BOBBY MAGUIRE SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO MOVING TO THE CITY
Queensland-based singer songwriter Bobby Maguire has today announced his new single Moving to the City, a sweet song written to inspire self-confidence in the young artist before a big life change, out now. The song is also accompanied by a charming clip, and reflects a hilarious, whimsical journey from the country to the city. Moving to the City is the first taste of Bobby Maguire’s debut self-titled album, released on November 29.
Moving to the City is a poppy, chirpy track, and it’s pretty hard not to smile as the honest, uplifting lyrics play out. It’s refreshing to allow this acoustic guitar-driven track to wash over and perhaps reminisce about moving from a childhood home to a college dorm or first sharehouse. It’s sentimental, but fun, and exudes enthusiasm and anticipation, as Bobby explains, “Moving to the City was inspired by bands like The Cure and The Kooks, it deals with the loss of a past life as well as growth and a need to move forward with a new chapter. I wrote this song as a form of encouragement for myself to embrace this new journey.”
The clip for Moving to the City is delightful in its lofi nature, and a truly funny watch, particularly to anyone who has been a victim to the often-disastrous search for the right rental property. Entirely self-made, with the help of good friends and family, the clip has a lovable, quirky edge, and showcases a comedic side to this talented young artist. Speaking on the making of the clip, Bobby says, “The video clip is raw and fun, it doesn’t take itself too seriously in order to reflect the sunny, lively feel of the song. It features me playing multiple characters and was shot with a minimal budget, and the aim of the clip is to connect with the audience on a down-to-earth level, so that they don’t get lost in gloss and feel more connected to the song.”
Bobby’s debut self-titled album is a heartwarming, painstakingly curated collection of brilliant, sharp songwriting. Upbeat, yet emotive, listeners will be buoyed by the sweet lyricism in Black Dog and Get What You Take, and compelled to the dancefloor by tracks Ifs and Maybes and Outta My Head. Recorded with Cairns-based Kris Hutchinson, with a sound evocative of Thirsty Merc and Bernard Fanning, the album is a coming of age story, as Bobby describes, “The album follows my musical journey so far, beginning with uplifting tracks Moving to the City and Home which I began writing when I was fifteen. As the album progresses, a more punk rock feel emerges through songs Fight the Fear, Game and The Messenger which mirror battles with identity, dependence and anger. Introspection is also woven through the album with songs like Black Dog which speaks of mental health issues from a friend’s perspective, as well as Get What You Take which is about accountability for your actions, as well as self acceptance and love.” Sharing more insight into the recording process, he says, “ Before production began I already had ten self produced demos with all the instruments and arrangements finalised. These complete demos helped me secure a Regional Arts Development Fund grant, which enabled me to begin recording with Kris Hutchinson. Kris had great advice, amazing patience and even played bass on a few tracks.”
Bobby Maguire’s self-titled album is out now
LONTALIUS SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘SWIM’ AHEAD OF NEW ALBUM ‘ALL I HAVE’ – SET FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 4 + NATIONAL TOUR SUPPORTING JAPANESE WALLPAPER IN OCTOBER & NOVEMBER
Enigmatic NZ electronic artist Lontalius, also known as Eddie Johnston, has today announced his glowing new single Swim, a comforting, honest track about accepting the ups and downs of life, out now. Swim is also accompanied by a stunning clip, made in collaboration with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (Pacific Heights, Whim, Weird Together). The prolific young artist has also announced his new album, All I Have, set for release on October 4. Lontalius will be joining Japanese Wallpaper on the road for his first ever Australian shows in October and November this year, kicking off at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on October 25, then moving through Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and wrapping up in Brisbane at The Brightside on November 9.
Swim is an endearing track, seemingly buoyed by pessimism and optimism at the same time. Reminiscent of indie pop giants The 1975 and Troye Sivan, Swim is driven by a pounding beat and intricate guitar lines (not to mention a killer solo towards the end) while Lontalius’ idiosyncratic vocal floats above it all. Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Lontalius says, “Swim is about the acceptance that with all the heartbreak, anxiety and stress of being young, the universe is still leading you on the right path. You can have everything seemingly perfectly lined up in front of you, but sometimes it just won’t work out… it’s a song that i’m really proud of. It hit a lot of marks I had been trying to hit for the past few years. It’s energetic and it has a pace to it that I haven’t done before, all the while still living in the ‘lontalius’ world, I think.”
The clip for Swim zooms in on the self-reflection in the song in a figurative and literal sense. Lontalius sings alone, in the gorgeous Wellington wilderness, looking deep into a mirror suspended in mid-air. The clip is beautiful, dreamy; an appropriate visual representation of Swim, as Lontalius explains, “The video follows me singing the song into a mirror, walking along various locations in my home Wellington, NZ. With the song mostly being a dialogue with my own brain – a moment of self reflection, it made sense for me to sing it back to myself. This clip was a culmination of a few ideas we’d had in our minds for a while. The picturesque NZ landscape never fails to contrast the emotion in my music…I made it with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. They’ve done all of my videos as well as a number of other NZ artists. We tend to have similar ideas around what will work, I’m not sure if I could work with anyone else.”
If Lontalius’ debut LP I’ll Forget 17 was a snapshot of his life as a teenager, All I Have documents the period in life when he was exiting adolescence and entering adulthood. Outgrowing one era but not yet ready, perhaps, for another. With a characteristic melancholic, yet beautiful temperment, paired with wistful synthesisers and soft, gentle guitar, All I Have is a superb collection of songs from this impressive artist. Working in LA alongside Grammy award winning producer Om’Mas Keith (Frank Ocean, John Legend, Jay Z), Jim Fairchild (Grandaddy, Modest Mouse), Roy Blair (Kevin Abstract) and Mr Hudson (Kanye West), Lontalius dove deep into a varied array of infuences for this second album, drawing inspiration from the artists he grew up listening to, such as U2 (circa Joshua Tree), REM, and Coldplay, alongside modern pop auters Kacey Musgraves and Lorde. Reflecting on the album, Lontalius enthuses, “The main themes on All I Have are love, youth and anxiety. I started writing it at 18 so it basically follows my own experiences with love, being away from home, new pressures and pleasures, as well as that general feeling of ‘coming of age’. Just trying to make sense of it all… It was my intention to add a little more energy and life into my music than I had done before. I had built up energy and I wanted to let it out! It was also important to me that it didn’t end up being a bloated, 20 song thing. I wanted to be able to grab it all with one hand.”
Lontalius will be playing his first Australian shows ever in October and November this year supporting Japanese Wallpaper on his Glow national tour. Thrilled to be hitting the road for what is set to be a beautiful, immersive experience for audiences, Lontalius says, “I’m really happy I’m finally making it to Australia! I’m doing solo sets, playing new and older music from even my soundcloud days. Trying to create a sound that people can get lost in for 30 minutes or so.”
Swim is out now. All I Have is set for release on October 4.
LONTALIUS NATIONAL TOUR (SUPPORTING JAPANESE WALLPAPER)
FRI OCT 25 | CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC| 18+
SAT OCT 26 | SEWING ROOM, PERTH WA | 18+
FRI NOV 1 | LION ARTS FACTORY, ADELAIDE SA | 18+
FRI NOV 8 | OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW| 18+
SAT NOV 9 | THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE QLD | 18+
MONTAIGNE’S NEW ALBUM COMPLEX OUT NOW & NATIONAL TOUR IN NOVEMBER
Praise for COMPLEX
“Proof that pop doesn’t need to be dumbed down” – Herald Sun ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“Complex is a delightful exploration of a young woman’s examined life, warts and all” – The Australian
“Blending theatrics with emotion perfectly, Montaigne’s melodic pop tones create a gut-wrenching contrast between wanting to dance and wanting to cry. It’s an ode to Montaigne’s maturity to be able to write without metaphor around things so oftern trivialised and turn it into a gorgeous journey of self-discovery, determination and growth” – The Music ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
Art pop auteur Montaigne has today released her spectacular second album Complex, which features triple j faves For Your Love and Ready, alongside her latest single, the title track of the record. To celebrate the album, Montaigne will be taking part in instore stripped back performances and signings at Oh Jean Records in Melbourne on Saturday August 31 at 12pm and HUM Music in Sydney on Monday September 2 at 5.30pm. She will then be hitting the road for her Complex album tour (presented by triple j) in November, kicking off in Adelaide on November 7, then moving through Perth, Fremantle, Maroochydore, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Bendigo, Torquay, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and finishing up in Wollongong on November 30. Montaigne has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket goes to support Bush Heritage Australia a national non-profit organisation conserving biodiversity in Australia. www.bushheritage.org.au
The latest single Complex is an intriguing snapshot of the aftermath of – and hindsight that accompanies – a relationship with someone who has a Messiah complex. This is Montaigne at her absolute best – self-aware, wise, and delightfully verbose, playing with the meaning of complex and threading intricate and playful vocal melodies atop a bed of kitschy piano and determined drums. It’s the perfect title track for this eclectic album. On the new album, themes range from loneliness, isolation, distorted love narratives, confused sense of self, the desire to escape, self-image issues and self-realisation. All these concepts interact and percolate amongst themselves on Complex, and Montaigne does a spectacular job of expressing herself with eloquence, passion and powerful vocal authority.
Speaking on how she hopes the album is received by her audience, Montaigne explains, “Having to figure this album and my life out in simultaneity was the best possible collision of events I could have endured. There’s no way to quantify it, but I think going through the whole thing rescued me from a bunch of possible futures which would have been unpleasant and dark. It’s just this sense I have. I hope that listening to this album bequeaths the sense of anticipation and tension and tortuous disappointment that precedes your life and mind and body being totally reshaped and redefined, hopefully for the better.”
Montaigne worked with a wide range of producers on Complex, including long-time collaborator Tony Buchen (Courtney Barnett, The Preatures), Wynne Bennett (Twin Shadow, Janelle Monae), Kyle Shearer (Dua Lipa, Broods, K. Flay), Mozella (Madonna, Miley Cyrus, One Direction), Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Foals), Mario Späte (Tkay Maidza, Urthboy, Allday) and Eric J Dubowsky (Flume, St. Vincent, Dua Lipa).
Montaigne will be playing shows around the country in November to celebrate the release of Complex. Her unique, theatrical and emotional performance style never fails to impress. Tickets available from www.montaigne.oztix.com.au
Complex is available now.
SAT AUG 31 @ 12PM | OH JEAN RECORDS | INSTORE SIGNING AND PERFORMANCE | 276 NICHOLSON STREET, FITZROY
MON SEP 2 @ 5.30PM | HUM MUSIC | INSTORE SIGNING AND PERFORMANCE | 271 KING STREET, NEWTOWN
Complex album artwork
MONTAIGNE ‘COMPLEX’ NATIONAL ALBUM TOUR
Presented by triple j
Tickets from www.montaigne.oztix.com.au
THU 07 NOV – THE GOV, ADELAIDE
FRI 08 NOV – BADLANDS, PERTH
SAT 09 NOV – MOJO’S, FREMANTLE
THU 14 NOV – SOLBAR, MAROOCHYDORE
FRI 15 NOV – THE ZOO, BRISBANE
SAT 16 NOV – THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY
THU 21 NOV – TAP HOUSE, BENDIGO
FRI 22 NOV – TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY
SAT 23 NOV – THE CROXTON, MELBOURNE
THU 28 NOV – UC HUB, CANBERRA
FRI 29 NOV – THE METRO, SYDNEY
SAT 30 NOV – UOW UNIBAR, WOLLONGONG