PARKER ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO ‘CAN’T KEEP WAITING’ + ARTIST RESIDENCY & EXHIBITION ‘YOU, ME AND THAT OTHER THING’ AT SAWTOOTH ARI
Gifted visual artist, songwriter and musician PARKER has today announced her iridescent new single Can’t Keep Waiting, a once-in-a-lifetime song, one that soundtracks a grand leap into the unknown and away from everything comfortable and safe, set for release today, October 4. PARKER has also announced a cinematic video clip to accompany the track, made in collaboration with director and technology artist Jaymis Loveday (Emma Louise, Ball Park Music) and sculptor Briony Law. PARKER has just completed an artist residency at Sawtooth ARI gallery alongside drawer and sculptor Jo Lane, in order to prepare their upcoming exhibition You, Me and that Other Thing, an exploration into human connection. The official opening of You, Me and that Other Thing will take place today, Friday October 4 from 6PM at Sawtooth ARI in Tasmania (running for one month), and will include a screening of the Can’t Keep Waiting video clip.
Can’t Keep Waiting is transcendental, meditative; at times it feels almost ambient, with heavy, industrial percussion and repetitive synth patterns. But one thing that pulls the track into a truly close, emotive space is PARKER’s soft, intimate yet commanding voice. Evocative of Massive Attack and the lyrical and vocal prowess of Lana Del Rey, Can’t Keep Waiting is epic and overflows with the power of primal human emotion. “Can’t Keep Waiting is about gathering the courage to be honest with myself. It’s about letting go of all that is safe and familiar in life in order to evolve and grow,” explains Parker. “I believe it’s in the moments when we feel completely lost that we find the opportunity to discover something new about ourselves. Nothing is permanent, everything can change. Each moment we have the ability to create ourselves anew.”
Already receiving multiple accolades, including Best Concept at Clipped Music Video Festival in Sydney, Best Music Video at the Los Angeles Film Awards, New York Film Awards and Top Shorts, not to mention selection for screening at the Austria International Film Festival, the clip for Can’t Keep Waiting is a triumph of a true marriage between sound, visual art, and cinema. Made by PARKER, in collaboration with Jaymis Loveday and Briony Law, the clip sees clay mounds, turning gracefully to human forms, dissolving in a deep-seascape with very little light from above. PARKER displays a clear and intricate understanding of her art, as she describes the clip, “The clip concept for this song was born out of a video installation work I made called Dissolving Self. Dissolving Self was a projection installation of a video art work. The video was a of a clay cast of my face dissolving in water set on a loop that made it look like it was falling apart and then rebuilding. I showed the work to my friend Jaymis Loveday and he suggested we make an extension of the work by creating full body casts and miniature models using a larger tank and cinematography techniques in the filming. Brisbane based sculptor Briony Law worked closely with me on the sculpting of the plaster landscapes and made all of the body casts and moulds for us to create the figures.”
You, Me and that Other Thing is the title of the upcoming exhibition that will see PARKER and Jo Lane explore the many facets of human connection. The exhibition will consist of three parts: historic works where inspiration has already manifested, a transition piece, and the work from an experimental performance of unity. PARKER and Jo Lane have spent the last two weeks in residency at Sawtooth ARI, working side by side in a dedicated studio space where the exhibition will take place. Giving her audience a taste of what to expect from the exhibition, PARKER enthuses, “We will create a body of work together around the theme of human connection combining Jo’s skills in drawing and sculpting and mine in sound and video. The Exhibition will combine a collection of our existing works and the new work we make during the residency.”
PARKER is Tash Parker.
Can’t Keep Waiting is set for release today, October 4 and the You, Me and that Other Things exhibition will take place today at Sawtooth ARI at 6pm (October 4)
YOU, ME AND THAT OTHER THING EXHIBITION OPENING
FRI 4 OCT | SAWTOOTH ARI, LAUNCESTON TAS | 18+ | FREE ENTRY
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