GOOD MORNING UNWIND ON LATEST DOUBLE TRACK 'EXCALIBUR / TOY'

GOOD MORNING UNWIND ON LATEST DOUBLE TRACK 'EXCALIBUR / TOY'

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

Good Morning today share their latest two-track release ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Toy’, from their seventh studio album Good Morning Seven. The 17-track epic arrives on March 22 via Good Morning Music Company (ANZ) and Polyvinyl (ROW) ahead of their North American tour dates supporting Waxahatchee. With the release comes a transitory new music video for ‘Excalibur’, a fan favourite that's spawned continued online fever since its first appearance in a live set eighteen months ago. LISTEN HERE + WATCH HERE + PRE-ORDER HERE.

Seasoned songwriters, Good Morning possess a consistently high output in their creative tenure. Few times though, have they bore witness to those random, yet fully realised, strokes of inspiration as on ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Toy’. Here Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair find themselves at the hands of that remarkable happenstance with both tracks appearing so seemingly out of nowhere. An experience that recalls a similar dreamstate genesis of ‘Yesterday’ whose writer, in such disbelief of its sudden allusion, was convinced of its existence many years beforehand and by another artist entirely.

Unlike Good Morning's recent succession of double-tracks and their discography as a whole, casual demo tinkering captured the subconscious ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Toy’ in real time. Just as they first appeared in the spur of the moment, both singles share a relaxed, soft-rock quality of swash-buckling calm - the breeziest and most lounge-like lean the two-piece have unearthed musically. The sheer coincidence of their recording made all the peculiar when noting their conception in two isolated instances. Much like their collaborative relationship, taking place both entirely separate and parallel at once. 

WATCH: 'Excalibur' (Official Video)

A live set staple and heavily anticipated by fans, ‘Excalibur’ - like the sword - manifested itself in what Liam initially thought might come out as placeholder mumble while writing on tour. “It was one of those weird times where I had all the words in my head ready to go without ever explicitly thinking about them,” he shares. “Las Vegas is a strange and messed up place at the best of times, but when you feel like the world is gonna end it becomes even weirder. I remember walking around in the morning and the streets were pretty quiet and it was the day that the Killers put out that song ‘Caution’ (Las Vegas banger). I listened to that on a loop and was looking at all these mock versions of world landmarks and just quietly freaking out about my future.”

Lyrically ‘Toy’ considers a pub encounter “in which I probably shoulda just left” Stefan explains, swooning instrumentally through a crescendo of strings, woodwind and synths. Formed by the trigger of Chet Baker’s cover of ‘You Better Go Now’, while hanging out in a public park, the opening string suite sparked ‘Toy’s composition. “I paused it immediately because I could hear what became ‘Toy’ in my head,” he continues. “I hurried home and demoed the song pretty quickly, nervous that I would forget what I had imagined in the park. Don’t think something like that has ever happened to me before, but it's cool it can."

Previewed with today’s double-track and the recent ‘Just In Time’ / ‘Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)’, ‘One Night‘ / ‘Real I’m Told‘ and ‘Dog Years‘ / ‘Queen Of Comedy‘, Good Morning Seven marks a moment in the two-piece’s history as a product that demonstrates the investment (and pay-off) in taking time. Typically the duo write and record independently from each other, in a matter of days, releasing albums, EPs and double tracks all in a quick sequence of each other. That was, before Good Morning Seven. The upcoming album will see the two display a confident creative partnership, with every intentional step laid out for indulgence.

Good Morning announce new double album with singles 'Just In Time / Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)'

Good Morning today announce their most expansive and experimental release yet, the 17-track double album Good Morning Seven due March 22 via Good Morning Music Company Worldwide (AUNZ) and Polyvinyl (ROW). With the news they share the latest double release 'Just In Time' and 'Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)' alongside details to experience their only Australian show for the foreseeable future in late February. LISTEN HERE + PRE-ORDER LP HERE.

Good Morning Seven marks a moment in the band's history, a product of the investment (and pay-off) in taking time. Historically the duo of Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair write and record independently from each other, in a matter of days, releasing albums, EPs and double tracks all in quick succession of each other - until now. "We built a studio at the end of 2020 and spent the next year and a half writing and recording this record," they explain. "The last three Good Morning albums were made in a matter of days, so we wanted to stretch out and take a long time on this one."

Narrowing down 70 songs penned in preparation for their seventh album, the cohesive 17 that you'll see on the 51-minute double record - their longest yet - come together as Good Morning's most ambitious project to date. Made possible thanks to their own decade long friendship, Liam and Stefan stretched days into longer periods of gestation, steadily developed their own studio spaces with gear accumulated or kindly borrowed, and a string of collaborators invited to contribute for the first time ever. The resulting Good Morning Seven sees Good Morning display a confident creative partnership, with every intentional step laid out for indulgence. 

Of the record, the band share "We talked about wanting to make a more melodic, brighter record - one with more vocal harmonies and samples and synths. It's a personal milestone. We wanted to change the palette, to "go long" and we were pleasantly surprised with what came out. It was like writing our first album, for the first time again."

While it's written, recorded, engineered, and produced solely by Good Morning, they further expand their world with an integrated community of contributors in mix engineer Tyler Karmen (Noname, DIIV, Devendra Banhart) with parts overdubbed at Stella Mozgawa’s (drummer of Warpaint) Joshua Tree studio, Fred Kevorkian (The White Stripes, Iggy Pop, The National, Willie Nelson) who mastered in Brooklyn, string arrangements by Chloe Sanger, Greer Clemens and Dannika Horvat on harmonies (the only guest vocalists on record to date), and Stefan's father Glenn Blair even played woodwinds. 

WATCH: 'Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)' (Official Video)

In keeping with the album's theme today's double-track release 'Just In Time' / 'Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)' follows 'One Night' / 'Real I'm Told' and 'Dog Years' / 'Queen Of Comedy'. Expanding on the idea that often in life, things seem to echo a bit with uncertainty, but you've got to trudge along, 'Just In Time' although cheerful in tone is "really not a very happy song," Liam shares. "It seems to me that it’s about trying to muster up the hope that one day you’ll make it out of the shitty situation that you’ve found yourself in, and desperately searching for some self belief."

The second single – inspired by Stefan's favourites Nina Simone and MGMT – 'Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)' is the first Good Morning track to really dive into reverb, leaving it extra dreamy and washed with a little bit of weariness. "Lyrically it began about my feelings surrounding being in this band at that point," Stefan explains, "and sorta moved towards a more general song about finding a state of content within your life. Sorta like I grew up wanting to make music for a living, and now that just makes me anxious and suspicious? Just like people I know who go down the path of getting married and having kids etc yet still struggle with their dependencies on drugs and alcohol - nothing’s ever truly ideal, but you gotta appreciate those in between moments when you’re not overwhelmed by it all."

In celebration of the upcoming album, Good Morning have announced a one off live in-studio performance this February 24 in Naarm / Melbourne - the band's first Australian show in over two years and the only Australian show planned for the near future as they relocate overseas. Entry is only available via LP pre-order. Pre-order the album in any format via the Sound Merch store for access. In the lead up to Good Morning Seven's release, the band will be touring across the US in support of Waxahatchee, find all of the dates here.

​Good Morning Seven LP
Mar 22 via Good Morning Music Company Worldwide / Polyvinyl
PRE-SAVE + PRE-ORDER HERE

​'Just In Time / Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)' is out now, buy/stream it here.

TRACKLIST
1. Arcade
2. Ahhhh (This Isn't Ideal)
3. Monster Of The Week
4. As The Dogs Were Playing
5. The Worm Turns
6. Dog Years
7. Queen Of Comedy
8. The Lake
9. Diane Said
10. One Night
11. Excalibur
12. Real I'm Told
13. Just In Time
14. Toy
15. Jelly Legs
16. Dogs On The Beach
17. The Fear!

Good Morning return with new two-track release 'Dog Years' & 'Queen of Comedy'

Good Morning, the Australian indie duo of Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair today share new double singles, ‘Dog Years’ and ‘Queen Of Comedy’ via Good Morning Music Company Worldwide (AUNZ) and Polyvinyl (ROW). LISTEN + WATCH HERE.

Warming up for their North American tour with Frankie Cosmos later this month, Good Morning’s first batch of double singles since their 2022 drop in 'Misery' and 'Out To Pasture' sees the two tease a refined ear for production and sound born from a stream of rigorous writing and experimentation. ‘Dog Years’ penned by Liam and ‘Queen Of Comedy’ by Stefan arrive crafted with string, horn and orchestral arrangements written and produced by Good Morning in their entirety, recorded at their former Preston studio base. 

A steady traipse forward from their firmly DIY-etched brand of indie, the singles channel the rolling chamber pop of Weyes Blood with the twisty-twangy psych-folk of Drugdealer. Maintaining the distinctly observational, arresting lyricism of their critically acclaimed work in their recent Barnyard LP as they build on the foundations of their cult records Shawcross and Prize//Reward, 'Dog Years' and 'Queen Of Comedy' sees the two hint at existentialism and the passing of time. 

"Can’t believe I’m writing this sentence, but Liz Phair graciously allowed us to use some lyrics from 'F**k and Run' for the end of the song," Liam shares of 'Dog Years'. "It kinda sounds like Bruce Springsteen if he made evil clown synth pop?" he continues. Whereas for Stefan, 'Queen Of Comedy' he explains, "while the first few lines may seem like it, it is not a song about having a God complex." Featuring a string quartet of Chloe Sanger (violin, arrangement), Lucy Rash (violin), Jenny Thomas (viola) and Kiya Van Der Linden-Kian (cello), he continues, "When working on the string arrangement, I asked Chloe to make it sound like a less French version of Serge Gainsbourg’s 'Melody'."

In Good Morning's near-decade tenure, the project of Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair, reached a previously unprecedented level of recognition in 2021’s Barnyard LP. Pushing past their humble ‘doing it on our own terms’ sleeves by signing with Polyvinyl (Julia Jacklin, Alvvays, Momma) and Sub Pop Publishing, the album was celebrated internationally with widespread tastemaker acclaim from Rolling Stone, NME, Stereogum, The Line Of Best Fit, Consequence, Alt Press, Paste, DIY Mag, Music Feeds, The Music, Northern Transmissions, KCRW, 6Music and many more.

For some keeping a collaborative creative relationship may become hard, but for Good Morning’s eight-year-plus partnership the two continue to hit a stride; breaking all their own rules and then some. Later this month, Good Morning will take to shows across North America, supporting Frankie Cosmos in duo mode and shortly after, as a full band with their own headline shows across October. Find all tour routing details below. 

'Dog Years / Queen Of Comedy' is out now, buy/stream it here.

Chitra shares new single 'Go Easy'

Chitra, the Naarm / Melbourne blossoming indie vocalist returns today with her latest single ‘Go Easy’, ahead of her BIGSOUND showcase next month. LISTEN HERE.

Patient and restrained over wrung-out guitar strums, 'Go Easy' although more languid than the recent ‘In My Opinion’ speaks to the frustration in moments of impasse. “Go Easy is a song I wrote about sitting on a feeling when you’re hesitant to act on it. Anticipating the worst but being drawn to it constantly,” she reveals. Calling to mind the commanding alternative-indie sound that forged Jack River and MAY-A's paths, Chitra speaks with dismay to the opportunities that never materialise in voicing your thoughts aloud.

On 'Go Easy' she plays with the archetypes of indie-leaning stereotypes, often riddled with introspective anxieties that coddle rather than empower, especially when particularly far from reach. Instead of floundering in their turmoil internally, she considers moving on from their debilitation with a shared ability to play with perception and expectations as boygenius. In charge of her own path here, Chitra leaves dismay in the back of her mind with a call to keep calm and carry on, singing "I don’t wanna find what I know that I can’t hold... A call to change is never answered quick." Not to be misread as needing to be left alone to pluck up the courage, but rather, to move on from spiralling in the "what if".

Chitra’s music is the vessel for navigating growth and the world with a firm lens of the present. Wide-eyed at the prospect of discovery and opportunity, crossed with a jubilant and carefree upbringing in the Bellarine Peninsula. Her magnetism lies in catching listeners off guard with her astute observations of relationships, the world, and Chitra’s place amongst it all. ‘Go Easy’ follows her earlier sample of the fruit born from a period of steady reflection, the confident ‘In My Opinion’, triumphed by Rolling Stone, triple j Unearthed, Northern Transmissions (Song Of The Day), Pilerats, RAGE, FBi Radio and more.

Today with her feet planted firmly on the ground, Chitra is not mincing words and she’s not letting anyone off the hook. Through a careful shedding of the folk-pop from her earlier work in favour of a sound that represents a “rockier, bolder, a bit more solid” impression of her artistry unlike before. The sound of a revered young songwriter taking herself apart and putting herself back together even stronger will come closer into focus later this year - experience its formal preview at BIGSOUND this September.

Elizabeth Shares New Single 'Love Is The Easiest Salvation'

Beloved patron of sad girls Elizabeth celebrates her birthday today with the release of ‘Love Is The Easiest Salvation’, a cinematic pop song that reflects on the devotion within love as a concept of worship, and the first cut from her highly anticipated, to-be-announced second album coming in 2024. ‘Love Is The Easiest Salvation’ sees Elizabeth reunite with The Wonderful World of Nature producer John Castle with mastering by Ruairi O’Flaherty - whose incredible ear for pop music has seen him work with Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith - and marks the start of a bold and confident new chapter for Elizabeth. ‘Love Is The Easiest Salvation’ is out everywhere now through Our Golden Friend, stream HERE.

Elizabeth will be performing ‘Love Is The Easiest Salvation’ and previewing her new album for the very first time at BIGSOUND 2023. She’s armed with a brand new live show, and her new band that features Ryan Strathie and Graham Ritchie from Holy Holy. 

This isn’t the first time Elizabeth has released music on her birthday; the first single from her debut album, the iconic ‘Beautiful Baby’ also had an August 9 release. Arguably the most Leo move to release music on your birthday - Leos love to be the centre of attention after all - Elizabeth shares, “I like putting songs out on my birthday because I always think about dying on my birthday and songs live forever.” 

The parallels between the sense of belonging found in relationships and faith found in religion forms the backbone of ‘Love Is The Easiest Salvation’. She was richly inspired by Sappho’s poetry and Anne Carson’s Eros the Bittersweet, and wrote the song on the electric piano she first learned to play when she was 11 that came preloaded with 00s sounds. Elizabeth shares, “Love is the Easiest Salvation holds that love is worship, we build our lives around finding connection. It’s a guiding light and sometimes something that leads us into darkness. I have never belonged to any kind of religion, but I know how to fall in love.” Love really is her church.

‘Love Is The Easiest Salvation’ was recorded in kanamaluka/Launceston alongside co-producer John Castle (Cub Sport, Angie McMahon, Hatchie) with whom Elizabeth worked on across her debut album The Wonderful World of Nature. Castle added live drums, guitar, and additional synth to create such a heavenly, pop-driven track, with mastering by Ruairi O’Flaherty, one of the most in-demand pop music engineers who has worked alongside Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Denzel Curry and Lana Del Rey. The release of ‘Love Is The Easiest Salvation’ marks the start of a striking new chapter for Elizabeth, as she confidently steps forward towards the release of her new album due out in 2024.

Elizabeth captures the reckless thrill of romance like no other. On her debut album The Wonderful World of Nature, she stepped away from a messy divorce like a world-weary heroine pulling herself from the wreckage of a car crash: broken glass shining like glitter, bloodstains smearing like blush. Contrasting lush dream pop haze with visceral, disarmingly truthful lyricism, it was a pop record out of time - glamorous and tragic, ultra modern and undeniably timeless, a queer answer to nihilistic, powerfully feminine pop heroes like Lana Del Rey and Lorde. In 2022 she released her Suite of Singles - three, interconnected songs and accompanying visuals by Nick Mckk that expanded and complicated her richly alluring world - and earlier this year released the Live at Thornbury Theatre EP, recorded at her curated event A Night With Elizabeth as part of Always LIVE. Elizabeth’s Suite of Singles - 'Happier Now', ‘Sweet Connection’ and ‘If You Died’ - saw support from triple j, Unearthed, FBi Radio, MTV Australia, rage, NME Australia, Notion, The Music, Music Feeds and many, many others. 
 

Listen to 'Love Is The Easiest Salvation' HERE

RVG NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS OUT TODAY + HEADLINING THE FORUM JUNE 14

RVG’s highly anticipated third studio album Brain Worms is out today with a spotlight on the album’s most pop-leaning track ‘It’s Not Easy’.
 

~ BUY/STREAM BRAIN WORMS NOW ~
 

After a momentous first five years — finding critical acclaim for debut A Quality of Mercy, landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more — RVG released second album Feral as the world was locking down. Feral was called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald.

But between the four bandmates — lead singer and guitarist Vager, guitarist Reuben Bloxham, drummer Marc Nolte and bassist Isabele Wallace — this is the most confident they’ve ever felt in RVG. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.

“Hype is scary. After two years of Covid it felt like the hype had gone down so we were able to just do stuff,” says Vager. “This time around we were like, this is what we’re doing, we’re taking control, we’re taking risks, and we’re going to make an album that sounds big so that when we hear it on the radio we want to hear it again.”

“If we could only make one more album, it would be this one,” says Vager.

All throughout Brain Worms, it’s apparent that this is a band in very fine form. Album opener ‘Common Ground’ sets the tone for what’s to come; a shiny, thrilling, punch of an album, with all the beloved RVG hallmarks. Vager’s voice is unfiltered and commanding as ever when delivering her clever, not-quite-ironic lyrics. Here, though, those lyrics feel so much less resigned to yearning, and so much more defiant and joyous.

New focus track ‘It’s Not Easy’ opens with the refrain: ‘For a minute now / let’s not talk about you / and how you wanna crumble.’ Before launching into a sparkling, laidback pop rock jam about a hauntingly familiar story; watching a friend self-destruct.

‘Tambourine’ is the only Covid song Vager wrote when “trying not to write Covid songs”, and it’s a painfully honest portrait of grieving mid-isolation. ‘Brain Worms’ tells the all-too-familiar story of a person falling down the internet rabbit hole and finding comfort in conspiracies.

‘Nothing Really Changes’ is a keys-heavy new wave-ish thing, while closer ‘Tropic of Cancer’ sparkles with Vager’s self-assured new manifesto: I know what I’m like, and I know how I get. If you think I’m strange, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

A hurtling rock song, ‘Midnight Sun’ deals in matters of disbelief, and what it feels like to live in a culture that often prefers to argue the semantics than save the world from burning. Aptly furious and defiant, frontwoman Romy Vager cuts through the chaos singing ‘my city is in ashes / but I’m still burning bright / Hangin’ here like a lantern / in case you change your mind’.

Bloxham, Nolte, and Wallace are flawlessly adept in bringing Vager’s songwriting to life. Recorded in London at Snap Studios with James Trevascus (Billy Nomates, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, The Goon Sax), all ten tracks surge with lush sounds and clear intentions — and the magic of an acoustic guitar once owned by Kate Bush, given to her by Tears for Fears (who, legend has it, wrote ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ on it). RVG recently returned from SXSW (Austin, USA) and The Great Escape (Brighton, UK) where they also toured with Billy Nomates. Back home now, the band are throwing a very special instore event at SoundMerch in Collingwood, before they go on to play Rising Festival, Dark Mofo and Splendour in the Grass.

2023 is the year of RVG and the release of Brain Worms is just the beginning.
 

Listen to Brain Worms now here.

ELIZABETH SHARES LIVE AT THORNBURY THEATRE EP + SHARES LIVE VIDEOS FROM THE NIGHT

Today beloved patron saint of sad girls Elizabeth shares her magnetising Live at Thornbury Theatre EP. A sparkling collection of songs from her enchanting performance at her 2022 curated mini festival A Night with Elizabeth that ran as part of ALWAYS LIVE. The EP is out now via AntiFragile Music and Our Golden Friend. 

~ WATCH / LISTEN TO LIVE AT THORNBURY THEATRE HERE ~

Recorded and engineered by Bonnie Knight and mixed by Liam 'Snowy' Halliwell the EP captures the live magic of Elizabeth's new band. The accompanying videos by Andrew Watson of Semi Conductor Media paint a mesmerising picture of a pop heroine claiming her space on her elaborate home stage. Presented as part of ALWAYS LIVE the mini festival saw Elizabeth surrounded by makers and creatives amidst the glimmering grandeur of the theatre stage.

The EP explores the depths of, as Elizabeth puts it "the what if that always hangs over a relationship that's broken down irreparably. As in, I can't keep you but what if you're gone forever."  The final videos from the show, including 'Happier Now' and 'Sweet Connection' are live on Youtube HERE.

This Live EP sees Elizabeth return to the stage, bringing a swish of neon taffeta and a glimmering sultry honesty, seen through her 2022 Suite of Songs. The three, interconnected singles and accompanying visuals expand and complicate her richly alluring world. The first single from the Suite 'Happier Now' was added to FBi Radio, MTV Australia and rage, received airplay on triple j, Unearthed, Double J, RRR and 4ZZZ, with NME Australia, Notion, The Music, Music Feeds and more all singing its praises. The lyrical motifs of her debut album The Wonderful World of Nature (2019) are recast in neon on the Suite, their old prismatic glow replaced by a dangerous, alluring coolness. 

Elizabeth captures the reckless thrill of romance like no other. On The Wonderful World of Nature, she stepped away from a messy divorce like a world-weary heroine pulling herself from the wreckage of a car crash: broken glass shining like glitter, bloodstains smearing like blush. Contrasting lush dreampop haze with visceral, disarmingly truthful lyricism, it was a pop record out of time - glamorous and tragic, ultra modern and undeniably timeless, a queer answer to nihilistic, powerfully feminine pop heroes like Lana Del Rey and Lorde. Capturing hearts and minds of media and fans across the globe, the record saw widespread acclaim from The Saturday Paper, FADER, Wonderland, frankie, Pilerats, The Music and Tone Deaf, amongst others, and was included in Album of the Year lists across The Guardian, The Saturday Paper and the Herald Sun.

808s & GREATEST HITS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM OUR LORD IN EXILE OUT 15 SEPTEMBER + SHARE SPLIT SINGLE 'ANOTHER LIFE / AUTHORITARIAN BLUES'

Today 808s & Greatest Hits unveil their fourth album Our Lord In Exile out September 15th 2023 via Our Golden Friend. To celebrate the announce they have shared a two track single 'Another Life / Authoritarian Blues' out now on all digital platforms.

~ STREAM / DOWNLOAD 'ANOTHER LIFE' / 'AUTHORITARIAN BLUES' HERE ~

Starting as a three song suite that was intended for 2021's Social Bubble, the album charts the journey of a dystopian king and the downfall of a despot through heavy prog influences and dark synths. Mixed by John Lee at Phaedra and mastered by David Walker at Stepford Audio the album was woven together from songs swapped back and forth between members Skube Burnell, Ronnie Frew, Lochy Funston and Nathan Nicholson. 

Our Lord In Exile sees 808s & Greatest Hits dive deep into a narrative concept, creating their most ambitious and collaborative album yet. The double A side singles explore the intricacies of power struggles and control, a dystopian landscape masterfully captured across the tracks.

808s & Greatest Hits, initially the recording project of Melbourne’s Skube Burnell has grown into a collaborative maelstrom of local creatives. 808s & Greatest Hits’ recorded material and live shows feature a revolving cast of friends and collaborators who allow the project to take unconventional and exciting detours along the journey. They have released three albums, 2019's Cabin Vibes, 2020 album Greatest Hits II and Social Bubble in 2021. Previous incarnations of 808s & Greatest Hits have seen Burnell collaborate with a 5-piece band and other recordings and performances have captured 808s at its most intimate and introspective from Skube alone.

Our Lord In Exile will be released September 15th 2023.
You can pre-order the album HERE.

RVG RELEASE NEW TRACK ‘COMMON GROUND’ + NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS – OUT FRI JUNE 2

Revered Melbourne band RVG present ‘Common Ground’, the fourth and final track from their forthcoming and highly anticipated third studio album, Brain Worms – out Friday June 2.
 

~ BUY/STREAM 'COMMON GROUND' NOW ~
 

The opening track of Brain Worms, ‘Common Ground’ aptly sets the scene, introducing us to a record that leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of self-dissection, analysis, and ultimately, plaintive acceptance. “Something that Sarah from Camp Cope said to me years ago has always stuck with me; ‘No matter what we do, they’re still going to hate us.’”- Romy Vager

Sonically, ‘Common Ground’ rocks back and forward melodically, as if to comfort its listener, as Romy’s forthright and penetrative lyricism cuts through synth laden crescendos with earnest poignancy. It’s a journey that culminates in a transcendent instrumental outro, punctuated by silvery, 80’s-esq percussion.

Watch 'Common Ground' HERE.

The accompanying 'Common Ground' video is directed by Tom Campbell, and features RVG performing in the round as dancer Jayden Lewis performs the striking choreography of Zoee Marsh. “Together we wanted to do something that was stripped back, reduced to its simplest form, with only the most basic and essential features,” says Campbell. “There is no contrivance, no attempt to cover up or hide the infrastructure of the band’s instruments or our film gear, we embrace that chaos, but we also wanted to play with our audiences expectations to land somewhere in the middle of narrative and performance. Visually, I wanted to represent the struggle I heard in the lyrics in a physical way. How we fight these feelings, how we try to beat them down, or free ourselves from them. These feelings get inside us, under our skin - ridding ourselves of them, or exorcising them from within, becomes a kind of exercise in healing.”

The new offering follows previous album singles ‘Midnight Sun’, ‘Squid’ and ‘Nothing Really Changes’, which featured across The Guardian AU, NME AU, Tone Deaf, Music Feeds, plus received a slew of local radio adds, DSP playlist covers and debuted at #3 on Top 10 Singles Chart at specialty radio in the U.S. Last month’s follow up ‘Squid’ was one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Songs You Need To Know’ and praised by Brooklyn Vegan’, Culture Fiend, Femmusic and Glamglare, with Austin Town Hall calling the track a “a powerful display that delivers a wallop to the listener’s ears”.

After a momentous first five years — finding critical acclaim for debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more — RVG released second album Feral (2020) as the world was locking down. Feral was called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald. But in new album Brain Worms, this is the most confident the band has ever felt in RVG. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.

RVG recently returned from the UK and Europe where they toured with Billy Nomates and showcased at The Great Escape between headline shows. The band are now set to play Rising Festival, Dark Mofo and Splendour in the Grass.

Pre-order Brain Worms now here.

CHITRA ANNOUNCES FIRST SHOW FOR 2023 MONDAY 22 MAY FOR SOCIAL SANCTUARY AT NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB

Today Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter, Chitra announces her first show of 2023 playing Northcote Social Club as part of their free Social Sanctuary series on Monday 22nd of May. She'll be joined on the night by Hot Glue and Local Derby, more info can be found here.

The night will see Chitra taking to the stage anew, fresh from two years spent writing and reflecting, in the process stepping away with an enigmatic new sound. It will also mark the debut performance with her new band and the first glimpse into her world of new music coming out later this year.

Chitra creates transportive music that footnotes her contemporaries - Julia Jacklin, Angel Olsen, and Adrianne Lenker - and fuses their influences onto a bed of sparkling rock. Late 2021 saw the release of single ‘Give Up’ which followed Chitra’s self-titled debut EP, released right at the dawn of the pandemic in February 2020. A three-year in-the-making endeavour, Chitra’s music is the vessel for an old soul growing up and navigating the world with a firm lens of the present.

Growing up in the Bellarine Peninsula, her adolescence as a coastal kid - jubilant and carefree - shines across her vocals and production work. Though the instrumentation and melodies appear as breezy, catchy jaunts, Chitra’s magnetism lies in catching listeners off guard with her astute observations of relationships, the world, and her place amongst it all. Stay tuned for more Chitra coming soon.