AMISTAT ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE + VIDEO THE COWARD
Off the back of a sold-out European tour earlier this year, Amistat, otherwise known as brothers Jan and Josef Prasil, have announced their new single The Coward – an anthem for those who are having difficulty living as their authentic selves, set for release on November 10. This effecting yet understated tune has been perfectly reflected in the song’s stunning video, directed by Kathleen Mary Lee (LANKS, BATTS, Canary).
The Coward might first evoke thoughts of Ben Howard or The Tallest Man On Earth, but there’s a sensual quality here that cannot be compared to anyone. Patient, authentic and stirring, The Coward lays it all on the line with careful exhilaration. Soaring harmonies prevail, delivered with a synchronization only twins like the Amistat brothers can achieve, and the chorus propels itself forward with tenacious acoustic guitar and driving percussion. Speaking of the inspiration and depth behind the track, Josef says, “The Coward is about knowing who you are deep inside but not being able to let it out. People are very fast with making assumptions and judging you based on what you look like but little do they know about what’s inside of the person.”
And the clip encompasses so much in such a simple yet effective format. The viewer watches one man struggle with his sense of identity and purpose, as a pivotal moment in his life plays itself out backwards. The grey, stormy palette, the storyline that is left to the audience to interpret – it all lends itself to a melancholy, important reflection of the theme of this track. Josef enthuses, “Jan and I love the concept of ‘one-shot’ videos, where the whole film clip you see is done in a single take…It’s impossible really, trying to get it in one take but we always like a challenge! We started with that concept about two years ago and decided to keep it as sort of a trademark of the band. For this clip, we came up with a vision of a soldier who is being denied going to battle, even though he wanted to defend his loved ones, and show his courage and commitment.”
Born and raised in Germany, the Prasil twins made the move to the set up home on the other side of the world in 2012. “We decided to come to Australia as our father is Australian and we had heard amazing things about this beautiful country,” says Josef. “When we arrived we were struggling to find work so we picked up some musical instruments and started busking to survive! Jan really took to the guitar while I sung along. We realised pretty quickly that we had a unique sound and people wanted to listen to us back home and that is how Amistat was formed.”
Amistat will be hitting the road again in December to celebrate the release of The Coward, kicking off in their adopted hometown of Melbourne before swinging on through Newcastle, Canberra, Sydney, Byron Bay, Brisbane and fittingly finishing up at Woodford Folk Festival to see the year out.
Amistat is Jan (guitar) and Josef Prasil (vocals), joined on the road by Julian Swinnerton (cello) and Ryan Oliver (piano and percussion)
The Coward is set for release on November 10
AMISTAT – UPCOMING SHOWS
SAT 2 DEC | CHAPEL OFF CHAPEL MELBOURNE VIC | 18+
WED 6 DEC | LASS O’GOWRIE NEWCASTLE NSW | 18+
THU 7 DEC | FRONT GALLERY CANBERRA ACT | 18+
SAT 9 DEC | RECORD CRATE SYDNEY NSW | 18+
THU 14 DEC | BEACH HOTEL BYRON BAY NSW | 18+
FRI 15 DEC | MILK FACTORY BRISBANE QLD | 18+
WED 27 DEC – MON 1 JAN | WOODFORD FOLK FESTIVAL QLD | AA
ENERATE TO RELEASE ‘INTERACTIVE VISUAL ALBUM’ ALONGSIDE NEW SINGLE ‘TRANSIT LOUNGE’
In a first for Australia, and quite possibly the world, colourful Sydney indie video poppers Enerate, have today announced they will be releasing their anticipated debut full-length as an interactive visual album – an app containing interactive music videos for each and every song. Titled Good Times Airlines and featuring recent single Half Asleep, the interactive album will be available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The music will be available on all the usual platforms, but there is no doubt the most immersive and exciting way to consume this album is through the Enerate app. Out on November 16, the album and app release coinsides with the release of their new single Transit Lounge.
Transit Lounge is the perfect name for this track; the most accurate title for the midway between moving on and dwelling on hard times. Everything feels softer here – synths aren’t razor sharp where they might normally be, and the percussion is driving, determined, but understated. Subtlety is key, and Enerate are masters of it. There’s a taste of synth-pop auteurs Ou Est Le Swimming Pool and Alpine, but the resounding effect of Transit Lounge is entirely unique. Speaking about the inspiration behind the track, singer and synth Therese Watson says, “It’s about the want and the willingness to go and do something new, but you know it kind of frightens you, you know that you’re a bit inhibited. But, you understand those feelings and you just kind of go for it anyway.”
The clip for Transit Lounge is appropriately transient. The viewer follows a young boy who begins his journey in a light-filled airport and continues through a number of different worlds; a city street, a prehistoric land, indetermined time and space. It’s simple, but meditative and effective. In the app, the viewer chooses where the boy explores – again, a modest touch, but one that works perfectly alongside the song. Describing the video, lead singer and producer Josh Graham reflects, “We see this young boy walk through an airport terminal, and this is his reality. While the viewer watches him, they can swipe left or right, and take him into different worlds. These are his dream worlds. It’s like we can see inside his daydream, imagining who and where he wants to be in his future. This ties into the ‘Be who/what you want to be, just go for it’ messaging of the song. The worlds get pretty surreal at some points too.”
Enerate’s debut album Good Times Airlines is an extremely considered release, absolutely soaked in fun and interactivity. The app and all the videos it encompasses were directed and masterminded by Josh Graham. Their previous single Half Asleep shines amongst Transit Lounge and the sparkling Unstoppable. Each song has a video, and each video has an integrated interactive feature, whether it be a game, or another way to personalise the content. As Josh explains, “Art is becoming more multidisciplinary, and music is becoming more visual. The album is as much video as it is music. This is not a marketing tool for the album – this is the album! We wanted to make a physical release, that you can touch, feel, effect.. that was multi sensory and completely digital… we tried to one-up Beyonce haha! She did a video album, so we thought ‘let’s do an interactive video album’!”
Enerate is made up of Josh Graham, Therese Watson, Matt Niciak and Ben Fitzpatrick.
New single Transit Lounge and debut LP and interactive Enerate App Good Times Airlines will be available on November 16.
TIMI TEMPLE ANNOUNCES PSYCHEDELIC VIDEO FOR SANDS OF TIME
You might have seen him playing alongside Kilter in his live band, but now it’s time for TIMI TEMPLE to unleash his own intoxicating music, today announcing the release of his new single Sands of Time, set for release on October 27. The nostalgic track is accompanied by an artistic, visceral clip, directed in collaboration with Katie Luna (Dope Lemon).
With influences such as Tame Impala, Jimi Hendrix and MGMT, it’s easy to see what makes TIMI TEMPLE, aka Timothy Lockwood, tick. Sands of Time sits somewhere in the ether, between the haze of ‘60s influences and current sounds, with a swelling chorus that begs to be sung along. Inspired by a real-life saga that saw an adorable 5 year old Timi Temple running deviously from a crime and experiencing his first taste of escaping fate, Lockwood explains the comical story behind Sands Of Time – “When I was a kid we had a fishtank in the house, behind the dining table, on a glass shelf. Underneath the tank was a heater, now, I don’t know whose bright idea it was to put the heater under the tank, but one cold night I thought I’d do the right thing by turning on the heater. A child’s first attempt at taking initiative. Unfortunately no one from my family realised I had done this, so I was put to bed and the rest of my family retired for the night without turning off the heater. I woke up to my family arguing about who left the heater on – the fish were pretty much boiled and floating across the top – and when I was asked, I feigned ignorance. It ate at me for a while, the guilt not washing off my consciousness. But soon it was ‘lost in the sands of time’ and forgotten. It hit me like a freight train when, at 15, I decided to buy my own ‘first pet’ and picked up a fish tank. I put my thoughts down on paper and I guess the song is my confession.”
The clip takes Sands of Time and turns it on its head, hourglass-style. Of the clip, Timothy says, “I was checking out some influences and came across a peculiar video for Dope Lemon’s song Uptown Folks. It was an animated video that seemed like an amalgamation of a bunch of other clips from past and present. I thought something similar to this would be perfect for this song, and the catalyst for which was a decade prior. I tracked down Katie and asked how she was able to do the video, after a bit of chatting I showed her my music and she loved it and now we’ve got some awesome art together!”
Although a hugely experienced performer, having graced the stage at Splendour in the Grass and many other hallowed grounds alongside Kilter, when it comes to the TIMI TEMPLE project Timothy is happy to bide his time before hitting the stage, explaining, “I definitely can’t wait to bring TIMI to the live stage. I just really want to capture that fleeting moment of creation – something you can’t experience on a record. There’s plenty of jams that I allow to just grow naturally on the spot. I also like to show off, and so do my band members, so it’ll also be a shred-city gig. Imagine Woodstock Hendrix but to way less people, and I probably won’t burn my guitar, ha!”
Sands Of Time will be available from October 27.