st.james SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘AQUARIUS’
A sultry, dark and immersive adventure lies in wait on Aquarius, aka the brand new single from luminous alt-pop artist st.james. Officially billowing out into the world today, Aquarius marks a stylistic shift for st.james from her earlier work; but it’s ultimately a stunning and welcome deviation, bustling with futuristic hues as well as a smattering of st.james’ more vintage trademark flair.
Aquarius crawls and undulates with glossy production and immersive layers, with st.james effortlessly sweeping and skipping vocally amongst hip hop, electronic and alt-pop undertones. Polished, poised and oozing with charisma, st.james emerges with the ultimate sonic glow-up via her new track, nodding to both the past and present simultaneously, as she explains, “I listened to a lot of The Beatles when I was writing this, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! I think I also subconsciously got the intensity of the vocals from listening to Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power album as well. But I wanted it to feel futuristic, with a little hint of some vintage energy”.
Working alongside Luke Palmer as the primary producer, st.james also brought in Matt Bartlem as co-producer for Aquarius, with Luke and st.james initially throwing ideas around from an early demo before passing over to Matt to finesse and edit, leading to the eventual bewitching end result. Bouyed by a shared creative vision alongside her collaborators, st.james also fluidly explores intimate and universal themes throughout the visceral single, with a transcendental narrative take on the world and self realisation, as st.james elaborates, “Aquarius is about shining the light on what was once hidden in shadows. It’s personal and also written from a collective point of view. The awakening of our minds and deciding to forge our own beliefs from information presented to us, rather than consuming mindlessly and regurgitating old, tired belief systems”.
A diehard lover of all things music, st.james grew up surrounded by pop music videos and listening to the likes of David Bowie and Bob Dylan with her father along the way. Currently based on the Gold Coast after previously working and living in Melbourne for six years, and a stint in Byron Bay in 2021 filming the Netflix series Byron Baes, st.james has repeatedly enamoured in 2022 with her optimistic, heartfelt tunes via tracks like Liars and Restless Life. And presenting a fun, mysterious, layered and darkly seductive outing fit for a futuristic kingdom on her new single Aquarius, st.james also continues to look to her own past to both bolster her creative process and connect with fans, as she concludes, “My love for great, intentional lyric writing, and catchy pop hooks and melodies are my biggest sources of motivation when it comes to the music I create. It’s universally the number one way humans connect and it has the ability to change and shape your emotions and how you see the world. I find that so fascinating. I have always sung and played music but it took quite a long time to find my feet with songwriting. I had so many thoughts and feelings and no idea how to express them. Figuring out not only what I thought people would want to hear, but also what I wanted to share, was the most challenging part. I now try to write honestly, and without a censor or veil. And if it resonates with an audience then I am so happy.”
Aquarius is out now
KAT GRETA SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘LET IT GO’ FEATURING CHARLIE LANE + NEW EP ‘GET UP & GO’ SET FOR RELEASE AUGUST 5
Beats, grooves and husky delights lie in wait on the debut single Let It Go from dynamic drummer and songwriter Kat Greta. Featuring Melbourne’s Charlie Lane on vocals, Let It Go marks a rousing first look into Kat’s impending maiden EP Get Up & Go due out on Friday August 5; and the slick flavours of Let It Go can also be caught live in action in July and August, with Kat launching the single at The Old Bar in Fitzroy on Thursday July 21, and an EP live unveiling at The Workers Club in Fitzroy on Sunday August 28, with the EP available to grab on vinyl on the night.
Let It Go dazzles with modern 80s cool, with gleaming keys, driving beats and frolicking melodics barreling around the whiskey-soaked vocal stylings of Charlie Lane and Kat’s potent drumwork throughout. Equally embracing vintage and modern tones in a sharp and simplistic arrangement, Let It Go fluidly embraces nods to the likes of 80s greats like The Doors and INXS, alongside the melodic approaches of Carole King, The Beatles and Billy Joel. But while this modern-vintage hybrid has itself been years in the making, Kat also struck inspiration for Let It Go in seizing the day professionally and personally for her debut release, as she explains, “Let It Go is about letting go of what isn’t serving you well, and finding the courage to be free. Life is short. In this case for me, it was rediscovering the joy that playing the drums brings me. I had a gut feeling that there was a suppressed dream inside of me, and I just needed to take a leap of faith and find the courage to do it. Also, on a very personal note, my parents are both living with degenerative illnesses and it really brings home for me the notion that life is very short.”
The video for Let It Go perfectly complements the vintage flavours and lyrical themes on display in the track, with Kat roadtripping in a Mustang convertible with her hair in the wind and, most essentially, with her drum kit along for the ride. Teaming up with Dayne Edward on the clip, who has previously worked with Maya Vice, Zretro, Tanha MC, Adidas and Tune Squad, the end result is a quintessential road trip adventure around areas close to Kat’s heart, as she elaborates, “We decided that I’d drive an old car in the video, something a bit vintage to suit the song. We went with a Mustang because Mustangs are like the ultimate symbol for freedom. I would drive it down an open road, roof down, hair blowing in the breeze, with my drums in the back. Then I find myself at the ocean beach down at Portsea, playing drums out in the open air at London Bridge. It’s really quite liberating. It represents my dream of being free and playing the drums. We chose the location of Cape Schanck and the surrounding areas down on the Peninsula with the lighthouse track, and got a drone to really capture the beauty of the area with the windy track and crashing waves. Also, the Mornington Peninsula is where I grew up and still live, so I’m quite attached to the area.”
While Let It Go, and her upcoming EP Get Up & Go, may mark Kat’s first official foray into the musical realm as an artist, her own backstory is lined with plenty of Aussie music royalty. Hailing from a big Italian, musical family, Kat’s own immersion into music comes as little surprise, with this Victorian powerhouse related to Nic and Chris Cester of Jet, Eugene Cester from TISM, Alf, Johnny, Jayney and Lydia Klimek and opera singer Christina Russo. With plenty of new material and live shows on the horizon, Kat has spent a lifetime around music, playing from an early age and being surrounded by various musical instruments growing up. And with 2022 culminating in Kat finally launching her solo project, this is only just the beginning for this compelling artist; and it’s a journey Kat is entirely ready for, as she concludes, “I am super excited to be releasing a new single and EP this year. It’s been a few years in the making and it’s been an incredible journey so far. It took me a really long time to work out my sound and style, and I did this in a backwards way – I made the recording before I got the band together. I’ve learnt a lot in the process. I am happy to be able to release my music with the confidence that this is the kind of artist that I am.”
Let It Go is out today, Thursday July 7.
Get Up & Go is set for release on Friday August 5, available on vinyl.
KAT GRETA – UPCOMING SHOW DATES:
THURS 21 JUL | THE OLD BAR, FITZROY VIC | 18+
Tickets available from https://theoldbar.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/e04a87a3-d24e-4e48-a8a8-1d3bcb5c436d
1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
Let It Go single launch with guests Luke Medley Band & Thomas Byrne
SUN 28 AUG | THE WORKERS CLUB, FITZROY VIC | ALL AGES
Tickets available from https://theworkersclub.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/a321246f-0867-4e23-a7cd-1dd7777363e9
1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
Get Up & Go EP launch with guests Thomas Byrne & Hui
GEORGIA FIELDS SHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘HOLDING MY HANDS OUT’
Ever-engaging and perpetually cutting-edge, indie shapeshifter Georgia Fields once again wows with elegant ease on her bold new track Holding My Hands Out, officially released today.
A magnetic showing of fearless art-pop and searing vulnerability, Holding My Hands Out marks another sublime insight into Georgia’s upcoming third full-length album Hiraeth. The new track is accompanied by a bewitching, kaleidoscopic music video – in which we see Georgia ominously expel moths from her mouth – firmly reflecting thematic notions of rebirth, and the dark depths of the subconscious.
Georgia will be celebrating the single’s release with an all ages matinee show at Wesley Anne on Sunday July 10.
Holding My Hands Out dazzles in textural dexterity, powerful melodics, and the compelling vocal stylings of Georgia herself – as she strides freely from breathy serenity to dauntless power. Brought to life by producer, engineer & drummer Josh Barber (Gretta Ray, Emma Anglesey, Gotye), the recording process saw Georgia and Josh experiment with found objects, crafting the track’s distinctive snare sample by layering half-broken children’s toys and vintage wood percussion. Terracotta pots were played melodically with felted sticks. Finally, with the addition of Georgia’s string quartet Andromeda, it’s little wonder the end result is otherworldly, immersive and lush; a perfect adjunct to the single’s inspiration and narrative content, as Georgia elaborates:
“It’s a song about that primal desire we all have to be held. It’s about reaching your hands out for comfort, but grasping at shadows. From a songwriting perspective, I was inspired by the simple yet anthemic choruses of artists like Sarah Blasko, Weyes Blood and Sharon van Etten. I was also hugely impacted by the novel Islands, by Australian author Peggy Frew. There’s something about Peggy’s writing that cuts straight to my heart – I’ve found all her novels deeply affecting. Holding My Hands Out is partly written from the perspective of her character June, as well as June’s mother, Helen.”
The video for Holding My Hands Out features the eleventh collaboration between Georgia and independent director and cinematographer Rohan Spong. Georgia emphatically stands front-and-centre, embodying the poignant lyrics and oscillating emotives, styled in striking, statement sleeves by iconic Australian label Sass & Bide and a custom piece from Anna Cordell Clothing. As to the video concept and final mesmerising end result, Georgia shares:
“Something very special happens when I hand a song over to Rohan. His visual interpretation of my music always reveals a deeper understanding of my own songs back to me. I rarely present a video concept; I’m always keen to hear what the song sparks in his mind’s eye.”
“For Holding My Hands Out, we wanted to play with light, colour and shadow, referencing the lyrics ‘you move like a shadow’. Rohan had this idea that I could cough up moths, and they would swarm above me like a cloud of unspoken menace. I loved this because moths represent transformation and rebirth, but also disguise, our hidden nature, and the night – the realm of the subconscious. To create that feeling of non-space, or the internal landscape (similar to The Void in Stranger Things), we filmed in both the cyclorama and black room at DCF Studios in Thornbury.”
Since emerging onto the Melbourne music scene in 2010 with her critically-acclaimed self-titled debut album, Georgia has continued to sonically surprise her audience. Her solo show sees the genre-defying trailblazer swap between electric guitar, vintage keyboards, and textural live looping. Georgia is also regularly joined by her 4- piece band of multi-instrumentalists, and frequently collaborates with the Andromeda String Quartet in an ethereal, art music / chamber folk crossover. In 2020, she launched Mother Lode: an online community for self-employed musicians who are mothers.
Now, Georgia sets her sights firmly on the release of her third studio album Hiraeth; a follow-up from 2016’s Astral Debris, which garnered airplay on Douple J, ABC Radio National and community radio nationwide. Inspired by the Welsh word with no direct English translation, Georgia’s new body of work explores “a profound longing for a home you can’t return to…the nostalgia/grief for the lost places of your past”. Holding My Hands Out is a salient snippet of what’s to come on Hiraeth, while ultimately offering Georgia the chance to turn her creative verve outward once more, as she concludes:
“The process of songwriting and recording is quite an internal one for me – so I’m really looking forward to shifting my focus; sharing this song with the world, and seeing how it connects with people. It’s a vulnerable feeling, but also quite joyful.”
Holding My Hands Out is out Friday 17 June. Hiraeth is due in November 2022.
This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, as well as the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
HOLDING MY HANDS OUT SINGLE LAUNCH
SUN 10 JUL | WESLEY ANNE, NORTHCOTE | 3PM MATINEE | AA