CHAVEZ CARTEL SHARE NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘NO ONE’S WATCHING OVER’
With hazy propulsions and billowing soundscapes, the new single No One’s Watching Over out today from the Gold Coast’s Chavez Cartel is a cool, calm and deeply collected outing, shifting tack slightly from the group’s earlier 2023 EP Man’s Best Friend, but still undeniably Chavez Cartel. Also accompanied by a new music video, complete with an imposing mansion and sharp aesthetics, No One’s Watching Over amalgamates the building blocks of Chavez Cartel’s sonic DNA while also building towards a new EP release in 2024. Unfurling as an effortless and authentically charming journey, No One’s Watching Over will also undoubtedly be a fixture on the band’s setlist at The New Colossus Festival in 2024 following their invitation to perform at the event in New York next year.
Amongst its woozy guitars, driving beats and creamy vocals No One’s Watching Over revels in moody aesthetics and harder-hitting moments. Like a modern jolt merged with The Velvet Underground & Nico, No One’s Watching Over’s origins quickly evolved during a well-timed jam session, with the hypnotic track seamlessly flexing the band’s trademark HBO soundtrack-worthy swoon alongside themes of feeling lost in the moment, as the band explain, “No One’s Watching Over is about feeling lost and having a fair assessment of where you’ve gone wrong in life (and right) to get you to where you currently stand. It’s about being harsh but being fair. It’s about being held accountable but accurately accountable. It’s not about getting to the answers though. That stage where we have more clarity comes after this song. This song is about the feeling of going round in circles when we don’t know what to do with ourselves. It’s the first step towards repair but we can’t even see that yet. The hazy sounds of the song really do paint the picture so well of the hazy feeling of not feeling all there. The song was written in a time of self-work after a heavy break up.”
Teaming up once again with ARIA Award-winning producer Govinda Doyle to bring No One’s Watching Over to life, Chavez Cartel also sought to actively step beyond their comfort zones when it came to creating the perfect accompanying video for their latest release, pursuing more artistic territory with Direct Entertainment’s Anthony Brown at the helm of the band’s creative vision. And fluidly balancing the old with the new, the band’s team and lack of creative barriers proved to be the pivotal spark to lead Chavez Cartel into this new chapter. “Govinda Doyle did everything that we could not,” says the band. “We worked together on our last record, and we started to feel things changing for us and we want a lot more of the same. ‘Don’t fix what isn’t broken’ as they say. We also wanted a more arty video than anything we’d done previously, relying less on performances and making it more of an artistic introduction of the band. We hired the perfect location while we were away on tour earlier in the year – a really old mansion full of art, history, books and character, and the storyboard just sort of wrote itself. Once AB, our video guy, had familiarised himself with the property, we just let him do his thing. All we did was dress accordingly and get drunk on set. He did the rest. We always try to give our collaborators as much freedom as possible so that they can get into the project as if it were their own. I mean technically it is their own, so once we’ve outlined the concept and explained our style, we really do just hand the rest over. It’s important for creatives to be authentic and have their stamp on things, otherwise what’s the point?”
Releasing two EPs in 2019, Lucky Lucky and Confidence Is All I’m Taking Home, Chavez Cartel bunkered down during the pandemic years, turning their gaze and full focus into sharpening their sound and songwriting. The end result was their 2023 EP release Man’s Best Friend, which was unveiled after the group signed with End Of The Trail Records. Following Man’s Best Friend, Chavez Cartel embarked on an extensive East Coast headline tour, with 2023 also finding the group supporting The Reytons for their What’s Rock N Roll Australian Tour, as well as their first ever UK show, ticking off headline shows in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham alongside performances at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton and at the End Of The Trail Creative Showcase in London.
Gaining support from BBC Radio while across the pond earlier this year, Chavez Cartel have also recently appeared at Rockhampton River Festival, as main support for The Delta Riggs, and will trek back overseas in 2024 after being officially invited and scheduled to play at The New Colossus Festival in New York next March. And for Chavez Cartel, the prospect of another imminent international adventure is one that affirms that the sky is the limit for this talented Gold Coast collective. “It was sort of like a before and after moment in our career thus far,” shares the band. “Looking back, before that UK tour, we were half the band we are now, and we owe it all to the vital experiences that tour gave us. There’s something really boosting about getting on planes and being received well at the other side of the world for doing your thing. The top up of self-belief and surety we got from that tour was an acceleration that we’ve never felt before; or at least not at the pace we felt it. It just goes to show that there are some things you just have to do to move forward, and that first international tour was one of those for us. Playing at a showcase event too was great for us because it wasn’t just new fans that we picked up, industry personnel also bought into us which again gave us more confidence in what we are doing. It’s like if the moguls see potential then it adds to the argument that there’s a career to be had here. We picked up some New York connections which shows as the next showcase event we were invited to play at happened to be in New York. Funny how things work out, isn’t it? A band from Gold Coast playing shows around London and picking up festivals in America. What a ride!”
No One’s Watching Over is out today, Thursday October 5.
CHAVEZ CARTEL – UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
6-10 MARCH 2024 | THE NEW COLOSSUS FESTIVAL | NEW YORK, USA | 21+
Tickets available from Dice.fm
Soundcloud: NO ONE’S WATCHING OVER
RADICAL SON SHARES MAGNETIC NEW SINGLE ‘UNTIL YOU CALL MY NAME’
A magnetic meeting point of shimmering soul and beauty, the new single Until You Call My Name out now from Radical Son is a striking ode to gratitude and the power of love. A goosebump-inducing moment in time from the revered Kamilaroi artist with Tongan heritage, Radical Son will bring his new track as well as his forthcoming album Biliyambil (The Learning) to vivid life at the Sydney Opera House supporting Emma Donovan on October 20, as well as 2024’s National Folk Festival.
Produced by Andrew Robinson, Until You Call My Name is a proud, calm, yet stirring outing from Radical Son, aka David Leha, inspired by its producer Robinson as well as Marcus Longfoot and Darkinjung local Phil Bligh. With humid percussion, bright piano and the emphatic, immersive vocals of Radical Son himself, Until You Call My Name flourishes in its beautifully-crafted simplicity, beating at its core with the magic sparked between Radical Son’s work with Robinson and Longfoot at Full Circle Audio in Redfern, alongside Wantok Music. And for Radical Son, Until You Call My Name holds a special place in his heart, as he explains, “Proud of this piece. Of all the works that I have created, it’s one of my favourites.”
Another taste of Radical Son’s highly anticipated sophomore album Biliyambil (The Learning) which is set for release in early 2024, Until You Call My Name is a poignant yet powerful ode to finding happiness in moments of chaos, with Radical Son’s commanding vocals soaring above an ambient glow, declaring “I hear you call my name / Wanting to engage / We’re all finding our way / We’re coping with the struggle”. And in a world consistently divided and full of unrest, Until You Call My Name offers a calming balm as well as a timely reminder to look for what matters most in the darkness, as Radical Son shares, “For those divided and lost, pulled or drawn in many directions both externally and internally. I’m mindful that we are all finding our way and that as hard as it may sometimes be just getting by in life, it is my hope that we find a way to live life, to love.”
One of the mightiest and most compelling artists in the Australian cultural scene, Radical Son channels his experiences from his challenging past into immense power and resolve, with his trademark sound burgeoning with the urgency of hip hop and emotionally-charged soul, as witnessed by these new songs, and his first full length album 2014’s Cause N’Affect. A festival favourite, cemented recently by his show-stopping cover of his mentor Uncle Archie Roach’s Walking Into Doors, Radical Son has performed to standing ovations at Bluesfest, St Kilda Festival, VIVID, the AFL Dreamtime 2032 game, and the official Uncle Archie Roach memorial in Melbourne in 2022.
A highly-skilled concert artist, with performance with classical ensembles and high-profile collaborations under his belt with David Bridie, Emma Donovan, Frank Yamma, Lady Lash, Mau Power and Deline Briscoe, Radical Son’s artistry also expands to film and TV, with credits including Defining Moments, a six-part NITV documentary exploring life-defining experiences, and theatre work, including the lead role of Pemulwuy in I am Eora at the 2012 Sydney Festival.
Studying as a musician at The Eora Centre for Visual and Performing Arts in Redfern, as well completing a Bachelor of Music from Newcastle Conservatorium, Radical Son’s creative prowess is only matched by his otherworldly stage presence that equally transfixes and transcends with authenticity and sheer, compelling power. Cultivating his transformational life into his place as a bright fixture on Australia’s cultural landscape, Radical Son’s moving soul vocals and unique flair only strengthen with time, potently witnessed today via Until You Call My Name. And with an appearance on the horizon over the Easter weekend in 2024 at the National Folk Festival, a hub for the Australian folk community, as ever, magic is guaranteed when Radical Son takes the stage.
Until You Call My Name is out today via Wantok Musik and distributed by MGM.
FRI 20 OCT | SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE WITH EMMA DONOVAN, SYDNEY, NSW
Tickets available from https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/birthday-festival/emma-donovan
THURS 28 MARCH – MON 1 APRIL | NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL, CANBERRA ACT
Tickets available from https://www.folkfestival.org.au/
360 ANNOUNCES PART 1 OF BACK TO LIFE REGIONAL TOUR & SHARES MOST WANTED FREESTYLE TRACK
Back and more potent than ever, beloved Australian rapper 360 is set to bring his electrifying stage presence and extensive touring chops to regional Australia this November for Part 1 of his 12 date Back To Life regional tour. Following the fully sold out first official run of shows in just under six years in June, 360’s extensive upcoming tour will kick off on Friday November 3 at Village Green Hotel in Mulgrave, before journeying through regional Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT, with more dates to be announced for Part 2.
Tickets go on-sale to the general public at 10am AEST on Tuesday August 29, and fans are invited to pre-register now at 360music.com.au to access pre-sale tickets from 9am AEST on Monday August 28.
Levelling up today’s exciting tour news is the new freestyle track Most Wanted featuring 360’s signature flow and earnest yet playful storytelling, heralding the revered rapper’s welcome return. Performed as an unreleased track during his capital city Back To Life tour in June, Most Wanted finds 360 baring his soul over dark melodics and sparse, glossy tones. A sonically matured yet conceptually tongue-in-cheek outing, 360’s freestyle prowess is on full display both on the track and also via its accompanying music video, consisting solely of tour footage from his June performances. And it was on this tour earlier this year that 360, aka Matt Colwell, was able to not only reconnect with his creative soul and flourish in his natural habitat on stage; it also offered him a chance to trial touring in new ways that would ultimately place his health at the forefront, thus the decision to split Back To Life’s regional adventures into parts, as 360 elaborates, “As much as I love touring, it’s always been quite taxing both physically and mentally in the past. So, since returning after a long break, I made sure to put my health before anything else. I kept the last tour to 1-2 shows per week, which isn’t a lot at all, just to ease into it and dip my toes in so to speak and see how I went. All went well, so this time I’m upping it to 3 shows per week. This will be more gruelling so I decided to do a month of touring through November, have a month off through December and then finish off part 2 early next year, rather than doing them all back to back. I used to never care about my health and wellbeing, at least not like I do now. Now I follow a strict regime, I have to hit the gym for an intense workout on show days, I follow a strict routine before each show to warm up too. I could achieve more if I went all out doing 5 shows a week and fitting in as much travel as possible over multiple months, but for me that’s a quick way to burn out.”
An ARIA Award-winning, multi-platinum pioneer, 360 has never been one to do anything in halves, with the rapper swiftly cementing himself on the Australian scene via his 2008 debut album What You See Is What You Get, before the game-changing 2011 release Falling & Flying catapulted him into a whole new stratosphere. Hailed for its emotive weight, authenticity and genre-fluid finesse, Falling & Flying paved the way for 360’s continued domination with 2014’s Utopia and 2017’s Vintage Modern firmly sealing his legacy. But amongst his renowned battle rapping dexterity, searing creative innovation and collaborations, 360’s path has simultaneously been lined with mountains, from an accident in 2010 that almost upended the release of Falling & Flying to his battle with addiction and mental health issues in later years; all moments in time that ultimately helped guide and strengthen 360’s resolve, leading him to new music as well as his triumphant return to performing in 2023, as 360 explains, “When I was working on these new songs I was still recovering after going through an extremely dark period of my life. I was still fighting my way through the darkness, now I’m in a much better place. There’s been no real agenda with the music, it’s been more about focusing on myself and getting happy/healthy and just releasing whatever songs we make in that process. I’ve been loving that plan of attack, So I’ll keep that same thing going and we’ll see where it all ends up.”
Re-energised by his return to stage, 360 is primed to bring his exhilarating live show to regional Australia, with his Back To Life Part 1 tour guaranteed to satiate past, present and future fans of the magnetic rap maverick. Expect unapologetic and heartfelt storytelling from an artist who can tackle any style and make it his own. And, as 360 reveals, there are plenty more surprises lying in wait for fans across Australia starting this November: “It had been about 6 years since my last tour, so there were a few cobwebs to shake off but once it got going it was super fun to be back up there. I’m keen to see how the new songs go down in each town we play, to see what connects the most. Also, it will be nice to get out of the Melbourne cold for a bit! Expect a banging set chock full of new songs, old classics, mixtape bangers, forgotten bangers and more. I’ve got a few tricks up the sleeve that people won’t be expecting.”
Tickets to the Back To Life Regional Tour Part 1 are on sale from 10am AEST Tuesday August 29 from 360music.com.au.
The past few years have been extremely tough for people who work in music, and for many, continues to be so, so 360 is jumping in with Support Act on his Mulgrave, Frankston, Ipswich, Noosaville, Gladstone, Airlie Beach, Townsville and Cairns shows. Simply purchasing a ticket to these shows will result in a donation of $1 matched by a further $1 from Live at your Local being donated to music industry charity, Support Act. That’s $2 for every ticket sold going directly to Support Act and the amazing work they do with music workers, artists and crew. For more information, visit ausmusictshirtday.org.au or supportact.org.au
360 – BACK TO LIFE REGIONAL TOUR PART 1
Tickets available from 360music.com.au
FRI 3 NOV | VILLAGE GREEN HOTEL, MULGRAVE VIC | 18+
SAT 4 NOV | PIER BANDROOM, FRANKSTON VIC | 18+
MON 6 NOV | LAMBYS TAVERN, GEELONG VIC | 18+ (CUP EVE)
THU 9 NOV | RACEHORSE HOTEL, IPSWICH QLD | 18+
FRI 10 NOV | V ROOM – VILLA NOOSA, NOOSAVILLE QLD | 18+
SAT 11 NOV | HARVEY RD TAVERN, GLADSTONE QLD | 18+
THU 16 NOV | MAGNUMS, AIRLIE BEACH QLD | 18+
FRI 17 NOV | DALRYMPLE HOTEL, TOWNSVILLE QLD | 18+
SAT 18 NOV | EDGE HILL HOTEL, CAIRNS QLD | 18+
THU 23 NOV | BEER DELUXE, ALBURY NSW | 18+
FRI 24 NOV | THE BASEMENT, CANBERRA ACT | 18+
SAT 25 NOV | WAVES, WOLLONGONG NSW | 18+