SAINTHILL SHARES ASTRAL NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘THE BLACK BULL’ NEW ALBUM ‘DREAM ANIMAL’ SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 1
Drawing you into a world of dreamy shoegaze and pulsating charm, the new single The Black Bull out today from Melbourne-based artist Sainthill is a lush and evocative journey taken from the talented artist’s impending new album Dream Animal, set for release on Friday March 1. A track many years in the making, The Black Bull also arrives today accompanied by an aptly whimsical music video.
Equally melancholic and intimate yet up-tempo and immersive, The Black Bull’s origin story stems back to 2018, with Sainthill, aka Tom Larkey, first tracking drums for the track pre-pandemic. With sonic inspiration from artists like Slowdive and Interpol helping to conjure the captivating single, the journey to creating The Black Bull can also be traced back to Sainthill’s extensive collection of dream journals, as he explains, “The Black Bull is a fairly up tempo song with pulsing bass and shoegaze elements like a mega-reverbed tremolo picking in the chorus. Also, I was learning to play So. Central Rain by R.E.M. and realised I’d lifted half the chord progression quite by accident! The origin of the song, like others on the album, begins in the hundreds of dream journal entries I have kept over the years that have an exceptional amount of animal appearances, and these were the frameworks for lyrical narratives. The Black Bull takes a potentially obvious metaphor (a black animal as depression) and then tells the story of someone taking matters into their own hands – in this case to train as a matador and overcome the bull (as grotesque as bullfighting is).”
Working once again with John Lee at Phaedra Studios (Lost Animal, Mod Con, Grand Salvo), with Lee mixing both The Black Bull and the broader Dream Animal album as well as playing and recording all of the drums, Sainthill also teamed up with Pip O’Brien, Grantley Smith and an obliging friend to step into the role of the titular bull to bring the accompanying music video for The Black Bull to life, as Sainthill reveals, “There are three characters in the clip: Blue Guy, Red Guy, and The Black Bull. The Blue Guy is the part of us that is optimistic, curious, but struggling. The Red Guy is our inner strength, and he essentially saves the day – by way of a good old fashioned sword fight with stick.. The Black Bull is the obstacle to overcome. At first mysterious, frightening, oppressive, but ultimately something that can be made peace with. Pip O’Brien helped me shoot the initial scenes (she shot a beautiful clip for Cold Hands Warm Heart). I needed some further footage, so an old friend Grantley Smith who happens to be a director and quite handy with a camera, helped me out. I also managed to convince my friend Tom to be in the clip as ‘The Bull’ and wear a ridiculous helmet.”
Partially recording Dream Animal at home (“in the evenings when the birds stopped chirping outside” as Sainthill reveals), the overall album is a fascinating foray into imaginative and innovative dreamy, shoegaze-laced rock. Five years in the making, Dream Animal trips the light fantastic in pure chameleonic fashion, between its heavy synth fever dreams (Lyrebird), melodic rock-meets-chamber music opuses (Cat Called Gram), galloping melancholia (The Clydesdale), eastern-hued enchantment (Leporine Lover) and digital dreamlands shaped alongside organic instrumentation (Nothin’ Except Dream). “I dream a lot, and I have hundreds of dream journal entries,” Sainthill explains, unfurling the stylistic threads throughout Dream Animal. “I noticed an exceptional (or perhaps disturbing?) amount of animal appearances, and these encounters became the basis for metaphorical stories of lost cats, vulnerable horses, and sinister bulls. Chiming guitars and swirling keys ebb and flow, while sprightly rhythms carry simple yet elegant melodies Each song features some sort of narrative (mostly including animals), and these narratives are frameworks for moralistic tales and reflections on the subconscious. The themes include love, loss and renewal, romantic elusion, depression, dream symbols, setting things free, looking after the planet, and music-making itself.”
Hailing from Tasmania and now based in Melbourne, Sainthill was seemingly destined to create bewitching, bittersweet rock, named not only for his mother’s maiden name St Hill, but also for his first cousin twice removed, Loudon Sainthill; an iconic Australian artist and stage designer whose work in the 1950s was described by his lifelong partner as having ‘a special quality of enchantment, mixed so often with haunting sadness’. Growing up in Hobart and spending bountiful time in nature, Sainthill’s love for music and creativity in general blossomed from a young age, discovering Bruce Springsteen when he was five before going on to release his debut EP I Am a Monster in 2009. Now with three albums under his belt, Dear Victoria, Man Alive and Folk Romantic, Sainthill continues to explore character-driven narratives alongside a gamut of hard-hitting themes, and his upcoming full length, Dream Animal, is a celebration of dream pop soundscapes forged with indie rock and folk; and it’s also one that promises untold beauty and intrigue for the listener, as Sainthill concludes, “Dream Animal is a concept album of sorts; the songs are borne from sleep, and thus make the perfect soundtrack to close one’s eyes to, and lose oneself in.
The Black Bull is out today, Friday February 2.
Dream Animal is due out on Friday March 1.
MAMMAL SHARE FUNKED-UP NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘THE PENNY DROP’ NEW ALBUM ‘THE PENNY DROP’ SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 6 ANNOUNCE FREE SINGLE LAUNCH GIG AT 170 RUSSELL ON FEBRUARY 9
Bringing the noise and funk in incomparable Mammal fashion, the Narrm neo punk/funk warriors return today with a swaggering new single The Penny Drop. Launching with a free show at 170 Russell (Melbourne) on February 9 with support from I Built The Sky (solo) and Bushido, and accompanied by a gleefully colourful and chaotic music video, The Penny Drop also offers a further peek into the group’s forthcoming new album of the same name, with Mammal’s sophomore album The Penny Drop officially due out on Wednesday March 6, available on vinyl, digital and CD formats depending on how you like to face the funk.
Following on from their fiery recent single Keanu Reeves, Mammal are coming in hot in 2024 with both a new single, The Penny Drop, and the confirmation of their anticipated new album which also shares its name with the brand track. Brandishing trademark spitfire Mammal flair amongst sonic nods to Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament, Skindred, Pantera, Motley Crue and The Killers, the end result for The Penny Drop single is one of unbridled energy and a razor-sharp call to arms, campaigning for long-awaited justice, as frontman Ezekiel Ox impassions, “The Penny Drop is a plea from the front-line for justice. It’s the voice of those who have struggled for decades in, or in solidarity with, the poor, dispossessed, displaced, sick, disabled or criminalised people around the world. It’s a celebration of the wins we’ve had, however big or small. People say the system is broken, but it’s not, it’s working exactly how the racists, land thieves and war criminals intended. Destruction, death, and environmental collapse are here – just be sure to take your reusable bags to the supermarket and turn your lights off and we should be fine, right? Now more than ever, we need to strut like a catwalk model and demand ceasefire and health, housing, water, and education rights. Who’s with the mighty Mammal?”
Teaming up with cinematographer Samuel Vella, director Tristian Braines, and edited and colour graded by David Krebelj to bring some beautiful visual mayhem to life for The Penny Drop’s accompanying music video, Mammal serve up some unforgettable scenes that’ll hurl you relentlessly into the Mammal psyche (and potentially also have you wanting to raid the nearest dress-up drawer). “We met Sam [Vella] through a friend and he filmed our show at The Evelyn,” shares Ox. “We were super impressed with his work so approached him to do our video clip. He brought his production team onboard, and the rest is history. The clip is a circus, a clusterfuck of camp mincing, costume makeup and disco glitter. Aliens ascend, pimps roam free and disco bears pummel beats and strings. Bring your dancing shoes.”
Mammal have never been ones to shy away from tenacious themes throughout their career. Breeding music with a heartbeat that blisters and awes, the same tireless spirit that has accompanied Mammal’s journey over the years burns brightly on their upcoming second album The Penny Drop. Pulsing with pure rock’n’roll at its core, The Penny Drop calls out the wrongs of the world around us while emphatically flexing the group’s revitalised sonic direction and eclectic sonic influences. From stomping fuzz on its opening track Moscow, through to sensual swagger on Slings and Arrows, polished melodics and salient alternative rock on Doubt, irreverent nu metal-laced rage on Live Bold And Dangerous and toe-tappin’ funk/rock fusion on closing track Five Days, The Penny Drop wields a vast palette while also consistently holding up starkly accurate thematic mirrors. “The main themes on the album are politics,” shares Ox, “setting up guillotines, smashing the fash, punching up, our inability to tolerate fools. Musically, fresh, mature, sexy bare bones rock and fucking roll. This album is not for the kids. It’s frown up fun. Pete [Williamson] wrote 100 riffs in 30 days, Zane [Rosanoski] turned them into songs with his V-drums and laptop in another month, then I came down from Newcastle and free-styled for 24 hours over two wild days in Melbourne. After that Jimi Maroudas came on board to produce and hone the 17 best tracks, which became the 12 on the album. After plenty of arguments, compromises and massaging by Forrester [Savell] later, we decided we were done.”
Since forming and releasing their debut self-titled EP in 2006, Mammal have toured relentlessly while also crafting a formidable reputation for their animated live performances, timeless sonic creations and authentic, working-class political activism that has garnered the quartet an ever-growing cult-like status across the globe. Revered as a “must see” rock’n’roll juggernaut, Mammal’s back catalogue includes their striking singles Smash The Pinata, The Majority, Hell Yeah and Think, with their touring history also spanning headline shows in London, Perth, Auckland, Brisbane and everywhere in between, as well as supports with some of the heavy scene’s towering giants, including Kiss, Avenged Sevenfold, Sebastian Bach, Cog, Grinspoon, Spiderbait and Shihad to name a mere few. A band who also walk the walk alongside their musical calls-to-action, Mammal have also previously volunteered their live services, raising much-needed funds for various charities, supporting Interchange, the Refugee Action Collective and Fitzroy Legal Service over the years.
A band who says what they want, how they want to, as loudly and proudly as possible, The Penny Drop is set to be a natural continuation of the ever dynamic and growing Mammal legacy, with The Penny Drop single itself offering a swaggering disco-slap grind to tide you over until the release of the impending new album. “Mammal is riding high on the energy. It was a different process for us this time, it took over a year to finish from riff to master,” says Ox. “To be honest, we just want to get it out and see everyone at the shows when we play it live”. And for those hoping to witness the new Mammal material live in person themselves, the band are fighting inflation and the cost of living crisis for fans of rock and roll with a FREE ENTRY “People’s Night Out” show at 170 Russell on Friday February 9, supported by I Built The Sky (solo) and Bushido. For those fans in other states, some exciting news undoubtedly lies ahead. “This album is built for the live stage,” Ox concludes. Watch this space.
The Penny Drop (single) is out today, Thursday February 1.
The Penny Drop (album) is set for release on Wednesday March 6.
MAMMAL | THE PENNY DROP SINGLE LAUNCH | 170 RUSSELL | FEBRUARY 9 | DOORS 8PM – 11:30PM | FREE ENTRY
FISHER’S OUT 2 LUNCH FESTIVAL SET TO BRING NONSTOP BEATS & GOOD VIBES FOR AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST BEACH PARTY TO DESCEND ON THE GOLD COAST THIS MAY CREATED, CURATED AND HEADLINED BY INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR ARTIST FISHER AND FEATURING VINTAGE CULTURE, FLIGHT FACILITIES, LITTLE FRITTER & SHIMMY
Follow the fish to the largest ever beach party Australia has ever seen this May, with global superstar artist and Gold Coast icon FISHER today announcing the OUT 2 LUNCH FESTIVAL, an epic one-of-a-kind festival set to descend on Queensland’s Coolangatta Beach on Saturday 4 May, bringing music fans together for a momentous celebration of sun, surf, music and good vibes.
In an Australian first, TEG Live is proud to present the inaugural OUT 2 LUNCH FESTIVAL, with the event boasting a two-hour set from FISHER himself, as well as a huge international and local line-up, including performances from Vintage Culture, Flight Facilities, Little Fritter and Shimmy, with plenty more surprises in store for this unforgettable event.
Artist pre-sales for the event will go live on Tuesday 6 February from 10am AEST (11am AEDT), before general public tickets go on sale on Friday 9 February from 10am AEST (11am AEDT). There’ll be a host of VIP packages available for those who jump in quick, with all ticket holders gaining access to a free event bus shuttle to and from the event, with access points at Broadbeach Light Rail Station, Varsity Lakes Railway Station, Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads. Park and Ride options will be available from Tugun and Tweed Heads. See the full transport details at teglive.com.au.
Elated to be hosting the biggest beach party in his hometown this May, FISHER shares, “Guys, i’m coming down under! Are you kidding? We’re on the beach, we’re going mad, get your tickets and get ready to rock & roll. See you on the dance floor!”
A Grammy and ARIA Award-nominated producer and former pro surfer, FISHER, aka Paul Fisher, is undeniably one of Australia’s most electrifying exports. Releasing his debut solo single Ya Kidding in 2017, FISHER swiftly turned heads in 2018 with the scorching single Crowd Control before hitting viral status via his monster breakout track Losing It, completely changing the game. Launched live in person for the first time at Coachella and now a bona fide festival banger with close to 500 million streams on Spotify alone, the tech-house hybrid track not only put FISHER on musical map, with a label bidding war, a Grammy nod, taking out the #2 spot on triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2018 and international chart success; the single also influenced the future of dance music across the board, heralding a shift away from the EDM-centric styles of the time into more slick underground club and house realms.
In 2023, FISHER released multiple hit records including Yeah The Girls and Take It Off; the latter being the mega dance hit with AATIG which achieved placement on BBC Radio 1 ‘B List’ Playlist and over 50 million streams on Spotify. FISHER’s following single Atmosphere ft. Kita Alexander was one of the dance anthems of the summer after its explosion on TikTok – combining soaring synths and irresistibly catchy lead vocals over a pulsating uptempo groove, Atmosphere amassed 3 million Spotify streams in its first week alone. FISHER’s last visit to Australia saw him sell 73,000 tickets over 4 stops around the country, breaking the record for live attendance at the Domain in Sydney.
FISHER is diving into 2024 with gusto, lined up to headline at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee alongside Fred Again, Pretty Lights and a mountain of other acts, at Electric Love Festival in Austria along with The Chainsmokers, DJ Snake, Armin van Buuren and more, with countless headline sets worldwide also surrounding his hotly anticipated return to home soil this May for FO2L. A truly perfect amalgamation of all things OUT 2 LUNCH FESTIVAL is the hottest ticket in town this year; if you thought summer was winding down, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Also performing his first ever show in Australia at OUT 2 LUNCH FESTIVAL, Brazil-based DJ and producer Vintage Culture will be bringing the good vibes, with his charismatic creations set to wow the fans. An artist also perched incredibly high in the world of house and techno, Vintage Culture’s hybrid artistry and astounding sets at some of the hottest venues in the world make him an act simply not to be missed.
One of Australia’s most beloved groups, electronic duo Flight Facilities have been weaving musical magic for over a decade, from their insatiable 2010 single Crave You, through to their chart-smashing 2014 debut album Down to Earth. Over the years, the pair have performed at the likes of Coachella, SXSW and countless other shows, and closed out 2023 with some tantalising new tunes out in the world.
The Gold Coast’s Little Fritter is no stranger to bringing good times to the masses, with the talented DJ and producer showcasing his technicolour creations at some of Australia’s most iconic events, as well as international institutions over the years. Recently unveiling new material on some of the world’s biggest dance labels, Little Fritter also launched his own festival Need2Freak shaking up the Queensland scene.
A versatile and energetic Aussie DJ raised by the ocean, Shimmy, aka pro surfer Dimity Stoyle, is renowned for her heady mix of house, techno and exotic disco; a mesmerising sonic cocktail that will be getting the FO2L crowds in the party mood this May. When she’s not travelling the world on the surf circuit, Shimmy can be found wowing crowds from sunset to sunrise, including multiple sell out Need2Freak sets.
Transforming one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks – Coolangatta Beach – into the biggest beach party Australia has ever seen this May, OUT 2 LUNCH FESTIVAL will act as the perfect bookend to the Gold Coast Pro alongside the World Surf League at Snapper Rocks, and the hype is definitely real.
General public tickets will go on sale on Friday 9 February at 10am AEST (11am AEDT) from https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=FISHOUT24, with pre-sales beginning on Tuesday 6 February. All tickets will include bus transport to and from Coolangatta Beach. Further details can be found on teglive.com.au.
SAT 4 MAY | COOLANGATTA BEACH, QLD | 18+
ARTIST PRE-SALE
10:00am AEST (11am AEDT), Tuesday 6 February
GP ON-SALE
10:00am AEST (11am AEDT), Friday 9 February
FISHER OUT 2 LUNCH FESTIVAL 2024
Tickets available from https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=FISHOUT24
FISHER
VINTAGE CULTURE
FLIGHT FACILITIES
LITTLE FRITTER
SHIMMY