GOODTHANKYOU SHARES SWAGGERING NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR’ TAKEN FROM NEW ALBUM ‘THE KENNARDS SESSIONS’ OUT TODAY
A swaggering and powerful ode to the fairer sex, PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR is the new single out today from goodthankyou, aka the solo project from Melbourne cult party-starters The Stiffys’ frontman Jason John Leigh. The formidable lead single taken from goodthankyou’s debut album THE KENNARDS SESSIONS, also out today, PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR showcases Leigh’s enigmatic musical prowess while equally illuminating the broader album steeped in vulnerability, charm and growth.
A foot-stomping delight, PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR finds Leigh weaving indie and rock grooves under the goodthankyou moniker, with Leigh conjuring the single, as well as the entirety of The Kennards Sessions, at an undisclosed storage unit studio setup, recorded over the space of 18 months to avoid discovery and being kicked out. Recording all instruments himself, including guitars, bass, drums, saxophone, keys and vocals, Leigh then flew to Auckland to mix The Kennards Sessions in Neil Finn’s (Crowded House) personal studio alongside ARIA-winning producer Steven Schram. Fusing fuzzy tones alongside Leigh’s iconic vocals, PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR bursts open the goodthankyou journey with sonic nods to Idles, LCD Soundsystem and Queens of the Stone Age; and, as Leigh reveals, the hallucinogenic hues were no mere accident. “This track began as something completely different until the magic mushrooms kicked in,” Leigh shares. “It started as some overthought intellectual drum and bass thing and then became a primal sweaty sex track. PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR marvels at women; how love costs them so much more. How reckless and brave it is for them to fall in love and how our species relies on them ripping their hearts, lives and bodies apart for it. It comes at the end of an album about growing up.”
Accompanied by an old school karaoke film, part of a planned trilogy directed by Tim Hamilton (King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Big Scary), the clip for PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR was shot primarily underneath Melbourne’s iconic “cheese stick” in Parkville, with plans to extend the bouncing protagonist’s narrative into the near future. “PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR is accompanied by an old school karaoke film which is shot from the bouncing ball’s perspective,” says Leigh. “The bouncing ball, unfortunately, is overworked and has marital issues”. “Jason and I have shared an aesthetic for a while and long appreciated each other’s work,” adds Hamilton. “The karaoke film idea came about over a few beers and we were really excited to split the story out into three parts, because it’s just too difficult to explain the story of an inanimate ball within a three minute window.”
With 12 new tracks lying in wait on THE KENNARDS SESSIONS, Leigh flourishes with pure DIY genius from start to finish, from the woozy fever dream of its opener HI, to the off-kilter sheen of BE COOL, the sinuous delight that is BAY BAY, Beatles-esque whimsy on GOTTA LEAVE THIS SUMMER, lush hip hop hues on I WAS TOO HARD ON YOU, the hard-hitting cacophony of THE THINGS THAT I THINK and the beseeching DIY ballad that is HOME TO YOU. But THE KENNARDS SESSIONS builds its emotional apex most firmly in its closing moments, ending with the album’s leading single PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR in emboldened fashion. “THE KENNARDS SESSIONS is an album about growing up,” explains Leigh. “About a big fish who leaves a small pond and loses everything, only to find themselves. It was written to be listened to all at once. Everything about it was recorded wrong, which led to the album’s distinctive sound. Mainly due to the combination of inexperience, broken gear, mild inebriation, and excessive vulnerability. It was recorded piece by piece late at night over 12 months in a storage unit and you can actually hear the drumming getting less shit as the record goes on. The record was borne when I found myself in Sydney, far from my band and musical community, and needing a way to make music by myself. I could play all the instruments I needed except for drums. After gate-crashing and accidentally winning an amateur poker night, I found myself with enough money to buy the last remaining gear I needed (a drum kit and recording interface) and taught myself how to use both.”
Best known as the front man for Melbourne cult part band The Stiffys, Jason John Leigh has spent his professional career to date making his name alongside his bandmates via raucous live shows, relentless touring and typing in all caps. Growing up around instruments in his youth, Leigh has been playing in bands since the age of 14, going on to front The Stiffys for their 2012 debut release, titled The Stiffys debut album, and an array of new material that followed, including 2014’s We Are Groovy Boys, 2015’s Art Rock One, 2016’s Art Rock Two and 2020’s Cool. But while his musical clout is already firmly entrenched in the Aussie musical landscape, goodthankyou is nothing like The Stiffys, as Leigh explains. “The Stiffys are Adam Stagg, Devin de Araujo and I having a fantastic and obnoxious time after two bottles of Passion Pop each,” Leigh shares. “goodthankyou is just me in a storage unit after two beers, and it’s a lot more touchy feely. I’ve been gestating on this for ages. And not just in the studio — every waking moment, this record has been playing on loop in my head. This album was recorded to be listened to in full with headphones on. Of course, you won’t, no one does, but maybe someday you’ll find yourself with 35 minutes to kill.
PRAY AT YOUR ALTAR and THE KENNARDS SESSIONS are out today, Thursday January 30.
360 ANNOUNCES PART 2 OF BACK TO LIFE REGIONAL TOUR, JOINED BY SPECIAL GUEST DREST
Off the back of a killer 12 date regional run through Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT for Part 1 of his Back To Life tour last month, beloved Australian rapper 360 will continue to conquer in 2024, today announcing 12 new dates in March and April for Part 2 of his regional takeover. Previously embarking on a fully sold out run of shows, his first in just under six years last June, Part 2 of 360’s ongoing regional tour will kick off on Thursday 14 March at Blazes Showroom in Tamworth, swinging through New South Wales and Tasmania, before finishing up in Western Australia at Dunsborough Tavern on Saturday 20 April, with special guest drest supporting on the full run.
Tickets go on-sale to the general public at 9am local time on Friday 15 December. Fans are invited to pre-register now at 360music.com.au to access pre-sale tickets from 9am local time on Thursday 14 December.
Returning to stages in November for the first half of his Back To Life regional tour, 360 also joined forces with Support Act for some of the run, with a donation of $1 per ticket purchased matched by a further $1 from Live at your Local being donated to the music industry charity, Support Act. And with the first part of the Back To Life tour officially now done and dusted, the positivity and memories grown throughout that run will firmly flow into the upcoming 2024 shows, as 360 poignantly shares, “Part 1 was so good, though I’m not going to lie, after the first tour in June I was nervous because I felt so rusty still. I had to shake off a lot of cobwebs and it got in my head a bit, I felt stiff, I struggled loosening up and having fun performing. But this tour – that feeling has completely gone, thankfully. Now I’ve been just vibing with the music, having fun and feeling like I used to back in the day. It’s taken a lot of work to get here, but it’s so good to be back.”
An ARIA Award-winning, multi-platinum pioneer, 360’s art has consistently resonated globally throughout his career, thanks largely due to his honest, authentic and self-aware nature as well as his inescapably likeable sonic flair. Closing out the year and gazing towards 2024 tapping into his own life and broader society, 360’s culturally conscious state of flow has also been heavily inspired in 2023 by the likes of Danheim, Hans Zimmer, Nicholas Britell, Mac Richter and Dustin O’Halloran. “I listen to them when I’m zoning out,” 360 reveals, “and picturing the life I want to create for myself”. Returning with gusto in 2023, 360 is undeniably back, better than ever before – and his hard-fought and inspiring journey to finding peace and strength against the odds has exuberantly flowed over into his creations as well as his live performances, as 360 reveals, “I was in a horrible place, I had a whole bunch of music I was making but the lack of self-confidence and social anxiety had wreaked havoc on my frame of mind. I wanted to stay indoors and avoid the world, I lost the spark to live and be better. But this year I made a conscious choice to turn things around and take back control of my life, so it’s been a mixture of things. It started with a ton of therapy every week, understanding my issues inside and out. Then that evolved into working with a life coach. I had to figure out the exact man I wanted to be and stop living like a little boy, so that’s what I’m in the process of doing right now. A lot of it is about doing the work I would usually avoid doing at all costs. I’m not a confrontational person and I let that get out of hand to the point I wouldn’t stand up for myself or communicate honestly. So learning to be more assertive, to have trust in myself and actually love myself again. Also, I can’t stress the importance of the fitness side of things, smashing the gym regularly and eating healthy has done way more than any medication has…so this has been the process to coming back to life.”
An artist who has never been one to do anything in halves, the prolific rapper swiftly cemented himself on the Australian scene via his 2008 debut album What You See Is What You Get, before the game-changing 2011 release Falling & Flying catapulted 360 into a whole new stratosphere. Hailed for its emotive weight, authenticity and genre-fluid finesse, Falling & Flying paved the way for 360’s continued domination with 2014’s Utopia and 2017’s Vintage Modern firmly sealing his legacy. But amongst his renowned battle rapping dexterity, searing creative innovation and collaborations, 360’s path has simultaneously been lined with mountains, from an accident in 2010 that almost upended the release of Falling & Flying to his battle with addiction and mental health issues in later years; all moments in time that ultimately helped guide and strengthen 360’s resolve, leading him to new music as well as his triumphant return to performing earlier this year. Now primed and focused on a horde of upcoming projects, 360 will also imminently be joined on Part 2 of the Back To Life regional tour with drest – a young singer-songwriter hailing from the small farming town of Finley in New South Wales, and currently based in Melbourne. Weaving a melting pot of indie, rock, pop, and rap, drest’s dazzling sonic amalgamation is equally connective and fresh, with sold out shows across Australia alongside 360 in his wake, his own headline shows and a recent single heavenwillwait out in the world.
Alongside drest in 2024, 360 is primed to continue bringing his exhilarating live show around regional Australia, with the Back To Life Part 2 tour guaranteed to satiate past, present and future fans of the magnetic rap maverick. Expect unapologetic and heartfelt storytelling from an artist who can tackle any style and make it his own. And hitting some familiar and less travelled locales next March and April, prepare for some incredible moments from one of Australia’s most engaging modern artists, who is as excited to be back and thriving, as much as his legions of fans are excited to have him back. “I am working on an album, collab projects, and I intend to jump back into the arena of rap battling as well,” 360 reveals. “I’ll be doing a bunch of other shit too, like showing certain steps I’ve taken to get myself better, I really wanna show others who are stuck in a rut that if they need a way out, this is how I’ve done it, but you’ve gotta put in the hard work. It’s fucking good to be back.”Tickets to the Back To Life Regional Tour Part 2 go on sale at 9am local time on Friday 15 December from 360music.com.au.
360 – BACK TO LIFE REGIONAL TOUR PART 2
Tickets available from 360music.com.au
THU 14 MAR | BLAZES SHOWROOM, TAMWORTH NSW | 18+
FRI 15 MAR | FINNIAN’S, PORT MACQUARIE NSW | 18+
SAT 16 MAR | KING STREET, NEWCASTLE NSW | 18+
THU 04 APR | MIRANDA HOTEL, MIRANDA NSW | 18+
FRI 05 APR | SHOAL BAY COUNTRY CLUB, SHOAL BAY NSW | 18+
SAT 06 APR | DRIFTERS WHARF, CENTRAL COAST NSW | 18+
THU 11 APR | ROYAL OAK HOTEL , LAUNCESTON TAS | 18+
FRI 12 APR | PUB ROCK DINER, DEVONPORT TAS | 18+
SAT 13 APR | REPUBLIC BAR, HOBART TAS | 18+
THU 18 APR | LEISURE INN, ROCKINGHAM WA | 18+
FRI 19 APR | THE CARINE, DUNCRAIG WA | 18+
SAT 20 APR | THE DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN, DUNSBOROUGH WA | 18+
MAYLENE YINARR SHARES POWERFUL NEW SINGLE ‘THIS IS FOR US’ TAKEN FROM NEW EP SINGING OUR FUTURES – RELEASED TODAY
Radiating poise and soul equipped with a powerful narrative, the new single This Is For Us from singer-songwriter Maylene Yinarr is a sonically lush and thematically important outing, bustling with hope and healing from the talented Naarm artist. Marking the final single released as part of the self-titled Singing Our Futures EP, also out today, This Is For Us joins a stunning collection of songs from fellow artists Ridzyray, Kee’ahn and Emma Donovan, Madi Colville-Walker and Kiwat Kennell under the inaugural Singing Our Futures umbrella, aka The Archie Roach Foundation’s mentoring experience centred around helping First Nations artists on their songwriting and recording journeys.
A stirring and polished ballad, This Is For Us draws on Yinarr’s captivating knack for weaving creations that are equally haunting, uplifting and thought-provoking, while also seeking to inspire conversations about identity and vulnerability. Mentored by the Singing Our Futures leader and fellow artist Candice Lorrae to bring This Is For Us to life, Yinarr balances diverse inspiration alongside a poignant tribute to First Peoples native to any land, as she explains, “This song is a tribute to the frontier wars on the soil that is now known as ‘Australia’. The war that existed between the Aboriginal warriors, hunters and gatherers of many nations at the time of Invasion, colonisation and European settlement. We are their children. I am their daughter. For this song, I was inspired by our blak music royalty, as well as gospel music, blues roots, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Evanescence, Nina Simone, Etta James, Sia, Sigur Rós, Andrea Bocelli, Fleetwood Mac, Patty Griffin and others like Brandi Carlisle, Sara Bareilles, and Ingrid Michaelson.”
Penned from a place of hope and healing, This Is For Us also furthers Yinarr’s ever-growing legacy, with her work alongside both Singing Our Futures program leader Candice Lorrae and other mentors in and around the program also offering her a chance to rejuvenate her creative spirit and meaningfully connect with other creatives and her community following a devastating personal loss. “For This Is For Us, the amazing Candice Lorrae was my mentor and she is a fierce, talented and powerful woman,” shares Yinarr. “We’ve taken my music to a whole new level – within the program to my other tracks that will be released in 2024. I’ve also worked closely with Linc Yow Yeh (The Deans of Soul), I’ve met one of my idols, Gina Williams and Shellie Morris, Uncle Kutcha Edwards, and, as a community, I still have my mentors, Uncle Robert Bundle, Uncle Brad Brown (Kool Mist), Uncle Dave Arden and of course, my Mum, Sharon Slater and my Dad, Mel Burns. Singing Our Futures is so heart-warming and community driven. It’s been a beautiful road. My journey in the project was a heartbreaking start with the loss of my twin sister, Marjorie, so our family was in deep Sorry Business. When I joined the project, it was an exciting secret that I didn’t get to tell her before we lost her. I’ve drawn strength from that – I’ll keep going and living out my dream of music. She was my biggest fan. She would have been right here with me on this journey. Everything that I do, I do for my family and my community. Music is a core healing energy for us as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I have been standing alongside incredible talent – our darling Madi Colville-Walker, Kiwat, Kee’ahn and Ridzyray. It’s an honour to start my recording career this way.”
Offering insight on the single art, Yinarr says, “It was exciting for me to engage a young First Nations graphic designer to design the single artwork, her name is Rubii Red. We worked together to create this artwork, Rubii really captured the essence of the song and the vision of our country when it is healing.”
Sparking her musical journey writing songs at the age of 15 at high school, Yinarr’s experience and inspiration under the tutelage of her high school music teachers led her to her ultimate creative pathway, with teachers Claudia Mameli, Sonny King Ismail and Peter Jones imparting a formula to songwriting that Yinarr still incorporates to this day – with the influence of her culture. Offering her an outlet that was missing in her youth, Yinarr learned to express and explore her feelings via music, with her first official song written in honour of her grandfather, Kamilaroi Elder Tom Slater. From songs penned in her Year 10 music book to adding her voice to the incredible inaugural Singing Our Futures program, Yinarr’s passion spills over vividly into her creative world, as does her admiration for the man behind the program: the late, great Archie Roach himself. “Uncle’s legacy has helped heal our people and shape our nation,” shares Yinarr. “Without his song with Aunty Ruby Hunter, Took The Children Away, our people would not have the international recognition and compassion that we do today. He will always be remembered. A man from Charcoal Lane, Ngar-go to the big stage, who showed the world the sounds of our longest living culture on Earth. He gave our generation the opportunity to follow in his footsteps with pride and with love. With my music, I am drawn to exploring the complex layers that we experience, the heartache and the victories. I love how we can tell a story in a melody and empty our soul into a song and in turn, fill up with the energy of music. I love the place that I go to in my mind and Spirit when I sing. I feel like that is the place beyond the stars.”
A meaningful and culturally safe songwriting program that supports emerging First Nations artists to tell their story through songwriting, Singing Our Futures was devised pre-COVID and was one of the leading programs of the Archie Roach Foundation. Led by Candice Lorrae (The Merindas), an established singer-songwriter and music producer with Jawoyn and Torres Strait Islander roots, Singing Our Futures has since evolved into an impactful and ever-growing initiative for emerging artists and storytelling that spans genres and generations, culminating for 2023 with the long-awaited release today of its inaugural self-titled EP, Singing Our Futures out now.
Bringing together all previous singles unveiled under the Singing Our Future program this year, this extraordinary EP includes the spell-binding debut track Take No More, by Kee’ahn and Emma Donovan, the powerful dive into deep connection, Disconnected from Torres Strait Islander artist Kiwat Kennell, as well as the mesmerising ode to home and country via Yinarr Mulana Winyarr by Yorta Yorta creative Madi Colville-Walker, and pure serenity courtesy of the EP’s final track, Yinarr’s This Is For Us, with the latter unforgettably teaming Yinarr up with program leader Candice Lorrae.
“It’s been a journey and a memorable experience producing the Singing Our Futures program,” shares Lorrae. “There’s nothing else quite like it. It’s meaningful and we get to share our stories through music. This program was born from Uncle Archie’s legacy. We feel him and our ancestors standing with us throughout this journey. Working with Maylene as a mentor taught me so much about the power of healing through music. I knew that music was healing from the start, but Maylene Yinarr has proven it to me through her songs, kindness, strength and wisdom.”
“I feel this is a good way to land the EP release with Maylene’s song as the feature,” Lorrae concludes. “This If For Us, it’s all for us. Uncle Archie has really paved a way for us all and I’m extremely honoured continuing his legacy by running the Singing Our Futures program.”
Maylene Yinarr’s This Is For Us single and the Singing Our Futures EP are both out today via Cooking Vinyl Australia.