MANE ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘WHAT IF THE LOVE DIES’ + SHOWS
Dramatic and ferocious, the elusive MANE is back with her impressively bold new single What If The Love Dies that is accompanied by an astounding, mind-bending clip that is sure to gather all the right attention. To celebrate the release, MANE is set to hit the road later this year, stopping by The Gasometer (Melbourne) on October 19, Rocket Bar (Adelaide) on Oct 27, Rad Bar (Wollongong) on Nov 1 and Brighton Up Bar (Sydney) on November 2.
What If The Love Dies says it all, really. An afflicting question, made even more so when chanted eerily by MANE in the depths of her luscious, chesty voice, as the song peddles the connection between two people in a long distance relationship, and the struggles, uncertainty and frustration the distance can bring about. Reminiscent of the theatrical and innovative Montaigne and characterised by razor-sharp vocal melodies that are not dissimilar to those of wunderkind Gretta Ray, What If The Love Dies includes all the bluesy rawness that audiences expect from MANE, but with a new electronic edge that feels dangerous and exciting all at once. Mixed by the Grammy and multiple ARIA winning Eric J Dubowsky (Chet Faker, Kimbra), the woman behind MANE, Paige Renee Court, opens up about the new single, saying “I’m very keen to be releasing this one – I’ve worked hard on it and had the good fortune of some great people working with me.”
Dave Ruby Howe from triple j Unearthed has already gifted the single four stars, saying, “This song has this towering pop feel to it – which could be due in part to the mix from studio heavyweight Eric J (Flume, Meg Mac, Odesza). Throw in MANE’s big but dark vocal delivery and you’re entering impressive territory.” Also a fan, Dom Alessio from Home & Hosed says, “There’s something enchanting about this dark, caliginous pop song.”
The clip for What If The Love Dies is appropriately spooky, playing out like a Hollywood blockbuster with a foreboding sense of lovers scorned. Directed by Kieren Ellis-Jones of Crystal Arrow Films (The Hard Aches), nothing is as it seems as the MANE band play blindfolded upside down and right side up; a man and a woman, also blindfolded, try to find common ground which proves a difficult task when the gravity keeps playing tricks. Reflecting on the meaning behind the video, Paige remarks, “We played on a ‘love is blind’ narrative quite literally. Between the performance shots of the band, the story of two people evidently in love spans over three completely different eras in time…but there is a constant sense of distance between them.”
Currently on tour in Europe and the UK, the seasoned performer is thrilled to head back to Australia for a few shows to promote What If The Love Dies, enthusing, “The past year I have been working really hard with the band to create a live sound that emulates the recordings but also has a rawness to it that I feel excited about. I put a lot of energy into the performance; at times it’s a little dark but other times it’s a lot of fun.”
What If The Love Dies is set for release on August 18.
WHAT IF THE LOVE DIES EAST COAST SHOWS
THURS 19 OCT | GASOMETER UPSTAIRS, MELBOURNE | 18+
Tickets available from https://gasometer.oztix.com.au/?Event=77088
FRIDAY 27 OCT | ROCKET BAR, ADELAIDE | 18+
Tickets available from http://www.bit.ly/CatsOct27
WED 1 NOV | RAD BAR, WOLLONGONG | 18+
Tickets available from http://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/mane-supports-tba/97956
THURS 2 NOV | BRIGHTON UP BAR, SYDNEY | 18+
Tickets available from https://www.musicglue.com/brighton-up-bar/events/3beb71a0-6077-0135-5379-664640c4859d
HANSAA ANNOUNCES DEBUT SINGLE WITH LA-BASED DUO soso & OLIVER TANK
Electronic newcomer Hansaa, otherwise known as Vinay Matta, has been honing his craft as a producer and producer in Los Angeles for the past two years; but today he has finally announced his debut single Need To Know, coproduced with LA-based production duo soso and featuring the stirring vocals of Oliver Tank, set for release today. The impressive debut is complemented by a deeply affecting video buoyed by an intense narrative drenched in regret and toxicity, and sure to set tongues wagging.
Need To Know follows in the footsteps of its electronic predecessors in James Blake and Clams Casino, yet there’s a fragility in the production that seems uniquely Hansaa; understated and subtle, synthesisers layer themselves comfortably beneath Tank’s emotive vocal. Gentle electric guitar, reminiscent of Tash Sultana’s atmospheric riffs, fills the space between verse and chorus, playfully toying with the listener’s sense of time and space. Thrilled to be releasing the track into the world, Matta says “I’ve spent a lot of time developing my craft and it feels really awesome to start releasing music officially… We really wanted an element of surprise in Need To Know to break things up, so the guitar solo was a really nice touch – and unexpected.”
Filmed and directed by Independent Belgian film maker Julien Pircher, the clip for Need To Know is set in a smokey, dangerous world; with each watch, further insight can be gained from its powerful plot. For the most part, the audience is encouraged to interpret the story for themselves, but there is no doubt this story is dark – a light is shone upon human relationships, the beauty and the hardship, and the sometimes terrifying nature of mental illness. Matta explains, “The music video is a story of regret. The subject matter behind it is rather serious and deep. It draws off Oliver’s lyric in the track ‘if I put up shots they’ll fall down’…The film revolves around the concepts of death and suicide, with the metaphor of the gun at the beginning and end of the film.” Offering additional insight, Pircher says, “As a writer, DOP & editor, it’s my job to grab the audience by the hand and lead the way through the film. At the same time I should be invisible to them, letting them find questions, challenges, answers and adventures. The music video for Need To Know by Hansaa sends the viewer without knowing into a non-linear timeline, giving them freedom to personally interpret the given opening conflict and the connection between the different storylines. All this combined with a multilayer dramastructure and adequate cinematography made this video one of my favourite projects in my last several years.”
This is a fully-formed and exciting debut from an artist who is absolutely ‘one to watch’. Assured and in control, Hansaa has paid his dues and is ready for the global stage. The Australian born, LA-raised Matta gives little away, but hints at what is to come, saying, “Myself and Soso have a handful of amazing tracks together that we cannot wait to release. We have tracks with Peruvian and LA-based R’n’b artist A.CHAL who is currently on tour and recently dropped his second album On GAZ. We also have a track with LA-based hip hop artist G4SHI who was featured on DJ Snake’s recent album, and has recently been seen in the studio with Skrillex.”
Need To Know is out now!
TEMPUS SUN ANNOUNCES DEBUT SINGLE + VIDEO OWLS
Newcomers and last year’s Bank of Melbourne ‘Melbourne Music Bank’ winners, Tempus Sun have today announced their debut single Owls, an unstoppable powerhouse that is built to embolden listeners and encourage them to discuss their struggles with others, out June 23. The accompanying clip encompasses this completely, making the journey through hardship to come out stronger on the other side. To celebrate, Tempus Sun will be launching the single with a show at The Toff on June 30.
Owls is just one of those songs; it hits you immediately, and doesn’t leave you until long after it is finished. From the gentle acoustic opening, to the crescendo that roars into the final chorus, Tempus Sun have conceived a living, breathing entity, one which offers earnest guidance to the listener: “Speak up, my friend, the time to be heard is now.” Helping to interpret the colossal anthem, lead guitarist Ed Borromeo offers, “Owls is about speaking up about our struggles. It’s a tune relatable to anyone with troubles, be it in the past or ongoing. It was created with mental illness in mind and the intention of influencing people to just have a chat about it with someone. Coming from personal experience, something as simple as having a chat is very easy to disregard as helpful, or is easy to procrastinate on, but I found it to be the first step in combatting almost anything.”
Side by side, the video and track work seamlessly, anchoring the message of Owls assuredly and elegantly. Directed by Edwin Tedjokusumo (Eskimo Joe), the clip boasts epic scenary and stunning underwater shots. Keys player and vocalist from the band Grant Hardisty reflects on the making of the clip, “Our team has really gone to town in producing something visually beautiful, to match the depth and colour in the single. We had a ton of fun driving around the Yarra Valley and searching for filming locations and eventually settled on the beauty of Redwood Forest in Warburton. Combined with a couple of other locations, the story details the positive progression of mental health through the help of something as simple as speaking out.”
Well-deserved winners of 2016’s Melbourne Music Bank competition, Tempus Sun have gratefully reaped the rewards which have enabled them to propel their careers forward like they never could have imagined. Out of hundreds of entries and thousands of public votes, the group took out the top prize which included the EP recording and mixing process, press photos, publicity, radio plugging and much more. Grant enthuses, “Winning Bank of Melbourne’s Melbourne Music Bank was the most exhilarating experience of my life. We entered it on a whim, with an optimistic ‘why not?’ attitude, but we never honestly considered that we’d be a shot. I remember the call so vividly, where I had to leave class to answer and hear the ridiculous news that we had made the Top 12. I replied to Laura on the phone, ‘are you kidding?’ to which she said, ‘that would be a pretty sick joke’!”
The band are set to wow audiences with Owls and much more at their single launch show at The Toff in Town on June 30.
Tempus Sun is Andrew Wortes, Rya Park, Grant Hardisty, Ed Borromeo, Sean Close and Liam Purser.
FRI JUNE 30 | THE TOFF IN TOWN, MELBOURNE | 18+