BOB EVANS ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO CONCRETE HEART + NEW ALBUM TOMORROWLAND SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 16 – PRE ORDER NOW
Renowned Australian singer songwriter, Bob Evans has today announced his new single Concrete Heart, a stunning, sunny track featuring harmonies from Stella Donnelly, out today, February 18. Concrete Heart is also accompanied by a wonderfully Aussie film clip, perfectly suited to the theme of the song. Concrete Heart and previous single Born Yesterday both precede Bob Evans’ sixth studio album Tomorrowland, a triumphant record scheduled for release on April 16, 2021 – available for pre-order now. Bob Evans is the ARIA-winning alter ego of Jebediah frontman Kevin Mitchell who has graced the Australian music scene for more than two decades and has written some of the country’s most beloved songs.
Produced by Steven Schram (Paul Kelly, Kate Miller-Heidke), Concrete Heart is Bob Evans at his very best; glistening guitar, Beatles-inspired harmony and melody, and a shining arrangement that pulls it all together. Featuring harmonies from WA’s Stella Donnelly, Concrete Heart evokes classic influences of Crowded House and The Go-Betweens, and yet remains perfectly unique to Bob Evans. Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, he says, “The lyrics are inspired a bit by online conversation on social media. I have been accused of being a ‘bleeding heart’ a few times when putting forward my opinion on a political or social issue, which I think is a hilarious put-down, because it’s basically criticising someone for caring too much! What is so wrong with that? So it got me thinking about owning that label, like, “yep, I am a bleeding heart” because what is the alternative? A cold heart made out of concrete? No thanks. That is not me and I don’t ever want it to be. The music to this one is kind of upbeat and fun sounding though, so I tried to come at this whole idea with a bit of tongue in cheek, like I’m poking fun at the whole thing in a way.”
Filmed, directed, produced and edited by long time Bob Evans and Jebediah collaborator, Arlo Cook (Gretta Zilla,The Tommyhawks), the film clip for Concrete Heart is set in a quintessential country Australian pub, and feels like a perfectly accurate visual representation of where you would most want to hear Concrete Heart played live. Speaking on the inspiration behind the clip, Kevin says, “I came up with the idea of my band playing in a front bar of a pub to a virtually empty room and a disinterested audience. I just thought it was a really simple and funny way to address the message of the song. Arlo made the clip for Born Yesterday with me and we wanted to try and carry over some of that same feeling and aesthetic to this clip, which wasn’t really a straightforward thing to do as they are quite different songs; Concrete Heart is quite upbeat. We decided to really lean in to the Australiana vibe and make it look like it could have been filmed any time between now and 30 years ago.”
Fans will be thrilled to know that Bob Evans’ sixth studio album Tomorrowland is due for release on April 16, 2021 and Tomorrowland is set to be a shining addition to his discography. Over five albums, Bob Evans has always been the acoustic melody king, the folk/rock alternative whose songs became favourites, then beloved and finally classics. Now, Kevin says, “I think this is the most electric guitar I’ve played on a Bob record. I pretty much had an electric guitar in my hand for every song.” Tomorrowland was spawned during one of the worst times for anyone, anywhere: the covid-cursed 2020, a period when initial recording was completed one day after all his gigs were cancelled, and two weeks before Kevin and everyone else in Victoria went into an agonisingly long lockdown. But the result is euphoric, sparkling – a luminescent rock record from an unstoppable songsmith.
Stay tuned for an exciting tour announce to come very soon!
Concrete Heart is out now via Dew Process.
Tomorrowland is out April 16, 2021 and is available for pre-order now.
Bob Evans is Kevin Mitchell.
PARKER ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO LIE LOW FOR RELEASE ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, MARCH 8
Stunning visual artist, songwriter and musician PARKER has today announced her new single Lie Low, a deeply moving song about reclaiming power, out today, March 8. Lie Low is intentionally released on International Women’s Day 2021, and this song is set to be an inspiration for any woman who has ever diminished their own hopes, dreams and talents to allow someone else to take the spotlight. Accompanying the intensely introspective track is a masterful film clip offering an eerie yet beautiful visual reflection of the song, created with long time visual collaborator Hans van Vliet.
Lie Low will mean many things to many people, but it is safe to say that women will be particularly moved by this work. It takes a lot of strength to release a song that is so lyrically raw, so vulnerable, and so willing to pick at the most difficult and stigmatised moments of being a woman in a creative field. The sparse, delicate, yet mighty production on this track, paired with Parker’s close, intimate vocal performance, makes for a supremely luscious and evocative track.
Speaking on the inspiration for this affecting song, Parker offers some extraordinarily honest insight, saying, “I’ve always held myself with a belief that I should exist in the world with quiet grace. Not be too loud or stand out too much…Even though my friends, parents and partners have encouraged me to follow my dreams I always felt this responsibility to not be too loud or abrasive, to look pretty, to sound pretty, to not challenge people too much, make music and art that is beautiful and easy to listen to and look at. Hans and I were working remotely on the track and we had the ‘be less, be less’ section looping at the end. I felt this rage inside me in response to that idea. This feeling of frustration at all the times I’ve controlled my emotions so that I didn’t make others feel uncomfortable. I set up my mic in my bedroom and just started screaming and yelling until finally it felt like my heart cracked open. The floodgates opened up and I wept loudly for about 10 mins.”
The video for Lie Low is also an appropriately emotional experience. Surreal, bizarre, unsettling – the colours shift and move within an entirely new world as Parker performs alone, and wanders through the ever-changing landscape. Reflecting on the meaning behind the artistic choices in the clip, Parker explains, “We talked about the courage it takes as a woman to put yourself first in a world where there are still so many expectations for women to play support roles in both career and domestic spaces. Thinking about the concept of sacrificing time and energy for another we found a way to represent this with the metaphor of colour being drained from one character to another. I like that it is not explicit that the colour is being taken or given. When the character drops to her knees she could be crying or she could be praying. When we worship our loved ones we can fall into our own pattern of giving too much of ourselves to them.”
Parker is no stranger to collaboration and artistic challenge and it’s truly exhilarating to watch an artist genre-hop with such skill and ease. Not only has she got lots of music and visual content in store for 2021 for this project, she is also working with charming indie pop band Runaway Belles and also with Adam Ouston (COSTUME) on a new project, FM2030, inspired by the late futurist and father of Transhumanism of the same name. Fans will be thrilled with the diversity of the art and passion behind the work that this ultra talent has to share in 2021.
Lie Low is released today, March 8 – International Women’s Day 2021.
PIERCE BROTHERS SHARE NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘BROTHER’ FROM UPCOMING ALBUM ‘INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN’ SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 5 + ANNOUNCE VICTORIAN REGIONAL TOUR
Pierce Brothers have shared their single Brother, a crescendo-building indie folk anthem. Brother is accompanied by a light-hearted performance-based music video, as the band is constantly interrupted by the aforementioned brother brilliantly spliced with sweet, nostalgic footage from their childhood. They have also recently released their new album ‘Into The Great Unknown’ and announced the first leg of their national regional tour, kicking off with their Victorian show dates through March, April and May, featuring shows at The Espy on April 24 and The Corner Hotel on April 30, their first headline shows in Melbourne in over twelve months.
Written and performed for years before they finally put it down in the studio, Brother displays the anthemic build and crescendo for which Pierce Brothers have become known during their live performances. Opening with a quiet, reverb heavy and overdriven acoustic guitar, the track soon delves through rich harmonies, as drums and percussion are slowly introduced throughout the hook-laden chorus. The tune then kicks it into the next gear with the drop of the electric guitar solo before jumping up the octave and galloping to the final verse and chorus. Produced by Jan Skubiszewski (John Butler, The Cat Empire), mixed by Phil Threlfall (Illy, Ed Sheeran), and mastered by Joe Carra at Crystal Mastering (The Teskey Brothers, The Cat Empire), Brother is a slow burn anthem that leads to the kind of massive payoff that the Pierce Brothers have dedicated their careers to performing, and will have fans of Lumineers and Mumford and Sons jumping and singing by the final chorus.
Filmed by Dara Munnis (Tash Sultana, Teskey Brothers) and directed by Patrick Pierce himself, the music video for Brother sees a delightfully playful take on sibling rivalry, cut up with old home footage of the brothers as children, in a song that seeks to emphasise the importance of family. “We wanted to juxtapose the earnestness of the song with a bit of a piss-take,“ explains Pat, “we went in there with the intention of playing the whole thing straight, but then when Justin (our older brother) said he could drop in, we thought it would just be way funnier if we tried to do an honest-to-God straight performance, and he just walks through and messes it up for us. We couldn’t stop laughing at the thought of it so we figured, why not?? ”
Brother is the fourth track to be released from Pierce Brothers much anticipated sophomore album Into The Great Unknown, out now. Recorded at Jan Skubiszewski’s Red Moon Studios in Gisborne between the two Victorian lockdowns in 2020, the new album explores previously uncharted territory for the twins. “With strings arrangements, female backing vocals, and larger performances than we’ve ever done in the studio, this album is striving to be something grander than what has come before,” says Jack, “the lack of endless touring paved the way for a deeply thought-out experience.”
Along with their new single, the brothers have released a run of Victorian regional dates to coincide with the release of the new album. With borders opening, expect new shows added to the already stacked Victorian tour run. “In 2021 we’re planning on an entire regional Australia run!” Pat tells us, “but the problem is that if we announce tickets too far in advance, there’s risk of border closures between the announce and the date of the gig. We want to avoid all postponing/cancellations of shows so this year it’s announce and GO!”
INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN is out now
Purchase tickets to INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN TOUR https://www.piercebrothers.com.au/tour-dates
INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN Tracklist
1. white caps come
2. dentist
3. brother
4. it’s alright
5. la montagne
6. lights of london
7. réflecteur
8. trouble
9. waves of winter
10. petty
11. kanko
12. one
INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN VICTORIAN TOUR
THE OLD COAL MINE “THE SHED”, WONTHAGGI | SATURDAY MARCH 20 | SOLD OUT
https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/the-shed-sessions-pierce-brothers-maddy-may/123931?skin=shed
HALLS GAP HOTEL, HALLS GAP | SUNDAY MARCH 21
www.hallsgaphotel.oztix.com.au
CHAPEL OFF CHAPEL, PRAHRAN | SATURDAY MARCH 27
BLUESFEST, BYRON BAY | SATURDAY APRIL 4
https://www.bluesfest.com.au/
VOLTA ARTS & CULTURE, BALLARAT | FRIDAY APRIL 9
https://volta3350-piercebrothers.eventbrite.com.au
PIER BANDROOM, FRANKSTON | SATURDAY APRIL 10
https://liveatyourlocal.oztix.com.au
BARWON CLUB, GEELONG | THURSDAY APRIL 22
https://barwonclub.oztix.com.au/?Event=122318
THE ESPY, ST KILDA | FRIDAY APRIL 23
https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/pierce-brothers/125635
CORNER HOTEL, RICHMOND | FRIDAY APRIL 30
https://cornerhotel.com/gig/141099950751/
SOOKIE LOUNGE, BELGRAVE | FRIDAY MAY 7
https://sookilounge.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/7b6028de-022e-4b36-a931-ee211a9ef952?preview=1b8d34e0-a422-4b87-9e98-aac46d8bce22
SANDY POINT MUSIC CLUB, SANDY POINT | FRIDAY MAY 21
https://www.trybooking.com/BOUNT
WESTERNPORT HOTEL, SAN REMO | SATURDAY MAY 22
https://westernporthotel.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/3b489fab-355f-4ba6-9f33-98b478473b95