DONNARUMMA ANNOUNCES DEBUT SINGLE + VIDEO LOVE YOUR MAN + NEW EP BILLY BILLY + EAST COAST TOUR
Donnarumma have today announced their raucous debut single Love Your Man, a horn-bouyed heavy hitter that leaves little to the imagination, out June 2. The trio have also dropped a spectacularly menacing clip to accompany the track, directed by Lewis Brideson (Last Dinosaurs, West Thebarton Brothel Party). Love Your Man is the first taste of the upcoming EP from the guys, Billy Billy, due for release on June 30. Donnarumma will be hitting the road to celebrate Love Your Man and Billy Billy throughout July, hitting up Adelaide, Melbourne, Wollongong and Sydney along the way.
Love Your Man is undeniable in many ways; those drums, those horns, that hook – you better love your man, love your man, delivered with just the right concoction of desperation, frustration and bubbling, tenuous anger. With hints of jazz influences that filter through the likes of The Cat Empire, and notable production and arrangement references to Gang of Youths, Donnarumma have devised a unique and innovative composition in Love Your Man. The accompanying clip, with its scorned female conceiving cruel and perilous circumstances for her unfortunate lover, reflects the frenzied nature of the song perfectly. Speaking on the song and its unforgettable, ominous video, lead singer Louis Donnarumma says, “Love Your Man is about the jealousy that warped my perception of a relationship I was once in. The song travels back to a time where I felt betrayed by my partner – what an innocent boy I was! The video shows this toxic relationship where the girl goes insane, kidnaps her partner and tries to kill him – then it is revealed that he’s been cheating on her the whole time and he ends up getting what he deserves. Sounds ridiculous I know, but we tried to be as over the top as we could be. It’s like those moments when you’re so angry you picture the most outrageous stories in your head. We find it amusing and love the irony; there’s this man singing how he doesn’t feel loved, but does nothing but betray her!”
Billy Billy, the EP that Donnarumma have been honing and crafting for a year, provides a fine example of a band that understand how to express the highest highs and the lowest lows of the human experience. Not only do they express, but they communicate with the listener, through punchy horn lines, irresistible rhythmic turns and hooky lyrics. Drawing from a wide net of influences cast as far as Nina Simone to Arcade Fire, Billy Billy was engineered by Tom Barnes (The Shaolin Afronauts) and includes guests Paige Court (MANE), Maggie Rutjens (Timberwolf), and Ollie English on backing vocals. Reflecting on the record, Louis remarks, “Firstly, the main message in these songs is one of feeling lost as you’re growing up. I imagine Billy as being a general name for anyone that’s feeling lost with the whole business. I feel like not many songs nowadays tackle this issue and it’s one that hits close to home, so I had to share it. The other biggy is love, but not the way most people go about it, we have no rose coloured glasses so all of our love songs are about loves that have been lost.”
After experiencing Donnarumma through the speakers it’s pretty clear that this is a band that simply must be seen live. Luckily for audiences the trio will be hitting up a bunch of venues along the east coast of the country and in their hometown of Adelaide throughout July. Excited to be hitting the road, Louis gives audiences a taste of what to expect, “Loud guitars, a drummer that jumps around and a bass that looks like a huge violin is just the start. Armed with those, and a bunch of songs both from the EP and brand new, the live shows will leave you singing the hooks hours after you go home.”
Love Your Man will be available from June 2 and Billy Billy will be released on June 30.
DONNARUMMA ‘BILLY BILLY’ SHOWS
SAT 1 JULY | GRACE EMILY HOTEL, ADELAIDE SA | 18+
FRI 7 JULY | WHOLE LOTTA LOVE, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+
THURS 13 JULY | RAD BAR, WOLLONGONG NSW | 18+
FRI 14 JULY | THE TOWNIE, SYDNEY NSW | 18+
Free Show
ALEX L’ESTRANGE ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE NOTHING TO HIDE AND DEBUT EP AUCHENFLOWER
Exceptional young songwriter, producer & multi-instrumentalist Alex L’Estrange has today announced his new single Nothing To Hide, a gritty mystery of a track lifted from his debut EP, Auchenflower, both set for release on December 16. Following several vibrant singles which have gained the attention from a bunch of large tastemaker blogs including DIY (UK) and Hilly Dilly (US), L’Estrange’s debut EP Auchenflower is a clear, confident collection of songs, named for the sleepy Brisbane suburb in which they were written. L’Estrange has just finished traveling around the country supporting Holy Holy on their Darwinism national tour and will launch his EP with a hometown show at Black Bear Lodge’s Last Party Before Lockout on January 28.
Nothing To Hide is hazy, evoking a nebulous feeling of early Tame Impala, or even The Beatles of Revolver times. L’Estrange’s voice sits defiantly atop an intoxicating, guitar-driven instrumental that pulls towards the magnetic, soaring chorus. L’Estrange reflects on the track, “It was written on one of those strange days that felt more like a dream. I’d been working away at this tune, I knew it had something about it that I’d never felt before, but I didn’t find out about what that really meant until later that night. That evening, a stranger visited me at the house I was living at in Auchenflower. I ended up going back to her mansion that she lived at alone. She divulged her life story. When I finally got back home, the song made sense. It was for her.”
The video for Nothing To Hide is a delicate gem, framing the track with finesse. Directed by Corey Donaldson (Cloudfall), the clip depicts a young woman living in a lifeless world, inhabited by mannequins. Eventually conforming, she transforms into a mannequin herself, leaving the audience to wonder whether she can maintain a sense of individuality in a world where everyone looks the same. Of the clip, L’Estrange says, “It’s clear that deep within her mind there is an original voice struggling to get out, she’s questioning her environment, and trying to understand why she feels so disconnected…(Lead actor) Cecilia Griffiths’ incredible expression really created the atmosphere of the clip and brought an air of mystery to the role. She has an innocence that is both charming and devastating.”
L’Estrange has arrived at a conclusive new juncture with the upcoming release of his debut EP, Auchenflower. The thoughtful collection of songs is natural, personal; the result of years of practice, years of listening, writing, and learning. Lurching guitars thread themselves around towering choruses, while quieter moments are buoyed by oblique acoustic arrangements and introspective lyricism. For the most part, Auchenflower was self-produced, however Australian music industry veterans Matt Redlich (Holy Holy, Ball Park Music, Ainslie Wills) and Andy Aubin (MTNS) both played a part in the production of the stunning debut. Reflecting on the ideas explored on Auchenflower, L’Estrange says, “Each song tackles a different thing. Some of the themes are focused inwards and concern feelings of fleeting love. Some of them concern others around me, like troubled relationships or exciting, enigmatic people. I’m often more interested in the listener’s interpretation of a song – A song like Nothing to Hide evokes a whole range of different moods and atmospheres within different people.”
L’Estrange has been on the road with Holy Holy on their Darwinism national tour this month, wrapping up at The Triffid in Brisbane on the weekend. Excited to be on the road playing live, L’Estrange enthuses, “Playing live has shed a whole new light onto the songs. I’m lucky enough to have some of my best friends (and some of the best musicians), play on stage with me. My line up at the moment usually consists of Sam Cromack and Dean Hanson (Ball Park Music) on guitar and bass, and Zac Moynihan (Mid Ayr) on drums. We try and recreate the feeling and atmospheres of the songs in a live setting without just replicating the recordings. We change stuff up and play off the crowd. Each show is different and unique.”
Auchenflower will be out December 16
SAT JAN 28 | ‘LAST PARTY BEFORE LOCK OUT’ BLACK BEAR LODGE, BRIS | 18+ | TICKETS http://blackbearlodge.oztix.com.au/?Event=68822
RESIDUAL ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘ALL FOR YOU’ + EP ‘HAUNT’ AND AUGUST RESIDENCY AT THE WORKERS CLUB MELBOURNE
Alt-rockers, Residual have today announced their explosive new single All For You (available on July 15), the first taste off their new EP, Haunt, which is set for release on August 26. To celebrate their new tunes, Residual have announced a Monday night residency through August at The Workers Club in Melbourne.
All For You is a raw offering, embracing classic Aussie rock influences while remaining sharp, contemporary, and exciting. Swelling and receding in all the right places, lead singer Sam Burtt’s voice carries confidently atop the intense, driving guitars and pounding drums. Riffs abound, All For You is emotive and compelling, as Burtt describes, “All For You is about a relationship I was in – we had both recognised that the end was nigh, but loved each other too much to ever call it a day. However, that day came a day before we started tracking vocals. I remember sitting in the courtyard at the studio and giving the lyrics a pretty substantial re-write. This song is really about giving yourself to someone, despite the knowledge that it will soon end.”
The video for All For You reflects this madness in stark, black and white fashion. It appears as though Burtt is the main character in a play he did not ask to be in; a series of scenarios are thrust upon him by indifferent stagehands, he eventually rebels as the song crescendos and everything comes crashing down. Working with young director Jesse Leaman (Lorne starring Guy Pearce) of Leaman Films, Burtt explains the inspiration behind the clip, “We had presented a few conditions to him. We knew we wanted it black and white, long shots and an aspect of violence…In reality, the actor onstage is really breaking out of the play itself; he goes rogue and trashes the set. It’s like Inception, only I’m a much better actor than Leo.”
Residual have been hard at work on their new EP Haunt (their first release since signing with Sydney-based management ArowAgency), a diverse and thoughtful release that is set to propel the band onwards and upwards. Haunt boasts energetic guitar-driven jams, with just the right amount of piano-balladry to ensure ultimate balance – held together by Burtt’s relentless and skillful vocal. Produced by Malcolm Besley (City Calm Down, Northeast Party House) and recorded in part at the renowned Sing Sing Studios, Haunt is one well-crafted collection of songs. Burtt enthuses, “There’s a real theme of the unobtainable that has seemed to filter through the EP. The songs really all focus on wanting what you can’t have, whether that’s love, happiness, or acceptance. The diamond, crystal-esque artwork is representative of something precious that as much as we may desire, we may never possess.”
In light of their anticipated new tunes, Residual will be performing every Monday night through August at The Workers Club Melbourne. Excited to be playing gigs again, Burtt says, “It’s been a while since we’ve been properly playing shows. We’ve done a lot of travelling whilst simultaneously preparing for this release, so there’s already a real sense of natural excitement for us – and if we do our job right, that will really rub off on the audience. We just want to show everyone how much growing up we’ve done.”
ALL FOR YOU is set for release on July 15, available for pre-order now
HAUNT is set for release on August 26, available for pre-order from July 15
THE WORKERS CLUB MELBOURNE RESIDENCY – MONDAY AUGUST 8, 15, 22, 29 | $3 ENTRY