BOY & BEAR ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘LIMIT OF LOVE’ WITH THE RELEASE OF FIRST SINGLE ‘WALK THE WIRE’
With its live premiere at this year’s Splendour In The Grass Festival, Boy & Bear have released ‘Walk the Wire’ the first single from their third studio album Limit of Love. The follow-up to their #1 ARIA Album and platinum-selling Harlequin Dream, Limit of Love is released Friday October 9th through Universal Music Australia.
Limit of Love is available to pre-order today on CD, Digital Download and Limited Edition Vinyl. Fans can also pre-order exclusive limited edition album bundles on the Boy & Bear Store here. Those who pre-order the digital album on iTunes and album bundles on the Boy & Bear Store will receive an instant download ‘Walk the Wire’.
Following a massive touring schedule in 2014 – 170 shows across three continents – Boy & Bear decided to take the momentum they gathered on the road directly into the studio teaming up with renowned producer Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Kaiser Chiefs) at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio. Their intention, to cut a record the old fashion way – live in the studio, straight to tape, with virtually no overdubs.
“I was shitting myself,” laughs frontman Dave Hosking, who took on the almost-unheard-of challenge of recording his vocals live with the band. “But it’s funny you know, what made it less intimidating was having someone like Ethan there, who is such an advocate for it. He put it on the table at our first meeting, that he’d be very keen to at least try going for it as a first approach. When we left the meeting we felt pretty good about it. We were up for the challenge.”
The challenge paid off as seen with lead single ‘Walk the Wire’. Fuelled by a gritty guitar and synth groove, and buoyed by the honest, organic production style employed by Johns, the song is a bold new statement of intent.
Another first for Boy & Bear with Limit of Love was to write as a collective. With the demands of the previous year’s touring Hosking – usually the band’s main songwriter – hadn’t had time to craft fully fledged songs. Most of the writing for Limit of Love took place through the first half of 2015, including some particularly focused sessions on the N.S.W. South Coast. It was here, Killian Gavin, Tim Hart, Jon Hart and Dave Symes with Hosking, for the first time collaborated on a number of songs including ‘Walk the Wire’.
“From my end, that new writing method is quite liberating and exciting,” says Hosking. “It means I can still do what I love – sit in my living room and pick up a guitar and sort of purge, plus there’s now double the amount of songs coming in from the band, so we’re drawing from a wider pool.”
Making waves in the Australian music scene since forming in 2009, Boy & Bear’s debut album Moonfire (2011) reached double platinum sales, won 5 five ARIA Awards and saw 3 songs enter Triple J’s Hottest 100. Their sophomore album Harlequin Dream, released in 2013, debuted #1 on the ARIA Album Chart achieved 10 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 and was nominated for 3 ARIA Awards for that year. Internationally, Boy & Bear saw huge success in North America with single ‘Southern Sun’ (Harlequin Dream) reaching Top 5 on the Triple A Top 30 Chart for five consecutive weeks and USA Today naming the band one of “5 Australian Acts You Need To Know Now”.
‘Limit of Love’ is a recording that is less about fine-tuning everything to the nth-degree, and more about capturing a band at the height of their powers in an honest, organic way. It’s an approach most modern bands would be too scared to try, but for Boy & Bear, that leap of faith has proven to be a masterstroke.
LEAD SINGLE ‘WALK THE WIRE’ IS OUT NOW
BRAND NEW ALBUM ‘LIMIT OF LOVE’ RELEASED OCTOBER 9th
‘LIMIT OF LOVE’ ALBUM BUNDLES AVAILABLE ON BOY & BEAR STORE
TIM WHEATLEY ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE, ALBUM AND AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Melbourne indie alt folk troubadour, Tim Wheatley has today announced the release of his new single, Valerie (out August 6) and debut solo album, Cast of Yesterday, set for release on August 28. Wheatley will be celebrating with a string of dates kick starting at The Midnight Special in Newtown on August 13, moving through to The Vanguard (Syd) August 14, Central Park (Syd) August 16, The Lansdowne Hotel (Syd) August 16, Café Del Mar (Syd) August 20, Illawarra Brewery (Wollongong) August 21, Howlin’ Wolf (Wollongong) August 22, The Soda Factory (Syd) August 23, Gympie Music Muster (Gympie) August 27 & 28, The Triffid (Bris) August 29, The Grace Darling (Melb) for the official album launch on August 30, Café Del Mar (Syd) September 2 and finishing up at The Metro (Syd) on September 4.
Inspired to write lead single Valerie after reading the novel Delinquent Angel about Melbourne Poet, Shelton Lea, Wheatley explains, “It began with an insight into the fractured relationship between Shelton and his adopted mother Valerie – the matriarch of the Darryl Lea chocolate family.” Tasteful use of acoustic and slide guitar sets an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, but it is Wheatley’s understated lyrics and smooth Australian-tinged vocals that so beautifully tell this sad tale.
The video clip for Valerie was filmed and produced in Hollywood by Tahyna Tozzi-MacManus and Rachel Taylor of Go Forth Content (a collective of emerging Australian directors and producers living and working in LA) and stars Jessica McNamee (Packed To The Rafters, Sirens, The Vow). “The story of Valerie takes place in 1960s Melbourne, but was actually filmed in a studio in Los Angeles, so I sought the help of a few Aussie friends over here in LA who were able to help get the story across in a beautifully shot clip that was brought to fruition by Tahyna in a tiny Hollywood casting studio,” says Wheatley. “We all agreed that our good friend Jessica would be perfect for the role of Valerie and placed a fair bit of pressure on her to deliver the story, which I think she did beautifully. We wanted something clean and simple, but with a sense of nostalgia.”
Cast of Yesterday was recorded at Sing Sing studios in Melbourne, produced by Paul McKercher (You Am I, Sarah Blasko, Pete Murray) and mixed by Niko Bolas (Neil Young, Johnny Cash) at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. Poetically titled, Cast of Yesterday, the album was written about a range of people from Wheatley’s past – friends, heroes and villains and is a dynamic collection of songs that is sure to surprise and delight. With an alt-folk, indie Australiana and at times country feel, Cast Of Yesterday is packed with memorable melodies and a signature smooth vocal, all the while showcasing Wheatley’s impressive songwriting ability. “I’ve been carrying this album around with me in pieces for so long now, that to hear the mastered version was a huge weight off my shoulders. It’s also the excitement of coming home and touring that comes along with the release that I can’t wait for,” beams Wheatley.
Tickets to the national tour are on sale now
TIM WHEATLEY AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
THUR 13 AUG | THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, NEWTOWN | SYDNEY
FRI 14 AUG | THE VANGUARD| SYDNEY
SUN 16 AUG | CENTRAL PARK, BROADWAY | SYDNEY
SUN 16 AUG | THE LANSDOWNE HOTEL, BROADWAY | SYDNEY
THUR 20 AUG | CAFÉ DEL MAR | SYDNEY
FRI 21 AUG | ILLAWARA BREWERY | WOLLONGONG
SAT 22 AUG | HOWLIN’ WOLF | WOLLONGONG
SUN 23 AUG | THE SODA FACTORY | SYDNEY
THUR 27 + FRI 28 AUG | GYMPIE MUSIC MUSTER | GYMPIE
SAT 29 AUG | THE TRIFFID | BRISBANE
SUN 30 AUG | THE GRACE DARLING | MELBOURNE
WED 2 SEP | CAFÉ DEL MAR | SYDNEY
FRI 4 SEP | THE METRO | SYDNEY
JOSH PYKE’S 5TH STUDIO ALBUM ‘BUT FOR ALL THESE SHRINKING HEARTS’ IS OUT NOW!
It’s been a big year for Australian singer songwriter, Josh Pyke. He’s been busy prepping his new record, performing Josh Pyke shows with the Sydney and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, his string of national fans-first album shows have all sold out, and on Friday Pyke released his anticipated fifth studio album, But For All These Shrinking Hearts.
Recorded across Sony, Alberts and Pyke’s home studio with John Castle (Megan Washington, Vance Joy) at the helm, “A lot of this record is me thinking about my relationship with creativity,” Pyke explains. “The album is a product of lots of things, but it’s a major product of having a studio in my backyard. I go down there four days a week, six hours a day, and I don’t feel pressured.”
Speaking directly to his fans, Pyke says, “I hope you might take these songs and show them landscapes I’ve never seen. Maybe you’ll find solace in the sad songs and joy in the happy ones. I hope you can give them a home away from me. I can’t express how much I appreciate all your support over the years. It’s truly a gift and an honour to have been able to explore this world as a musician, and to do it at this level for so long is something I’m very proud of, but also something I acknowledge would be impossible without you guys. So thank you for everything.”
The album, But For All These Shrinking Hearts is out now
“For his fifth album Pyke hones his musical comfort zone. It wasn’t broken, it didn’t need fixing, but it’s finetuned with complimentary new tricks. His not-so-secret weapon remains: those tunes, that voice.” Cameron Adams, Herald Sun album of the week
FANS-FIRST SHOWS (18+)
WED JUL 29 | THE SODA FACTORY | SYDNEY | DOORS 6PM | SOLD OUT
WED AUG 5 | BELLA UNION | MELBOURNE | DOORS 7PM | SOLD OUT
THUR AUG 6 | GRACE EMILY | ADELAIDE | DOORS 7PM | SOLD OUT
WED AUG 12 | THE FOUNDRY PRESENTED BY 4ZZZ | BRISBANE | DOORS AT 7PM | SOLD OUT
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