ELLERY COHEN SHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘DEMONS’
Forever heartfelt and extraordinarily sincere, Melbourne alt-pop artist Ellery Cohen has continued his impressive rise to the top, pairing vulnerability with admirable earnestness on new track Demons, which officially releases today. As captivating and catchy as it is effective, Demons is another victorious step in Ellery’s majestic career, serving as his first new single for the year, and arriving alongside a resonant video clip which contextualises the track’s message of facing the inner turmoils of life head-on.
Bathed in the nostalgic sheen of retro-inspired synths, and bolstered by Ellery’s syrupy smooth vocals, Demons is a standout moment for the Melbourne artist, showcasing a powerful and relatable message after some difficult years, while underlining his electric artistry that makes him stand out from the rest. With a compelling songwriting style reminiscent of musical icons John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and an enveloping approach to sonics that evokes names such as Ben Rector and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, Demons is a triumphant undertaking for Ellery, who has emerged from the “hell on earth” of Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns with not only a newfound approach to life, but to his music as well. As Elleryexplains, “Demons is a step above what I’ve released before, both musically and lyrically, and it’s more vulnerable than anything I’ve done previously. It’s a song about accepting the things in life we can’t change. We all face struggles and battle addictions and we wanted to write a song about there being comfort in knowing that all humans struggle and although we are different, we are all the same.” Working on the track over a lengthy period of time, the composition of Demons was aided by the talents of No Frills Twins’ Arna and Vanessa Rogers, before harnessing the talents of ENTENTE’s Ezekiel Fenn and Michael Best in the studio. As Ellery recalls, “I wrote this song in three sections. I flew up and had a writing session with Arna and Vanessa of the No Frill Twins and we wrote part of the song, and I finished off part of the Zoom session with Vanessa, before finalising the song with my producers in the studio. I worked with my friends Michael & Zeke in ENTENTE who have produced my last few singles and they smashed this one too.”
The stunning video for Demons serves as a masterful contextualisation of the track’s heartfelt message. Harnessing the directorial talents of Clique Films’ producer-turned-filmmaker Daniel Kelaart (The Paper Kites, Simple Plan, Guy Sebastian), Ellery and the team worked over three nights to craft a clip that fully realises his vision, fusing intimate performance footage with shots of two people who are urged not to lose faith as they await the sunshine after the rain. As Ellery elaborates, “We really wanted a video that showed the message of the song. Demons is all about the struggles we all face in life. The video follows the stories of two people just trying to work through their ‘demons’ in life. One is a lady trying desperately to be in a body she loves and the other is someone who is working a job he hates and hoping to get away. I wanted to make a video that hits emotions that we have all experienced in life.”
Having first emerged onto Melbourne’s diverse music scene close to a decade ago, Ellery Cohen has continued to push the boundaries of artistry at every opportunity, crafting anthemic choruses that allow an accessible and relatable insight into the human condition. With a remarkable run of singles appearing throughout 2018 and 2020, and garnering support from the likes of Hit Network, KIIS Network, and Southern Cross Austereo, his gathering momentum was temporarily halted as Ellery was forced inside as part of the world’s most stringent lockdown. However, armed with a history of using music therapy in his line of disability support service work, creativity served as a much-needed saviour, with new music bubbling away all the while, resulting in the likes of 2021’s Waiting and the newly-released Demons. With new music under his belt and the Australian music scene looking far more positive than it has in recent years, Ellery is set to return to the stage in his native Melbourne at The Toff In Town on July 22 with good friends Kodah and Sarah Kabbani. Eager to share the likes of Demons before an adoring crowd, and to get back into the groove of providing raw and powerful live performances, Ellery says he’s planning to ensure his upcoming show is one to remember. “You can expect new songs, high energy, and some very, very bad jokes,” he quips.
Demons is out today, July 14.
RICH WEBB SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘I DON’T MIND AT ALL’
Just a few months on from his most recent release, critically-acclaimed Melbourne alt-country singer/songwriter Rich Webb has returned with another stellar single, sharing the summery I Don’t Mind At All. The latest taste from his forthcoming album, RIGHT!, I Don’t Mind At All shimmers with the visceral, welcoming warmth of the summer months, evoking imagery of hazy, sun-kissed days spent with a sense of clear-eyed freedom and warmth.
Powered along by lyrics that reside within the inner recesses of our memories, and instrumentation as dreamy and carefree as the subject matter itself, I Don’t Mind At All focuses on the little things that make up our mighty memories. Working with his talented band (including Matt Dixon, and Oh Mercy’s Rohan Sforcina, to name a few), and with Sforcina and Wakeman joining Rich on production duties, the resulting track transports the listener back to “a certain place and a certain time”. Inspired by the likes of Khruangbin, Dirty Projectors, Rickie Lee Jones, and Jack Johnson, Richchannels the effortless abilities of these artists to succinctly capture emotion and feeling through song, taking the listener back to the seemingly inconsequential moments which resonate forever. As Rich explains, “It tries to capture that feeling of the sun and the freedom that can come in summer and with summer holidays. About those times where you leave everything behind and live in the moment – these moments can feel like they last forever. It’s about that feeling of freedom, connection, and fun you get on holidays with people you love.”
As heartfelt as it is emotive, I Don’t Mind At All is bathed in the youthful sheen of early nostalgia, where those formative memories are first planted, and remain to this very day. As its subtitle – Bring On Summer – indicates, the majority of its focus is on the summer months, which traditionally hold a sense of comfort and youthful peace. As Rich recalls, the idyllic nature of these summer months have followed him around the world and throughout his life, informing his outlook all the while, “When I was a kid, that used to be three weeks or so in an orange family tent with my Mum and Dad and two brothers, often beside a beach in Wales. Here, it’s been heading out in an old column shift Ford Falcon down the Great Ocean Road for a few weeks when my brother and best mate came over, or the other way with my family to Marlo or Mallacoota. Just lovely dreamy times where you forget about work and the things that bug you or get in the way, and spend time together, just living for the moment and having fun.”
A staple of the Australian music scene for more than two-and-a-half decades, Rich Webb has curated a career as a truly mesmerising artist whose reputation precedes him. With numerous albums to his name, Rich’s inimitable command of music and lyrics has seen him attract global attention throughout his storied career, with 2019 even bringing with awards for Alt-Country Album Of The Year and Alt-Country Single Of The Year at the Independent Music Awards in New York. Now, four years on from the release of his last album, Le Rayon Vert, Rich is set to unveil his next record, RIGHT!, later in the year. Preceded by February’s Love Someone, 2022 is unfolding as a banner year in the career of one of the country’s most revered artists.
I Don’t Mind At All is out today, July 22.
st.james SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘AQUARIUS’
A sultry, dark and immersive adventure lies in wait on Aquarius, aka the brand new single from luminous alt-pop artist st.james. Officially billowing out into the world today, Aquarius marks a stylistic shift for st.james from her earlier work; but it’s ultimately a stunning and welcome deviation, bustling with futuristic hues as well as a smattering of st.james’ more vintage trademark flair.
Aquarius crawls and undulates with glossy production and immersive layers, with st.james effortlessly sweeping and skipping vocally amongst hip hop, electronic and alt-pop undertones. Polished, poised and oozing with charisma, st.james emerges with the ultimate sonic glow-up via her new track, nodding to both the past and present simultaneously, as she explains, “I listened to a lot of The Beatles when I was writing this, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! I think I also subconsciously got the intensity of the vocals from listening to Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power album as well. But I wanted it to feel futuristic, with a little hint of some vintage energy”.
Working alongside Luke Palmer as the primary producer, st.james also brought in Matt Bartlem as co-producer for Aquarius, with Luke and st.james initially throwing ideas around from an early demo before passing over to Matt to finesse and edit, leading to the eventual bewitching end result. Bouyed by a shared creative vision alongside her collaborators, st.james also fluidly explores intimate and universal themes throughout the visceral single, with a transcendental narrative take on the world and self realisation, as st.james elaborates, “Aquarius is about shining the light on what was once hidden in shadows. It’s personal and also written from a collective point of view. The awakening of our minds and deciding to forge our own beliefs from information presented to us, rather than consuming mindlessly and regurgitating old, tired belief systems”.
A diehard lover of all things music, st.james grew up surrounded by pop music videos and listening to the likes of David Bowie and Bob Dylan with her father along the way. Currently based on the Gold Coast after previously working and living in Melbourne for six years, and a stint in Byron Bay in 2021 filming the Netflix series Byron Baes, st.james has repeatedly enamoured in 2022 with her optimistic, heartfelt tunes via tracks like Liars and Restless Life. And presenting a fun, mysterious, layered and darkly seductive outing fit for a futuristic kingdom on her new single Aquarius, st.james also continues to look to her own past to both bolster her creative process and connect with fans, as she concludes, “My love for great, intentional lyric writing, and catchy pop hooks and melodies are my biggest sources of motivation when it comes to the music I create. It’s universally the number one way humans connect and it has the ability to change and shape your emotions and how you see the world. I find that so fascinating. I have always sung and played music but it took quite a long time to find my feet with songwriting. I had so many thoughts and feelings and no idea how to express them. Figuring out not only what I thought people would want to hear, but also what I wanted to share, was the most challenging part. I now try to write honestly, and without a censor or veil. And if it resonates with an audience then I am so happy.”
Aquarius is out now