CHRISTIAN RUIZ SHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘MISS YOU’
Glossy artist and producer Christian Ruiz has shared Miss You; an effervescent slice of soothing electronic pop released today, June 15. A track detailing unexpected connections alongside calm hooks and airy vocals, as well as Christian’s debut single as a solo artist, Miss You is also accompanied by a music video to dynamically transport you into Christian’s magnetic creative world.
Miss You bubbles with warm electronic instrumentation, hypnotic rhythmics and Christian’s buoyant delivery throughout, morphing hints of The Weeknd, Ryan Tedder and Justin Bieber beneath Christian’s fresh charm; a fact made even more cohesive with mastering on the single by Colin Leonard who has previously worked alongside Justin Bieber, as well as Beyonce, Paul McCartney and Migos. Equally melodic, sentimental and irresistibly passionate, Miss You also showcases a resounding narrative, centred around accidental meetings, apprehension and, finally, acceptance, as Christian elaborates, “It’s about finding someone you didn’t expect to come across, knowing you have a strong connection with them, but being too afraid to admit it and then denying it.”
The film clip for Miss You enhances the delicate subject matter and swooning arrangements, with Christian editing, co-producing and co-directing the video alongside cinematographer Joshua Menzel. Perfectly reflecting the shift in mood and lyrics throughout the glistening tune, from gnawing negativity to ultimate acceptance, the clip places Christian firmly on display as he personally moves through the emotive journey towards an optimistic conclusion, as he elaborates, “The basic concept of the clip is me being in a desolate place, struggling to get through life and being transported to a dark place with a build up of thoughts. But it has a positive ending which brings authenticity to the song’s honest meaning.”
Mixed by Liam Quinn (Rita Ora, Ruel, Illy), Miss You may mark the first official chapter in Christian’s solo artistic adventure, but he’s certainly no stranger to the musical realms, starting from a young age when he was drawn to teaching himself how to record and produce, before moving on to work as a producer and, finally, arriving at his dream pathway in 2022: creating and releasing his own music. Prior to unveiling Miss You, Christian produced hip hop music, and had travelled to Los Angeles and Atlanta to work with artists and producers, leading to him being offered a contract with the godfather of trap music Zaytoven (Usher, The Weeknd, Drake, Young Thug, 21 Savage). But with a door unexpectedly closing, having to return back home to Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some soul-searching ultimately revealed to Christian an open and extremely ready creative window; and one he is ready to share with the world, as he explains, “It feels exciting and scary at the same time to release something so close to my heart. I hope that people will relate and resonate with what I have created.”
Miss You is out today, June 15.
KAV TEMPERLEY SHARES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘MACHINES OF LOVE AND GRACE’
Eskimo Joe frontman Kav Temperley today furthers his sublime solo endeavours, releasing a deeply poetic, ethereal-yet-pounding new single Machines Of Love And Grace. Tackling the themes of connectivity in the digital age, Kav has also today shared an affecting music video for Machines Of Love And Grace, simultaneously capturing the track’s existential narrative and driving instrumentals alongside Kav’s dynamic stylings.
Machines Of Love And Grace was not inspired by the Richard Brautigan poem (although Temperley does admire his work), but by the notion theorists have put forward that humans are outliers on the planet – a virus upon it – because we put so much emphasis on love and empathy, ideals which don’t really exist in the animal kingdom. We are, in effect, machines of love and grace.
Machines Of Love And Grace firmly harnesses a sharp spotlight on Kav’s passion and penchant for songwriting that first endeared him so heavily in the Aussie music scene and beyond, boasting driving alt rock flavours with moments of acoustic calm and lush, stripped-back beauty. With its glistening piano and Kav’s familiar, soothing vocals, Machines Of Love And Grace steadily oscillates between fuzzy riffage and more introspective calm, much like its own brooding and ruminating subject matter, as Kav explains, “The song is about the complex and intimate relationships we have through our phones, seen through the lens of the last two-and-a-half years of the pandemic. Having devices in our hands has allowed us to have dinner with loved ones all over the world, all locked in our houses, and follow every moment of each other’s life; whether we want to or not, it’s often the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see before we go to sleep. With the touch of a button, anything and everything is available to us, good and bad.”
Filmed and directed by Eskimo Joe visual collaborator Cooper Gordon, the video for Machines Of Love And Grace perfectly complements the bittersweet themes explored in the song, with Kav intimately playing up the voyeuristic elements of social media and digital connection underpinning proceedings, elaborating, “Voyeurs to each other’s lives, I’m asking the question: do any of us feel like we exist unless we’re posting? And who are we when the camera lights turn off? We now live through these machines in the most intimate way, and we take them anywhere and everywhere we go! For the video, it was an idea of FaceTime without having Facetime,” Kav says.“Themost amazing thing is that the actor and the actress reacting to each other, they never met each other, yet on camera, it’s like they’re having an intimate relationship. It’s absolutely fascinating and plays into the whole theme about the machines of love and grace.”
Founding the ARIA award-winning, four-times platinum band Eskimo Joe at just 19, Kav turned winning a band competition back in the day into a career just shy of 25 years as the frontman, bass player and songwriter for what would go on to become one of Australia’s most beloved bands. The group’s breakout single Black Fingernails, Red Wine spent 62 weeks in the Top 50, with Kav going on to write and record seven studio albums with Eskimo Joe.
Alongside Kav’s extensive career fronting Eskimo Joe, he’s also a seasoned performer both onstage and onscreen, having toured nationally and internationally in Asia, America and Europe, and snagging guest TV appearances on Spicks and Specks, Rockwiz, Good Morning Australia, The Project, Sunrise, The Sound and Rage. With performance highlights including the 2021 AFL grand final in Perth, Sound Relief, Live Earth, the ARIA Awards, Big Day Out, Homebake, Splendour In The Grass and Sundance Film Festival in Utah to name a few, Kav’s also simultaneously embraced and emboldened his role in the industry as an expert and mentor in creativity and songwriting, developing the Create, Explore, Produce songwriting model while also creating various productions for causes and events, and judging numerous songwriting competitions.
Set to hit the road on tour with Eskimo Joe later in the year, the APRA, WAM and OceanFloor Music ambassador is currently in his seventh year of running creative workshops, 2022 finds Kav at his most potent and prolific yet as he gears up to release even more new music under his solo moniker.
Machines Of Love And Grace is out now.
ESKIMO JOE TOUR DATES
WED 28 SEP| THE TIVOLI | BRISBANE
FRI 30 SEP| ODEON THEATRE | HOBART
SAT 1 OCT| FORUM | MELBOURNE
TUES 4 OCT | THEBARTON THEATRE | ADELAIDE
WED 5 OCT | ENMORE THEATRE | SYDNEY
SAT 15 OCT | FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE | PERTH
AMY SHEPPARD SHARES DEBUT SOLO SINGLE NOTHING BUT WILD
Internationally acclaimed artist Amy Sheppard is packaging up her pop stylings and fusing them with country influences, today releasing her debut solo single Nothing But Wild. While definitely not her first official foray into the genre, previously already a Golden Guitar Award winner for her vocals on Lee Kernaghan’s Spirit of the Anzacs, Nothing But Wild offers an up-tempo and affably jangly stomper that fans can also catch in action this weekend at the Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival and KIX Live in the Park, as well as CMC Rocks QLD later this year.
Nothing But Wild gifts the perfect salve for those who have had their wanderlust evaporate throughout the global pandemic, as travel and leaving one’s own four walls have become distant memories over the past few years. Infused with plenty of country-pop flair, Nothing But Wild also sees Amy stylistically explore deeper into hues of sparkling zest and sharp warmth, with plenty of driving beats, smooth melodics and catchy hooks helmed emphatically by Amy’s powerful lilts. Delving beyond her storied tenure fronting the multi-platinum selling band Sheppard, this triumphant solo project has, in fact, been multiple years in the making, with Amy embracing the hurdles that have accompanied her professionally, while also proudly displaying her seasoned songwriting and charming sense of adventure, as Amy elaborates, “Nothing But Wild explores my innate desire to regularly escape the city in order to reconnect with my wild side and natural surroundings. Having a sense of adventure and having someone to enjoy it with invigorates my soul and reminds me of what’s important in life: love, nature and spontaneity. I’ve tried to blend my favourite elements of both the pop world and the country world. I love storytelling, rich harmonies and finding a blend of the live and midi which I find to be captivating whilst still holding authenticity.”
Evolving from a gradual and collaborative process, Nothing But Wild has also emerged from Amy’s previous experience writing and singing with artists like Kasey Chambers, The Wolfe Brothers, Lindsay Rimes and Phil Barton. And drawing inspiration from some stellar country pop queens like Kasey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and Taylor Swift, Amy knew early on in the process that she was onto something special with this brand new track, as she continues, “I wrote Nothing But Wild in Nashville with Lindsay Rimes (an Aussie songwriter/producer based in Nashville) and Trannie Anderson (Nashville songwriter). It felt so natural and fun to write, I instantly knew it was going to be the lead single.”
Branching out on her own as a solo artist, and reinvigorated as a country pop star in the making, Amy has spent the past three years writing and building towards this debut solo release. And while a country turn on her own may seem somewhat distant from conjuring pop earworms with her siblings and garnering over one-billion combined song streams under the Sheppard moniker, Amy has always had a special place in her heart for country flavours – and she’s only just getting started, as she explains, “I actually grew up listening to a lot of country music. My father is a MEGA country music fan and growing up he always had CMC on the TV. He used to blast country music to wake us up in the morning. In the 90’s, my idols were Shania Twain, Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes, to name a few. As a member of Sheppard, I’ve been fortunate enough to spend most of my career in the pop world, but along the way we’ve also spent some time in the country music world and we have in fact won a Golden Guitar Award thanks to Lee Kernaghan including us in ‘The Spirit of the ANZACs’ single. We’ve played many country music festivals and rodeos and the thought of entering the country music scene has been on my mind for as long as I can remember. I’m finally doing it.
Be sure to catch Amy Sheppard live in all her solo glory, Friday April 22, in Tamworth for the Tamworth Country Music Festival, as well as Saturday April 23 in Tamworth for KIX live In The Park. Amy will also appear onstage in Queensland this September as part of CMC Rocks QLD.
Nothing But Wild is out now.
Listen: Nothing But Wild
Watch: Nothing But Wild (behind the scenes video teaser)
AMY SHEPPARD – NOTHING BUT WILD – Official single artwork
AMY SHEPPARD SHOWS
SAT 23 APR | KIX LIVE IN THE PARK, TOYOTA PARK, TAMWORTH NSW | ALL AGES
Free event
THUR 22 SEPT-SUN 26 SEPT | CMC ROCKS QLD, IPSWICH QLD | ALL AGES
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