CHITRA DEBUT SELF-TITLED EP OUT TODAY ANNOUNCES FIRST EVER AUSTRALIAN EAST COAST HEADLINE TOUR
Today Melbourne dreamboat Chitra is proud to share her eagerly awaited debut Self-Titled EP. The EP features singles 'Leaving', 'Keep Up', 'Better Than Before' and 'A Kind' the latter inspiring Pilerats to describe Chitra as "a buzzing master of emotive storytelling and the empowerment that comes with it; her subtle combination of sounds rooted in thick emotion and a sense of uplifting."
To celebrate the release of her debut EP Chitra is incredibly excited to announced her first ever headline tour of the East Coast of Australia. Featuring shows Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong & hometown Melbourne. Full tour information and ticket links can be found below.
~ Stream/Download the EP Here ~
Chitra squeezes the juice out of country, indie-rock and pop and turns it into a zesty new taste of woozy intimacy. Covering deeply complex narratives of unspoken thoughts, self preservation and figuring-it-all-out, Chitra catches the listener off guard. Though things sound breezy, the deeper observations on the EP are astute and rich proving that the more specific you make something the more universal it becomes.
The EP was recorded over a week in enchanting Mount Macedon with producer James Cecil, founding member of beloved Australian band Architecture In Helsinki who has previously worked with The Goon Sax, Elizabeth, The Orbweavers, Time For Dreams & many others
Throughout the EP Singer-songwriter Chitra Ridwan shines, mastering her unique sound that refuses to conform to one specific genre - gleaning elements from across a musical canvas while her timeless voice anchors her songs firmly in the present.
Chitra’s songs capture the candid and lived in space of in-betweenness of an old soul growing up and navigating the present with an observant and cuttingly self aware lens. Each song offers a vulnerable new insight, individually and collectively weaving a complex narrative. Her love of 50s & 60s girl groups like The Supremes and The Shirelles shines through on the production and vocal performance as well as influences from modern day heroes such as Molly Burch, Angel Olsen and Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief.
Growing up surrounded by the diverse musical influences on the Bellarine Peninsula, Chitra’s sound is unrefined by formal training and blossoms with the self assuredness and freedom of a coastal kid.
Chitra recorded this debut Self-Titled EP with new collaborators Dylan Young (Way Dynamic, Emma Russack, Snowy Band) on guitar & piano, Lehman B Smith (Totally Mild, Grand Salvo) on bass and Maria Moles (Jaala, Mild Life, Doroth) on drums. With the band and production team emerging from different backgrounds, each bringing their own musical language to the table. Chitra braved the highly vulnerable process to capture each specific feeling in its entirety through collaboration, trial & error and embarking on unexpected avenues of discovery for a formerly solo artist.
Chitra’s effortlessly cool energy and endearing magnetism emerges from her definiteness to remain wholly herself in her writing and music, making work that is deeply grounded in the honesty of her day to day. She represents a strong and free thinking creative emerging within Australian culture that strives for creative authenticity rather than conventional milestones of the past.
CHITRA UPCOMING SHOW DATES
Mar 6th-9th Port Fairy Folk Festival, VIC - tickets
Mar 13th - Yah Yah's, VIC
Supporting Quivers, Gena Rose Bruce - details
Mon Mar 16th - Brunswick Music Fesitval
Supporting Elizabeth, Estonian House tickets
HEADLINE EP TOUR
25th April - The Grace Darling, Melbourne - tickets
30th April - Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle - free entry
1st May - The Newsagency, Sydney - tickets
3rd May - North Gong Hotel, Wollongong - free entry