SCOTT DARLOW ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIA
Australian and proud Yorta Yorta descendent Scott Darlow has today announced his affecting new single Forgotten Australia, a true anthem that encourages listeners to reconnect with the Australia that once warmly welcomed all people, out today, October 7. Scott has also dropped a video to accompany the song, fittingly highlighting the beauty of the melting pot that is Australia. Forgotten Australia is the perfect complement to Scott’s passionate endeavours as an Indigenous educator and World Vision spokesperson. In 2018, alongside Triple M’s head of content Michael Fitzpatrick, Scott spearheaded the charity supergroup The Drought Breakers (featuring Sarah McLeod, Adam Brand, Jack Jones and Todd Hunter) and recorded well known Dragon song Rain. Released by Sony Music Australia, all proceeds were donated to Buy a Bale to assist drought-stricken farmers. Scott’s love for Australia is evident in his recent single releases, with songs about Indigenous issues, our famers and multicultural Australia which all received Australia-wide airplay. Scott Darlow is currently supporting Jimmy Barnes on tour and will be opening for Eskimo Joe’s national tour over the next few months.
Forgotten Australia was co-written by Scott and Aussie rock royalty Kav Temperley and Joel Quartermain of Eskimo Joe – and these three songwriting auteurs have crafted an incredibly poignant and hooky track here. The lyric ‘Do you remember the forgotten Australia?’ will send shivers up even the most stoic spine, and as this powerful track washes over the listener, it’s impossible to remain unaffected by its message. The song boldly yields its sentiment and lyrics from the Australian national anthem – “They say we’ve got boundless plains to share, yet you say were full, you’re telling me to watch the oceans, but that’s how we became young and free”. And Scott isn’t afraid to speak his mind on this topic, fervently explaining, “As an Aboriginal man I find the current anthem distressing. It doesn’t represent me or my people, and I love that I’ve taken some of the lyrics to illustrate the hypocrisy that Australia can often harbour.” Offering more insight into the song, Scott says, “My Aboriginal ancestors were welcomed by Mother Earth, and they thrived and survived. Then each wave of migrants were welcomed here and they had a place to start again and thrive. Now, all of a sudden, we see a bunch of people telling newcomers that we’re full and that they can’t be here! This song is about saying ‘do you remember when we were a country who loved and welcomed everyone?’ And how good is that melting pot?!”
Once again teaming up with Curtis Reeder from R&H Media (Reeder also traveled across Australia with Scott to film his video for Solid Rock which has now amassed over 350,000 views), the video for Forgotten Australia is a personal one for Scott, “It’s just me singing to camera in my favourite spots around Melbourne – which also happen to highlight the beauty of Australia and the beauty of the melting pot. We have scenes at Middle Park beach, the Melbourne Zoo, Lygon Street, Londsdale Street, Chinatown, the Vic Market, Bourke Street Mall, I wanted to offer viewers a glimpse of ‘the real Australia’”.
Even with over 50,000 album sales under his belt, the skilled songwriter, guitarist and didgeridoo player is much more than an independent musician. Scott Darlow regularly speaks in schools, businesses, jails and churches across Australia, educating audiences about everything that has happened in Australia since 1770 from an Indigenous perspective. He covers topics such as genocide, land displacement, the Stolen Generation, the Australian constitution and the Flora and Fauna act, missions, segregation, education policy, and white Australia, alongside musical performances and conversational banter. Speaking on his passion for this work and offering incredible insight into his cause, Scott Darlow says, “The history lesson that I give during my presentations helps join the dots, and helps audiences to understand why we now live in a country that sees First Nation men die a decade younger than everyone else, why our Indigenous kids are ten times more likely to go to prison than to finish school, and why we don’t see nearly enough First Nation people finishing school or going to uni. It completely helps explain why the gap isn’t closing – and that understanding leads to empathy.”
Forgotten Australia is available today, October 7.
MONTAIGNE’S NEW ALBUM COMPLEX OUT NOW & NATIONAL TOUR IN NOVEMBER
Praise for COMPLEX
“Proof that pop doesn’t need to be dumbed down” – Herald Sun ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“Complex is a delightful exploration of a young woman’s examined life, warts and all” – The Australian
“Blending theatrics with emotion perfectly, Montaigne’s melodic pop tones create a gut-wrenching contrast between wanting to dance and wanting to cry. It’s an ode to Montaigne’s maturity to be able to write without metaphor around things so oftern trivialised and turn it into a gorgeous journey of self-discovery, determination and growth” – The Music ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
Art pop auteur Montaigne has today released her spectacular second album Complex, which features triple j faves For Your Love and Ready, alongside her latest single, the title track of the record. To celebrate the album, Montaigne will be taking part in instore stripped back performances and signings at Oh Jean Records in Melbourne on Saturday August 31 at 12pm and HUM Music in Sydney on Monday September 2 at 5.30pm. She will then be hitting the road for her Complex album tour (presented by triple j) in November, kicking off in Adelaide on November 7, then moving through Perth, Fremantle, Maroochydore, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Bendigo, Torquay, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and finishing up in Wollongong on November 30. Montaigne has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket goes to support Bush Heritage Australia a national non-profit organisation conserving biodiversity in Australia. www.bushheritage.org.au
The latest single Complex is an intriguing snapshot of the aftermath of – and hindsight that accompanies – a relationship with someone who has a Messiah complex. This is Montaigne at her absolute best – self-aware, wise, and delightfully verbose, playing with the meaning of complex and threading intricate and playful vocal melodies atop a bed of kitschy piano and determined drums. It’s the perfect title track for this eclectic album. On the new album, themes range from loneliness, isolation, distorted love narratives, confused sense of self, the desire to escape, self-image issues and self-realisation. All these concepts interact and percolate amongst themselves on Complex, and Montaigne does a spectacular job of expressing herself with eloquence, passion and powerful vocal authority.
Speaking on how she hopes the album is received by her audience, Montaigne explains, “Having to figure this album and my life out in simultaneity was the best possible collision of events I could have endured. There’s no way to quantify it, but I think going through the whole thing rescued me from a bunch of possible futures which would have been unpleasant and dark. It’s just this sense I have. I hope that listening to this album bequeaths the sense of anticipation and tension and tortuous disappointment that precedes your life and mind and body being totally reshaped and redefined, hopefully for the better.”
Montaigne worked with a wide range of producers on Complex, including long-time collaborator Tony Buchen (Courtney Barnett, The Preatures), Wynne Bennett (Twin Shadow, Janelle Monae), Kyle Shearer (Dua Lipa, Broods, K. Flay), Mozella (Madonna, Miley Cyrus, One Direction), Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Foals), Mario Späte (Tkay Maidza, Urthboy, Allday) and Eric J Dubowsky (Flume, St. Vincent, Dua Lipa).
Montaigne will be playing shows around the country in November to celebrate the release of Complex. Her unique, theatrical and emotional performance style never fails to impress. Tickets available from www.montaigne.oztix.com.au
Complex is available now.
SAT AUG 31 @ 12PM | OH JEAN RECORDS | INSTORE SIGNING AND PERFORMANCE | 276 NICHOLSON STREET, FITZROY
MON SEP 2 @ 5.30PM | HUM MUSIC | INSTORE SIGNING AND PERFORMANCE | 271 KING STREET, NEWTOWN
Complex album artwork
MONTAIGNE ‘COMPLEX’ NATIONAL ALBUM TOUR
Presented by triple j
Tickets from www.montaigne.oztix.com.au
THU 07 NOV – THE GOV, ADELAIDE
FRI 08 NOV – BADLANDS, PERTH
SAT 09 NOV – MOJO’S, FREMANTLE
THU 14 NOV – SOLBAR, MAROOCHYDORE
FRI 15 NOV – THE ZOO, BRISBANE
SAT 16 NOV – THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY
THU 21 NOV – TAP HOUSE, BENDIGO
FRI 22 NOV – TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY
SAT 23 NOV – THE CROXTON, MELBOURNE
THU 28 NOV – UC HUB, CANBERRA
FRI 29 NOV – THE METRO, SYDNEY
SAT 30 NOV – UOW UNIBAR, WOLLONGONG
SANNIA ANNOUNCES DOUBLE SINGLE + VIDEO RELEASE DAYLIGHT + BETTER + DOUBLE SINGLE LAUNCH SHOWS IN SEPTEMBER
Radiant vocalist and songwriter Sannia has today announced not one, but two magnificent new singles; Daylight and Better, out August 16. The two tracks are reflective of the growth of Sannia’s trademark intricate, emotive songwriting, and her voice soars with undeniable strength on both songs as the narrative melts from one track to the next. And the indie pop powerhouse has also released two stunning videos for the singles, directed by award-winning writer and director Emily Dynes (Teagan, Oh Pep!, The Gaze). To celebrate the double release, Sannia will be playing two exclusive shows in September at Melbourne’s Workers Club (September 12) and Sydney’s Golden Age Cinema (September 14).
Daylight opens the window into Sannia’s heart and mind, with pulsing, nostalgic synths, and poignant, relatable lyrics woven amongst a gentle solo guitar. The story is familiar – unrequited love, not for a stranger but for a close friend, as Sannia explains, “I wrote this song on a train home after a big night out with friends, I sort of had this weird semi- inebriated epiphany that I was head over heels for someone close to me, and in that same moment I realised he absolutely didn’t feel the same at all. Like two ships passing in the night, or maybe a ship and a rowboat in my case.” The clip is striking even from the opening shot – a damaged car in a vast, open pasture, a fire smoking out, and Sannia, a little bruised, lying in the front seat in a flowing red dress. She rises, and moves instinctively with the song, as she describes, “I feel like I was most vulnerable in this clip – I was absolutely terrified at first to include choreography in a one-take shot with a very small time frame to get it done was nerve wrecking but I think it’s the clip I’m most proud of.”
Better picks up where Daylight leaves off; the dust has settled on the relationship, and Sannia begins to believe in getting better, if only for herself. Another distinctive, swooping synth and an industrial-style drum loop moves this track into a modern, electronic space, while Sannia’s gorgeous vocals, evocative of both Meg Mac and Vera Blue, make this song distinctly hers. The clip features two lovers, dancing in a sunlit, empty house, then in a field at dusk…and then, they are apart, as Sannia says, “If there was anything in the world I wish I could do it would be dance, and the first thing I thought of when I imagined a video for this song was two dancers really representing the constantly shifting sands of a turbulent relationship. Emily managed to get in touch with choreographer Sian Kelly and two incredible dancers (Melissa Yvonne Pham and Ned Zaina) and suddenly this idea I had in my head that I absolutely couldn’t describe with words or my own lack of coordination actually came to life; I was completely blown away by Mel and the emotion she brought to the shoot.”
Explaining the decision to release both songs at the same time, Sannia says, “I decided to release these two together because I feel like they’re one and the same, not just in terms of their production or both videos being centred around dance and movement, but the two songs were really two different responses to the same situation. Daylight was the initial, really vulnerable call out and Better was the more defiant and explosive response.”
After an intense year of touring, Sannia is thrilled to be playing two exclusive live shows to celebrate the release of Daylight and Better. Giving fans a taste of what to expect from the shows, Sannia says, “I feel like we’ve grown so much from all the time not just performing but creating together and that definitely shows onstage. I think I’m the most honest version of myself and my emotions onstage, the music I write comes from a deeply personal place so I’m essentially revealing myself and embodying my work every time I perform and I can’t wait to share these new stories with a new audience.”
Daylight and Better will be available on August 16.
SANNIA BETTER AND DAYLIGHT DOUBLE SINGLE RELEASE LAUNCH SHOWS
THU 12 SEP | WORKERS CLUB, FIZTROY VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545
SAT 14 SEP | GOLDEN AGE CINEMA, NEWTOWN NSW | All Ages
Free Entry | Details available via https://www.ourgoldenage.com.au/live-music