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
BRITISH INDIA ANNOUNCE 2019 EAST COAST TOUR + INTRODUCE NEW GUITARIST JACK TOSI
British India are thrilled to announce that after a one year hiatus and an uncertain future, they’ll be returning to stages along the east coast of Australia during October and November this year, with headline shows and a few killer festival slots along the way. And that’s not all – the band have welcomed their new guitarist Jack Tosi; an old school friend of the group ready to rock for the upcoming run of shows. They’ll be kicking off in Albury at Beer Deluxe on October 18, then moving through Canberra, Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney, Narrabeen, Currumbin, Belgrave, St Kilda, Hobart, and wrapping up at the Bridge Hotel in Forth, Tasmania on November 24.
A chance meeting between old friends – drummer Matt O’Gorman and guitarist Jack Tosi – turned out to be fortuitous. Matt was on the hunt for a guitarist, and Jack was looking to play once again, it seemed a perfect opportunity. A jam session was arranged, and by the session’s end, Jack was in the band. He was the one and only guitarist British India had auditioned…it was meant to be, as vocalist and guitarist Declan Melia explains, “We’ve known Jack since high school, in fact, his band beat British India in battle of the bands back in the early days! So, I don’t think it was surprise that Matt asked him. It’s no exaggeration to say that Nic was the only guitarist we had ever played with, so that’s why we were surprised when it all gelled so easily with Jack. We were halfway through the second song when I turned to Matt and smiled like, ‘this is going to work’, that kid can play a guitar man! I’m so excited for these shows, it’s going to be a really strange and vibrant feeling. It’s going to be amazing actually. Where will it lead? Who knows, but you know us, we love this music and this band too much to stop.”
Over the course of their impressive career, British India have earned four Top 10 ARIA albums, eight entries into the Hottest 100 and their classic single I Can Make You Love Me is accredited Gold in Australia. Their latest album, Forgetting The Future, was met with widespread praise for its innovative direction and palpable energy, with singles My Love and Precious both being added to high rotation on both Triple M and triple j radio.
On the upcoming tour, British India will be armed with tracks from their entire discography, particularly boasting those from their bulging back catalogue of Australian live favourites – think Hottest 100 dominating tracks like Vanilla, I Can Make You Love Me and Suddenly; Australia’s most loved indie rockers are back on the road! New guitarist Jack Tosi is thrilled to be heading out on the tour, as he enthuses, “‘I’ve know the guys since they started and it’s been great watching their success over the years. I’m looking forward to getting on the road, playing these great songs and being part of the next chapter.”
Be sure to catch the legendary Melbourne rockers doing what they do best on a stage near you this October and November.
British India is Declan Melia (vocals and guitar), Jack Tosi (lead guitar), Will Drummond (bass) and Matt O’Gorman (drums).
Tickets to the national tour are on sale now.
BRITISH INDIA 2019 NATIONAL TOUR
Fri 18 Oct Beer Deluxe Albury Albury, NSW
Sat 19 Oct Stonefest Canberra, ACT
Fri 25 Oct Lion Arts Factory Adelaide, SA
Sat 26 Oct B.I.G. Festival Geelong, VIC
Sat 2 Nov Scene & Heard Festival Brisbane, QLD
Fri 8 Nov Crowbar Sydney Sydney, NSW
Sat 9 Nov Narrabeen RSL Narrabeen, NSW
Sat 16 Nov Soundlounge Currumbin, NSW
Thu 21 Nov Sooki Lounge Belgrave, VIC
Fri 22 Nov Espy Gershwin Room St Kilda, VIC
Sat 23 Nov Altar Bar Hobart, TAS
Sun 24 Nov Bridge Hotel Forth, TAS
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+