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson, Robert Surace, Foals and Sir Elton John, Purple Disco Machine impresses once again, creating a modern and sophisticated take on the decade that has inspired him so greatly. Further announcing his sophomore LP for release in the next year, 2020 will see Purple Disco Machine deliver his most outstanding work to date.
An integral part of the beloved Australian group All Our Exes Live In Texas, Kit (otherwise known as Katie Wighton) has announced her debut solo release, Good Guy. A gritty, guitar-led powerhouse of a single, Good Guy calls out every dude who’s ever gotten away with bad behaviour. Kit has also released a stellar clip to accompany Good Guy, created in collaboration with Gina Somfleth of Pop Candi Films (Merpire, Peach Noise, Press Club).
“I find it very interesting that at the moment the things we seem to be talking about are our healthcare workers and hospitals, schools and universities and The Arts. In a crisis, these things become the most important and I hope that when we get through this awful time we will remember that.” Kit remarks. “Being creative can sometimes be a burden but right now, it’s our biggest asset. I’ve been doing the crossword on Instagram live and also have started an insta-choir – which is so much fun. I was sitting in my room playing a Hank Williams song and really missing the harmonies, so I chucked it up on my socials and asked people to send in their harmonies. The second week has really taken on a life of its own – we did Two Strong Hearts and had drums and bass and even a wine bottle solo! It’s so beautiful to connect with people safely and bring a little smile to people across the interwebs!”
Australian singer-songwriter Starley returns in 2020 with the release of her heartfelt new single Arms Around Me, the second single to be taken from her forthcoming debut album to be released later this year on Central Station Records. Co-written by Grammy nominated Jon Hume (known affectionately for his recent work on JP Cooper’s September Song, Sofi Tukker’s Purple Hat, Dean Lewis’ Be Alright), the single is a brilliant combination of Hume’s pop sensibilities and Starley’s honest story telling, resulting in yet another compelling song about the complexities of love.
The single highlights the conflicting emotions when a relationship breaks down, whilst maintaining the joyful uplifting pop/dance stylings Starley has become so well known for, Starley elaborates “‘Arms Around Me’ is a song I wrote about seeking affection from an ex because you’re both lonely. Life can be really hard and sometimes all you need is someone to hold you.”
Melbourne progressive pop performer on the rise Max Lawrence is set to release his compelling new single Gasoline.
Gasoline flows forth propelled by a spare Kraut rock rhythm as the young singer narrates, observing the passing world around him. Shifting into bloom, a tender hook line reveals the sublime falsetto Lawrence carries ably in his vocal arsenal. The chorus refrain embraces the receiver, planting a melodic seed that continues to sprout tendrils long after the 3.5 minutes on offer here have subsided. Synthetic traffic sounds and lottery machine samples punctuate throughout, fracturing the piece with an engaging off-kilter lilt, but it’s that chorus again arriving between gloriously crafted tension building bridges on to a triumphant resolve that suggest we are dealing with an artist operating in the highest realms of synth pop.
The 23-year old explains, “’Gasoline’ is about our tendency to desperately distract ourselves from dark, existential thoughts through money and material possessions, all the while being in denial, convincing ourselves that we’re happy in the end.”
Bondi 5-piece Honey Hayze haven’t wasted any time getting their name and music out into the world. Coming off the back of the success of previous single Afternoon, the Bondi Beach 5-piece are right back at it again with new single, Zombie. The track is heavy hitting from the get go and even features some high energy saxophone which can’t help but steal the limelight.
“The song draws references from a lost love morphing into a zombie after being in a state of despair. With a falling world they become a roaming zombie looking for their lost lover.” Earl Weir (Vocals)
Sydney producer, composer, vocalist and DJ FLUIR (Siobhan Krelle) releases her new single Make Me Feel. The track is a blissful blast of electro synth-pop that was produced by FLUIR and Chi. It features Fluir’s trademark textured and emotive lyrics.
FLUIR says about her new single, “At the time I wrote ‘Make Me Feel’ I was genuinely happy. I was studying music production, living in a new city, writing and spending every spare moment going out and listening to live music. I wanted to write a song that captured that moment in time so I could share how I was feeling and make other people happy. This song is about wasting away your weekends and being genuinely happy”.
Late last month, Sydney-via-Canowindra musician Gordi – also known as Sophie Payten – unveiled her poignant new single, Sandwiches. Now, Liberation Records is proud to share the news of an album release for Gordi, along with another taste of the record in Aeroplane Bathroom. The song (also the album opener) is accompanied by Gordi’s most stunning video released to date, which conveys the isolation and crippling anxiety that the album explores.
“I wrote ‘Aeroplane Bathroom’ sitting in a window seat on a long haul flight. The people next to me were asleep and I was alone with my thoughts. I had that sensation of being trapped so I climbed over the other passengers and tried to escape to the bathroom.”
“The song is about feeling isolated. It comes at a very strange time now given we’re all locking ourselves in our homes, ‘socially isolating’ from our normal functional lives. There is no more dehumanising experience than to be cut off from everything you know. It can plunge you into total despair.”
Recently, Powerhouse female retro classic rock and psychedelic soul tinged BLUES PILLS announced their third studio album, Holy Moly! to be released on June 19th, 2020 via Nuclear Blast and today, they release a new video for the second single, Low Road from that album.
The band comment: “We wrote ‘Low Road’ about being your own worst enemy. About running from your own demons only to realise that you can’t, because the problem is inside of yourself. ‘Low Road’ is maybe one of the heaviest songs we’ve ever written, filled with the brutalness of the human mind, that can be both vicious and lost. Everybody has probably found themselves fumbling in the dark at some point in life. And with ‘Low Road’ there is no way out. We love playing this song live, because it’s just raw, balls to the wall rock power. Hopefully this can be a relief for a moment in this wicked world.
With the video for ‘Low Road’ we just wanted to express ourselves live and adding some humuor to this raw tune putting ourselves in a twisted surreal TV-show. And in some way it’s an honour to some of our heroes from the 60s-70s era of rock’n’roll it’s where we got the inspiration from. THE BEATLES, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, THE DOORS, MC5, THE ROLLING STONES to mention a few. The ones who did something to break down the barriers. Imagine, to be the ones taking the first steps opening up the world to heavier rock music. We love them for that.”
Driving home the fact that the #NDUnit is stronger than ever, Neck Deep have joined with fans to create a music video for brand new single When You Know. After the current COVID-19 crisis derailed the band’s plans for their music video shoot, they took to the internet to ask fans, friends and fellow artists to help them create a one-of-a-kind lyric video for the track.
Speaking on the new song, singer Ben Barlow says, “’When You Know’ is a song about realizing you’re in love. The old saying ‘when you know, you know’ was in my mind with this one.”
“In the timeline of ADAI [All Distortions Are Intentional] this is where Jett realises, after a wild night out, and another night talking about how they see the world and realising they share similar feelings, that he is in love with Alice,” according to Barlow. “The mutual feeling of not belonging, the difficulties of their day to day lives and battling their inner insecurities, yet now having each other to ease the pain and giving a sense of purpose is the key take-away from this song. It’s a pretty straight up summer love song, but one that’s mega catchy and feel good – a stark contrast to some of the more emotionally heavy songs on the record.”
In the world of Rock, GILBY CLARKE needs no introduction. From crunching legendary chords on his beloved Gibson Guitar in the stadiums with Guns N’ Roses, to getting down into the Snakepit to with his GNR buddy Slash, gracing our TV Screens on the widely watched rock reality show Rockstar: Supernova or creating pure, heartfelt rock music as a solo artist GILBY CLARKE has done it all.
Gilby recently released his latest single Rock n’ Roll Is Getting Louder via Golden Robot Record and now Gilby has now released the video for Rock n’ Roll Is Getting Louder. The video was shot in Palmdale CA and Downtown Los Angeles and band performance footage in Hollywood club Oh My Ribs! It was directed by Christopher C. Pearson.
Strangely Enough returned a few weeks ago with their genre-bending new single Long Time Coming, comprised of soaring vocals, polyrhythmic synths, rubbery funk bass-lines and solid grooves.
This is third single from Strangely Enough and is the first taste of the band’s debut EP, set to be released in the coming months. The band are now releasing the music video to pair with the glistening keys, myriad of electronic tones and the erupting vocal performance.
In this spectacle of a music video visualised by Joseph Burgess (the video’s director) along with Kristian Fracchia (sculptor), two opposing elements are mixed together; hard, eternal concrete and fluid, impermanent water.
Greg Olley explains what this represents:
“This symbolises the juxtaposition of defining ourselves through momentous, concrete events whilst being submerged in, and part of, a fluid and ever-morphing reality. It also reflects the desire to smash concrete self-identification.”
Adrenaline-fuelled, rock n’ roll circus and recent JUNO nominees, Palaye Royale, have released an animated video for their brand new single, Little Bastards the opening track of their highly anticipated new album The Bastards – releasing May 29th via Sumerian Records.
The storyboard for the new animated video for Little Bastards is based on the band’s upcoming graphic novel that has been written and drawn by drummer Emerson Barrett and XO Billie. It reflects this time of isolation and shows the bands innate ability to deliver enormous creativity, even during challenging times.
Speaking on the new song and video, guitarist Sebastian Danzig says, “Little Bastards’ is the opening track from our third album, The Bastards. Musically we show the direction of the album all in a single track. The vulnerability, the truth and the aggression all wrapped together in a three and a half minute track which will set the listener up for what is to come for the next 14 tracks and what corners we will touch.
Lyrically it trails from our latest release ‘Lonely’ but displaying the frustration and anger towards individuals that are meant to be friends. Visually we wanted to display our current state which is complete isolation from the world; trapped inside a house but yet the toxic society has found its way inside. We have to ‘band’ together to keep our circle of trust and honesty tight.”
GRAMMY-winning global superstar Kelly Clarkson has unveiled her brand new single I Dare You – available now via Atlantic Records. Penned by Natalie Hemby (The Highwomen, Kacey Musgraves), Laura Veltz (Dan + Shay, Maren Morris) and Ben West (P!nk, Lady Antebellum) with production by longtime collaborator Jesse Shatkin (Sia, Jennifer Lopez), the track is a sensational anthem of resilience by way of love and positivity.
I Dare You arrives alongside a five-track collection of multi-language duet versions, sung with a canon of internationally acclaimed vocalists in their native tongue. The bundle sees Clarkson joined by Zaz (“Appelle Ton Amour” – French Version), Faouzia (“كنتحداك” – Arabic Version), Blas Cantó (“Te Reto A Amar” – Spanish Version), Glasperlenspiel (“Trau Dich” – German Version) and Maya Buskila (“בוא נראה” – Hebrew Version) – truly encapsulating the song’s message of all-inclusivity. Clarkson will also share a world premiere performance music video for “I Dare You” on an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, singing virtually with her global duet partners.
“This is my favourite/hardest project that I’ve ever worked on” explained Clarkson. “It has always been a dream of mine, as I grew up singing in different languages, to find that perfect song, with the perfect message, to connect us all globally and then record that song with several other artists around the world in their native languages. We have put a lot of work into this as a team and decided to continue with our release date of this project because we feel like we all couldn’t be more connected right now across the world, and maybe this message will bring a little hope in this sometimes dark, and isolating time. Thank you so much to all the artists that worked on this with me. We hope everyone out there connects with this message and chooses love instead of fear. I dare you.”
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