KAV TEMPERLEY SHARES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘MACHINES OF LOVE AND GRACE’
Eskimo Joe frontman Kav Temperley today furthers his sublime solo endeavours, releasing a deeply poetic, ethereal-yet-pounding new single Machines Of Love And Grace. Tackling the themes of connectivity in the digital age, Kav has also today shared an affecting music video for Machines Of Love And Grace, simultaneously capturing the track’s existential narrative and driving instrumentals alongside Kav’s dynamic stylings.
Machines Of Love And Grace was not inspired by the Richard Brautigan poem (although Temperley does admire his work), but by the notion theorists have put forward that humans are outliers on the planet – a virus upon it – because we put so much emphasis on love and empathy, ideals which don’t really exist in the animal kingdom. We are, in effect, machines of love and grace.
Machines Of Love And Grace firmly harnesses a sharp spotlight on Kav’s passion and penchant for songwriting that first endeared him so heavily in the Aussie music scene and beyond, boasting driving alt rock flavours with moments of acoustic calm and lush, stripped-back beauty. With its glistening piano and Kav’s familiar, soothing vocals, Machines Of Love And Grace steadily oscillates between fuzzy riffage and more introspective calm, much like its own brooding and ruminating subject matter, as Kav explains, “The song is about the complex and intimate relationships we have through our phones, seen through the lens of the last two-and-a-half years of the pandemic. Having devices in our hands has allowed us to have dinner with loved ones all over the world, all locked in our houses, and follow every moment of each other’s life; whether we want to or not, it’s often the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see before we go to sleep. With the touch of a button, anything and everything is available to us, good and bad.”
Filmed and directed by Eskimo Joe visual collaborator Cooper Gordon, the video for Machines Of Love And Grace perfectly complements the bittersweet themes explored in the song, with Kav intimately playing up the voyeuristic elements of social media and digital connection underpinning proceedings, elaborating, “Voyeurs to each other’s lives, I’m asking the question: do any of us feel like we exist unless we’re posting? And who are we when the camera lights turn off? We now live through these machines in the most intimate way, and we take them anywhere and everywhere we go! For the video, it was an idea of FaceTime without having Facetime,” Kav says.“Themost amazing thing is that the actor and the actress reacting to each other, they never met each other, yet on camera, it’s like they’re having an intimate relationship. It’s absolutely fascinating and plays into the whole theme about the machines of love and grace.”
Founding the ARIA award-winning, four-times platinum band Eskimo Joe at just 19, Kav turned winning a band competition back in the day into a career just shy of 25 years as the frontman, bass player and songwriter for what would go on to become one of Australia’s most beloved bands. The group’s breakout single Black Fingernails, Red Wine spent 62 weeks in the Top 50, with Kav going on to write and record seven studio albums with Eskimo Joe.
Alongside Kav’s extensive career fronting Eskimo Joe, he’s also a seasoned performer both onstage and onscreen, having toured nationally and internationally in Asia, America and Europe, and snagging guest TV appearances on Spicks and Specks, Rockwiz, Good Morning Australia, The Project, Sunrise, The Sound and Rage. With performance highlights including the 2021 AFL grand final in Perth, Sound Relief, Live Earth, the ARIA Awards, Big Day Out, Homebake, Splendour In The Grass and Sundance Film Festival in Utah to name a few, Kav’s also simultaneously embraced and emboldened his role in the industry as an expert and mentor in creativity and songwriting, developing the Create, Explore, Produce songwriting model while also creating various productions for causes and events, and judging numerous songwriting competitions.
Set to hit the road on tour with Eskimo Joe later in the year, the APRA, WAM and OceanFloor Music ambassador is currently in his seventh year of running creative workshops, 2022 finds Kav at his most potent and prolific yet as he gears up to release even more new music under his solo moniker.
Machines Of Love And Grace is out now.
ESKIMO JOE TOUR DATES
WED 28 SEP| THE TIVOLI | BRISBANE
FRI 30 SEP| ODEON THEATRE | HOBART
SAT 1 OCT| FORUM | MELBOURNE
TUES 4 OCT | THEBARTON THEATRE | ADELAIDE
WED 5 OCT | ENMORE THEATRE | SYDNEY
SAT 15 OCT | FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE | PERTH
HARPER BLOOM ANNOUNCES CHARMING NEW SINGLE & VIDEO ‘RED ROCKET’
Melbourne-based, Perth singer-songwriter Harper Bloom has today shared an affecting new single Red Rocket, a bright and empathetic tune that delves into dealing with loss in a positive way – by looking back on fond memories. Released today, the charismatic song is accompanied by a charming music video that reflects on the simple things in life, set in country Victoria.
If Courtney Barnett had written a song for the Juno soundtrack, this would be it. Red Rocket is a positive, upbeat indie-folk track that ironically stems from melancholy, about finding happiness after losing someone close to you. The simple production from celebrated producers Steve Schram and David Quested (Paul Kelly, San Cisco, Jagua Jonze) and mastered by Grammy award nominee Joe Carra (The Teskey Brothers), delivers big, with ukulele and piano blending perfectly to allow the song room to grow and flourish, and the artist’s signature Aussie drawl adding an extra layer of charm. Featuring minimal percussion and a horns section that builds to an outstanding outro, Harper Bloom proves the theory that more often than not, less really is more. Speaking on the inspiration for the track, the young artist says, “A Red Rocket is a symbol of an indent someone has left in your life that you hold onto for comfort. This song navigates grief but it’s also a celebration of how lucky we are to have had a chance to know someone so special – no matter how brief that encounter may be.”
The video for Red Rocket is transportive as it takes the viewer on a journey into the familiar and humble moments that make us who we are, whilst lyrics of a life well lived reinforce the core of the song – to reflect and reminisce positively. Directed by Matt and Lawrence from LP Creative (Maddy Jane), the video opens with beautiful vistas of the Australian country, taking the viewer to rural Victoria in a clever and delightfully nostalgic yet contemporary melange of Super 8 and digital videography. “We wanted the music video to reflect the overall mood of the song, rather than tell a narrative-based story.” Harper Bloom explains of the video, “our idea was to head to a beautiful quiet country town and shoot little everyday moments out in the town that you don’t really think about at the time, but are the special moments we all live for. Like a pleasant little encounter with a stranger that you’ll never meet again.”
Harper Bloom is set for a big 2022 with a new sophomore EP and plenty of shows on the cards, Red Rocket may be the first thing we hear from this talented singer-songwriter this year, but certainly won’t be the last!
Red Rocket is out today, March 24.
Listen: RED ROCKET
Watch: RED ROCKET
DRIFTWOOD. ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO BREMFIELDS FT. STILL GREEDY
Endlessly prolific, multi-disciplinary artist Driftwood. has today released his remarkable new single Bremfields, featuring British rapper Still Greedy. It’s a truly creative and thoughtful track, a glowing addition to this growing artist’s impressive discography, and is accompanied by a visually stunning, self-directed and self-edited music video, also out today. Fiercely independent and intriguingly enigmatic, Driftwood. proves time and time again that he is one to watch.
Bremfields evokes feelings of Kanye West at his most exciting, most innovative; classic Ye albums My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Yeezus have both clearly influenced the electronic/RnB stylings of Driftwood. during the creation of this song, but Bremfields still feels fresh, unique, new. Featuring backing vocals from platinum selling, ARIA nominated Reigan Derry (Snoop Dog, Jay Z, Neo) and mixed and mastered by Dan Vinci (Big Nasty), the song arcs creatively, synths spiking in unexpected moments, while Driftwood. and Still Greedy’s vocals provide the smooth melodic, rhythmic anchor. Speaking on the otherworldly inspiration behind the song, Driftwood. says, “This single is about breaking the fourth wall. It’s about the idea that there could be subterranean energies and other factors operating within other paradigms of consciousness. It’s about feeling like I’m trapped within this paradigm, and I don’t belong here…the one thing I love about art is I have a licence to explore ideas, no matter how crazy they may seem.”
The video for Bremfields is the perfect visual representation of this exchange and exploration of energies. Slow, deliberate shots of bodies moving purposefully in the just-risen, just-set sunlight pepper throughout closed shots of darkly lit bars and eerie cliff faces, one step away from oblivion. It’s a beautiful triumph, created by an artist completely in charge of his own vision, as Driftwood. explains, “I direct and edit all my videos now. I came up with the idea and the aesthetic behind the visual as well. They represent the ebb and flow, the push and pull, the yin and yang of energies which are manifested within the material universe…my creative team is small, but we get it done. Too many bodies fuck up the flow and a lot of the time are unnecessary for what I am trying to accomplish.”
These are wise words from an artist who’s been in the game long enough to know what works and what doesn’t. To be so immune to the chaos and noise of the modern music industry and so completely, totally immersed in one’s art is no mean feat, but Driftwood. does it all with ease. He offers more wisdom on the subject as he reflects, “I’m just an artist creating pieces of work I want to create and doing it independently. I’m not signed to a major record deal, and up until late last year, I did everything on my own, with the help of a few friends, and without any backing. You don’t need to be signed, or in the cool crowd to create what you want to create. No one has a monopoly on art.”
Bremfields ft. Still Greedy is out today.