ATLAS FRANKLIN ALEXANDER SHARES ETHEREAL NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘DOLPHINS’
Painting a sonic universe equal parts dreamy, ethereal and fluid, the new single Dolphins out today from Tasmanian-based psych pop artist Atlas Franklin Alexander also takes full flight with an elusive accompanying music video, and will equally enamour at a run of special single launch shows in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong this October.
Straddling immersive nostalgia and dreamy soundscapes, Dolphins finds Atlas channelling elements of iconic sonic dream-weavers Massive Attack, Radiohead, The Smiths and Brian Eno, with his new single also seamlessly capturing a rare moment of connection that transcends time and space in a modern setting, as he elaborates, “Dolphins is about the rare, eerie sensation that you’ve known someone longer than your life allows. Like their presence kinda predates your birth. Like you borrowed each other’s names in a past timeline and forgot to give them back. Dolphins is a hazy fragment – a song about a rare kind of bond. Some connections aren’t meant to be understood, they arrive, they shimmer, and disappear again.”
An entirely DIY affair as always, with Atlas producing, engineering, mixing and mastering in his home studio, Dolphins further burrows into your soul via its accompanying music video, with long-time collaborators and friends Harri Gilbert and David Fulham joining forces with Atlas to weave storytelling with compelling imagery, and balancing a fever dream quality with real-world relatability. “I directed the video, Harri was DOP, and Dave managed the lighting department as the project’s gaffer,” shares Atlas of the music video. “Those boys always help me bring my concepts to life.”
“The video is like the song’s visual counterpart,” Atlas continues. “It’s fragmented, elusive, and a little unsettling. I wanted it to feel like you’re watching something familiar but distorted – kind of like how you remember a face you haven’t seen in years.”
A purveyor of kaleidoscopic hues and exhilarating sonic landscapes, Atlas Franklin Alexander has spent the past few years expanding his compelling and entirely DIY trademark sound. Capturing attention performing at BIGSOUND in 2018, Atlas went on to release his debut EP Enter Echo in 2022, going on to command triple j and triple j Unearthed airplay, community radio support and coverage across the likes of Rolling Stone Australia, Pilerats, Life Without Andy, Tone Deaf, The Music and VICE. A gifted musical alchemist, Atlas has also had music videos air on MTV and ABC’s RAGE, and his magnetic live presence has led to him sharing stages with the likes of Boo Seeka, Art VS Science, Surely Shirley, Velvet Trip and Raave Tapes. Releasing his sophomore EP Flexible New Replica earlier this year, Atlas continues to push his sound into new and ever-engaging new heights, woven with modern yet nostalgic sensibilities, hooks, vocoder-laced vocals, angular guitar riffs and syncopated rhythms, ultimately leading to his style being perfectly dubbed as “the love child of New Order and Daft Punk”.
Ticking off a string of East Coast performances to accompany the earlier release of Flexible New Replica, Atlas is set to bring the magic to stages in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong this October, and, as Atlas reveals, fans can expect evenings of pure magic. “We are touring in October in support of the new Dolphins video release,” shares Atlas, “and the live shows will focus on atmosphere—lots of layers, both sonically and visually. We’ve been working on creating something that feels immersive, like stepping into the world of the music itself.”
“Dolphins” has always been one of those songs that felt intangible to me, like a fleeting moment,” Atlas concludes of his brand new single. “Releasing it feels like finally sharing a wacko weird lucid dream. The whole vibe of it is similar to a misremembered memory — not quite real, but familiar in the way certain dreams echo long after you wake.
Dolphins is out today.
ATLAS FRANKLIN ALEXANDER – UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
Tickets available from http://www.instagram.com/atlasfranklinalexander
SUN 05 OCT | WESTBEST BLOCFEST, NEWCASTLE NSW
THUR 09 OCT | PLEASURE CLUB, SYDNEY NSW
FRI 17 OCT | CHERRY BAR, MELBOURNE VIC
FRI 31 OCT | TBH FRIDAYS TOWRADGI HOTEL, WOLLONGONG NSW
TILLY FENTON SHARES PUNCHY NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘IT’S YOU!’ DEBUT EP ‘IT’S A FEELING THAT I KNOW’ SET FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 10
A sparkling new chapter is imminent for Melbourne/Naarm indie pop artist Tilly Fenton, with a punchy new single It’s You! out in the world today, and the announcement of her anticipated debut EP it’s a feeling that i know set for release on October 10.
Playful, effervescent and with some charmingly gritty rock edges around the gloss within, It’s You! showcases Tilly’s expansive nuance as a songwriter, capturing her cheeky, fun side while also embracing some iconic pop icons and a soundtrack-inspired modus operandi for the end result. “Olivia Rodrigo’s music definitely had a huge influence on the sound for this song,” shares Tilly. “Ever since her first album came out, I had always wanted to write a super upbeat, angsty and playful pop rock song after hearing ‘good 4 u’ for the first time when I was in high school. It feels pretty full circle considering this was the music I was listening to, while I was going through the experiences that inspired It’s You! Another artist that shaped the sound of this song was Hannah Montana and the early Miley Cyrus music. I was so obsessed with the Hannah TV show and movie growing up, so a lot of the music from it was engraved in my brain from a very young age. I had always wanted to write a guitar driven song with punchy hooks and confident, cheeky lyrics, so I definitely channelled my inner Hannah for It’s You!”
Marking an exciting step closer to the release of her first-ever EP, It’s You! also balances its upbeat stylings with relatable and immersive storytelling, with Tilly delivering an empowering ode to standing up for yourself on her latest track, as she elaborates, “It’s You! is about that one person who really gets under your skin. It’s a love letter to the kind of people who twist things, make you question yourself, and somehow turn you into the villain. It’s that moment you stop biting your tongue and finally say what you should’ve said ages ago, with just the right amount of pettiness “my co-star said you’re hurt because you picked a fight with your best friend”. It’s playful, dramatic and weirdly healing screaming “it’s not me, it’s you!”
Initially penning It’s You! during a session with Anna Laverty (Lady Gaga, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), Tilly sought to write “a vengeful yet cathartic song”, with the pair brainstorming lyrics that ultimately led to a discussion of the common saying: “it’s not you, it’s me”. “I thought it would be fun to reword it to “it’s not me, it’s you”,” Tilly explains. “I then brought this song to my producer Michael Belsar and my drummer Ben Ellingworth and started the recording process, and we all had so much fun experimenting with different sounds. Michael and I then spent more time on the song, and it continued to evolve into what it is today.”
Mixed by Michael Belsar and mastered by Dale Becker, the accompanying music video for It’s You! saw Tilly work alongside Jesse Richards, who returned after working on Tilly’s previous live video for The Secret, with the brand new clip bringing It’s You!’s underlying message to life via a live performance, mirroring the dramatic yet liberating themes. “The video for It’s You! is a live performance we shot in an empty theatre,” shares Tilly. “The concept came from the idea of performing to no one but yourself. There is something really dramatic but also freeing performing a song like “It’s You!” in that kind of space. It’s kind of like dancing in your bedroom when no one is watching. I have had a vision to do a music video in a theatre for so long and I think it’s so perfect that I ended up doing it for this song!”
Sitting as the energetic closing moment for the broader five-track EP it’s a feeling that i know, It’s You! powerfully concludes the EP’s oscillating moods and moments. Opening with pillowy-soft introspection with The Secret, Tilly’s dulcet vocals float over serene instrumentals and vulnerable lyricism. The percolating bliss of the EP’s midway point, Valentine, dazzles in driving rhythms and dreamy hooks, and It’s You! concludes on a grittier yet jubilant note, with the entire EP resoundingly reflecting Tilly’s ultimate mission statement. “This EP is a very coming of age story,” says Tilly. “I wrote these songs while I was navigating all the confusing, emotional, and overwhelming moments that come with growing up, especially in your teenage years. They’re honest and vulnerable, but always with a sense of hope that everything is going to be ok. I hope that these songs offer comfort and remind people they’re not alone in what they’re feeling and allow them to find joy in the chaos.”
Starting her musical journey back in 2023, Tilly Fenton has spent the past few years crafting her debut EP, working alongside renowned producers and songwriters Anna Laverty and Michael Belsar, while also channelling inspiration from Lizzy McAlpine, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers into her own unique sound. An artist capable of balancing vulnerability with strength, Tilly is one of the rare few who can imbue the emotional complexity of growing up and navigating relationships through a mature lens far beyond her 22 years, with her debut single The Secret and Valentine already captivating listeners along the way, and the latter also featured on The Hot Hits with Nic and Loren on the HIT Network.
Earlier this year, Tilly also ticked off another massive first: completely selling out her first headline show at The Bergy Bandroom, with more live performances slated for later this year to launch her brand new EP which has been many worthwhile years in the making. “Performing live is one of my favourite parts of making music,” shares Tilly. “There’s something so special about feeling the energy in a room, connecting with people in real life, and sharing that moment together. Fans can expect a fun, high-energy show where we dance our hearts out, mixed with intimate acoustic moments for some of my slower songs.”
It’s You! Is out today.
it’s a feeling that i know EP due out October 10.
EMILY ULMAN RETURNS WITH SPARKLING NEW SINGLE ‘SEVERE CLEAR’ THE TITLE TRACK FROM HER FORTHCOMING ALBUM, ‘SEVERE CLEAR’, OUT OCTOBER 10
A bright and dulcet addition to her ever-growing repertoire, Melbourne/Narrm singer-songwriter, and music industry legend, Emily Ulman today returns with Severe Clear, the sparkling title track from her forthcoming album of the same name set for release on Friday, October 10.
Blending her buoyant charm with acoustic, folk and pop elements, Severe Clear channels a poignant optimism, with Emily nodding to Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now to evoke “the hope after the heavy.” As Emily explains, “Severe clear is an aviation term describing skies so clear and cloudless that the endless visibility is too much to take in. I have always loved the phrase. Severe clear weather often follows a storm, and that resonates with me too. A furious, cloudy pocket of weather giving way to something calm and bright and still. Pilots say these conditions are dazzling,almost too perfect.”
“Severe Clear is a song about the moments that arrive after everything has settled,” Emily adds. “It’s about clarity that is so beautiful it is almost unbearable. That strange kind of beauty: perfect, but piercing. I think about weather a lot. I lean right in because it is intrinsic. And magical. This song lives in that space between forecast and feeling. It is about the quiet, everyday moments that suddenly become enormous in their clarity. Like standing in the middle of something spectacular and letting yourself be swept up by it. It is about love, about letting yourself be soft and fall, it’s about buying matching towels because you want to be one and the same. Johnny Nash wrote ‘I Can See Clearly Now’. And I’m borrowing the idea that after the clouds and hard times pass, something brighter takes their place. Sometimes clarity isn’t sharp or sudden or cold. Sometimes it is soft and patient and a little bit dizzying. And perfect.”
With Severe Clear – both the single and broader album – Emily worked alongside a stellar team to realise her creative vision. Produced and mixed by Bonnie Knight (Amyl and the Sniffers, Angie McMahon, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers) at The Aviary, with Every Hillside recorded at Soundpark, the album was mastered by Simon Berckelman (Courtney Barnett, Passenger, Lime Cordiale, Cate Le Bon). Drawing inspiration from the likes of Julia Jacklin, Adrienne Lenker, Big Thief, Pinegrove and Bill Callahan the album’s songwriting, structure and emotional weight are further enriched by contributions from Gab Strum (Japanese Wallpaper, Mallrat, Gretta Ray), Alex Lashlie (Closet Straights, Loose Tooth), and Soren Maryasin (Stella Bridie, Chitra).
Beginning with its glowing title track, Severe Clear opens on a serene and stirring note, offering an optimistic warm embrace drawing listeners into Emily’s inner world. From there, the album moves through intimate acoustic beauty and soothing harmonies (Every Hillside), wistful melodies over ethereal backdrops (Fans in the Stands), and a folksy yet cinematic ode to life’s highs and lows (Mountains Mountains Mountains). It balances polished introspection (Trundle), stripped-back glimmers that swirl through your bones (Lake Mistake), and gentle flourishes of empowerment (Planned Burn). At the midpoint of Severe Clear, is an exquisite, vulnerable modern love ballad (Liminal Spaces) that gives way to brooding melancholia (Toughest Tourniquet), before the raw, rousing penultimate track If It Isn’t True, where Emily shifts between vocal serenity and spoken word over sparse, moody instrumentation. Closing with Repeat Things, Severe Clear ends in resounding clarity and vulnerability, carrying inescapable undertones of optimism through heartache, change, and renewal – a perfect embodiment of Emily’s potent songwriting and performance, as well as the broader album’s themes.
“Severe Clear is about change,” shares Emily, “and renewal. About being brave enough to step back into something you love, even after a long absence. It is an album full of mountains and hillsides and clouds and clarity. It is about duality. The ability to hold two conflicting and coexisting truths at the same time. Severe Clear is deciduous. A letting go and a returning. A way to make peace with the cycles that keep pulling me back to songwriting, and back to myself.”
A defining force in the Australian music industry for over two decades, both on stage and behind the scenes, Emily Ulman’s lengthy tenure championing artists has seen her curate and program lineups at some of Melbourne’s most iconic venues, including The Prince Bandroom, The Gasometer Hotel, and The Toff In Town. Additionally, Emily has programmed some of the country’s most significant music events, including Brunswick Music Festival, White Night Melbourne, the CHANGES summit, and her own award-winning online festival Isol-Aid, which received the 2020 triple j J Award for “Done Good” and was named Best Festival at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards. Recently, Emily served as Executive Program Director for ALWAYS LIVE, a Victorian state-wide celebration of contemporary music, inclusive of emerging artists through to international icons, from sell-out stadiums through to intimate venues all playing home to these one-off, exclusive and community-focused events.
Dedicated to shaping a more progressive, inclusive and artist-first Australian music scene, Emily’s creative output is as acclaimed as her work behind the scenes, with her earlier 2025 single Every Hillside marking her first new solo material in over a decade. Now with her stunning and hotly-anticipated new album Severe Clear set for release this October, Emily has channelled her passions and creative core into a collection that is honest, intimate and destined to captivate.
“I’m a words and feelings to the front type of writer,” Emily reveals. “I have described my songwriting as emotional archaeology; digging through my memories to see what might still be living underneath. To sift and sort and better myself as a creator and as a person. I’m constantly taken by the intensity of a moment or phrase and the way a single word can unearth something you thought was long buried. And this is who I realise I am. I write to excavate. I sing to archive and fossilise and remember the mess and magic of it all.”
“It feels really good, really scary, really perfect, really disorienting to be releasing Severe Clear,” Emily concludes. “This is the first time in ten years that I’ve released music and it’s so familiar and wildly foreign. I’ve spent the past decade working behind the scenes in the music industry, but I never stopped writing. I’m glad that Severe Clear is the song and album returning me to my own music and creativity. It’s honest and personal, and I’m proud of it.”
Severe Clear (single) is out today.
Severe Clear (album) is due out Friday October 10.
Pre-order: SEVERE CLEAR (Album)
Pre-save: SEVERE CLEAR (Album)
TRACKLIST:
Side A
- Severe Clear
- Every Hillside
- Fans in the Stands
- Mountains Mountains Mountains
- Trundle
Side B
6. Lake Mistake
- Planned Burn
- Liminal Spaces
- Toughest Tourniquet
- If it Isn’t True
- Repeat Things
“Emily Ulman, you’ve done it again, it’s an exquisite song, ‘Mountains Mountains Mountains’…. it’s so lovely to hear a voice that we know so well as a co-host and a conversationalist, to hear that voice just amplified and there’s an alchemy that takes place that turns the voice we know into lyrical mode, it’s very specially to hear that tune…. what a storyteller, it’s a short song at 2 minutes 12 but she just packs so much in”. – David Astle – ABC Victoria statewide evenings
“Love how organic and natural this track (Mountains Mountains Mountains) feels! Emily Ulman creates a gorgeous atmosphere <3” –
Anika Luna – triple j
“It’s all sweetness when it comes to Emily Ulman. Dulcet yet pointed songwriting makes it the worth the wait after an almost-decade hiatus. Welcome back Emily!” – Sara Glaidous – triple j