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
DREAM DALI ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO LITTLE LIGHTS + LIBRARY GROUP RECORDS BIGSOUND PARTY SHOW @ GREASER BAR, SEPTEMBER 4
Enimagtic surrealists Dream Dali have today announced their new single Little Lights, a reverberous, tumbling trip into darkwave, set for release tomorrow. To accompany the track, the group, comprising of three mysterious musicians whose collective experience has seen them gracing hallowed stages at Coachella, Primavera, SXSW and more, have also announced a spectacular video, constructed from dada footage by the group and synced perfectly to the music as a harmonious sound and surreal visual experience. To celebrate the release, Dream Dali will be performing their first Brisbane show in the throes of BIGSOUND 2019 at the Library Group Records BIGSOUND party at Greaser Bar on September 4.
Little Lights feels simultaneously nostaligic, nodding to The Cure and The Doors, while also undeniably modern, evoking a darker version of Tame Impala and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Hypnotic, trance-like and moody, Little Lights is driving, soaked with defined vocal melodies and a dark, melancholic feel, as lead vocalist Aldous Emerson explains, “Little Lights comes from a personal experience in dealing with a challenging and dark time with a relationship. Lots of allegedly supernatural things were happening that caused a lot of issues with anxiety and trauma, but I always had hope. The Little Lights are the hope.”
The clip for Little Lights pays homage to the groups’ namesake Salvador Dali, with its use of found Dadaist clips to reflect the eerie, supernatural vibe of the song. The flashing lights and spooky, strange, out-of-context footage work seamlessly with the music and complement the mood perfectly, as Aldous says, “The dada footage seemed to work well with the song’s theme and Dream Dali’s aesthetic. We like how surrealism explores subconscious thought and deep emotions that can sometimes seem dark, but when looking into them can actually cause healing, especially with the expression of art and music. We gather and create a lot of the black and white surrealist art and visuals that you can see at our shows. We have synchronized footage and lights to try to create an atmosphere and feeling.”
No strangers to the stage, Dream Dali have some impressive runs on the board as individual musicians, playing for artists such as Vera Blue, Daniel Johns, Kite String Tangle and Miami Horror, and supporting the likes of Phoenix, Washed Out and Empire of the Sun. Their upcoming show at Greaser Bar on September 4 for the Library Group Records BIGSOUND party is set to be a transcendent experience for all the senses, as Aldous describes, “For this show we will have our synchronised black and white surreal footage and lights, along with a set of dreamy, but energetic songs. We hope to take you on a journey to a cave to see your spirit animal.”
Little Lights is out August 30.
Dream Dali is Aldous Emerson (lead vocals and guitar), Rene Huxley (key bass and keys) and William Hobbes (drums).
DREAM DALI BIGSOUND 2019 SHOWCASE
WED 4 SEPT | LIBRARY GROUP RECORDS BIGSOUND PARTY @ GREASER BAR, BRIS | 18+
LONTALIUS SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘SWIM’ AHEAD OF NEW ALBUM ‘ALL I HAVE’ – SET FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 4 + NATIONAL TOUR SUPPORTING JAPANESE WALLPAPER IN OCTOBER & NOVEMBER
Enigmatic NZ electronic artist Lontalius, also known as Eddie Johnston, has today announced his glowing new single Swim, a comforting, honest track about accepting the ups and downs of life, out now. Swim is also accompanied by a stunning clip, made in collaboration with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (Pacific Heights, Whim, Weird Together). The prolific young artist has also announced his new album, All I Have, set for release on October 4. Lontalius will be joining Japanese Wallpaper on the road for his first ever Australian shows in October and November this year, kicking off at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on October 25, then moving through Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and wrapping up in Brisbane at The Brightside on November 9.
Swim is an endearing track, seemingly buoyed by pessimism and optimism at the same time. Reminiscent of indie pop giants The 1975 and Troye Sivan, Swim is driven by a pounding beat and intricate guitar lines (not to mention a killer solo towards the end) while Lontalius’ idiosyncratic vocal floats above it all. Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Lontalius says, “Swim is about the acceptance that with all the heartbreak, anxiety and stress of being young, the universe is still leading you on the right path. You can have everything seemingly perfectly lined up in front of you, but sometimes it just won’t work out… it’s a song that i’m really proud of. It hit a lot of marks I had been trying to hit for the past few years. It’s energetic and it has a pace to it that I haven’t done before, all the while still living in the ‘lontalius’ world, I think.”
The clip for Swim zooms in on the self-reflection in the song in a figurative and literal sense. Lontalius sings alone, in the gorgeous Wellington wilderness, looking deep into a mirror suspended in mid-air. The clip is beautiful, dreamy; an appropriate visual representation of Swim, as Lontalius explains, “The video follows me singing the song into a mirror, walking along various locations in my home Wellington, NZ. With the song mostly being a dialogue with my own brain – a moment of self reflection, it made sense for me to sing it back to myself. This clip was a culmination of a few ideas we’d had in our minds for a while. The picturesque NZ landscape never fails to contrast the emotion in my music…I made it with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. They’ve done all of my videos as well as a number of other NZ artists. We tend to have similar ideas around what will work, I’m not sure if I could work with anyone else.”
If Lontalius’ debut LP I’ll Forget 17 was a snapshot of his life as a teenager, All I Have documents the period in life when he was exiting adolescence and entering adulthood. Outgrowing one era but not yet ready, perhaps, for another. With a characteristic melancholic, yet beautiful temperment, paired with wistful synthesisers and soft, gentle guitar, All I Have is a superb collection of songs from this impressive artist. Working in LA alongside Grammy award winning producer Om’Mas Keith (Frank Ocean, John Legend, Jay Z), Jim Fairchild (Grandaddy, Modest Mouse), Roy Blair (Kevin Abstract) and Mr Hudson (Kanye West), Lontalius dove deep into a varied array of infuences for this second album, drawing inspiration from the artists he grew up listening to, such as U2 (circa Joshua Tree), REM, and Coldplay, alongside modern pop auters Kacey Musgraves and Lorde. Reflecting on the album, Lontalius enthuses, “The main themes on All I Have are love, youth and anxiety. I started writing it at 18 so it basically follows my own experiences with love, being away from home, new pressures and pleasures, as well as that general feeling of ‘coming of age’. Just trying to make sense of it all… It was my intention to add a little more energy and life into my music than I had done before. I had built up energy and I wanted to let it out! It was also important to me that it didn’t end up being a bloated, 20 song thing. I wanted to be able to grab it all with one hand.”
Lontalius will be playing his first Australian shows ever in October and November this year supporting Japanese Wallpaper on his Glow national tour. Thrilled to be hitting the road for what is set to be a beautiful, immersive experience for audiences, Lontalius says, “I’m really happy I’m finally making it to Australia! I’m doing solo sets, playing new and older music from even my soundcloud days. Trying to create a sound that people can get lost in for 30 minutes or so.”
Swim is out now. All I Have is set for release on October 4.
LONTALIUS NATIONAL TOUR (SUPPORTING JAPANESE WALLPAPER)
FRI OCT 25 | CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC| 18+
SAT OCT 26 | SEWING ROOM, PERTH WA | 18+
FRI NOV 1 | LION ARTS FACTORY, ADELAIDE SA | 18+
FRI NOV 8 | OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW| 18+
SAT NOV 9 | THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE QLD | 18+