BOO SEEKA SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘REAL’ + NEW ALBUM ‘BETWEEN THE HEAD & THE HEART’ OUT JUNE 30 + SUPPORTING HAYDEN JAMES THIS AUGUST
A breathless moment of cinematic aural euphoria, the new single REAL from electropop artist Boo Seeka is a tangibly immersive and sublimely produced outing, born from the COVID-19 pandemic but ultimately presenting with glistening ease. REAL also firmly sets the scene for a long-awaited second Boo Seeka album, with Between The Head & The Heart officially confirmed for release on Thursday June 30 and available to presave now. And shortly after gifting his brand new opus to the world in late June, Boo will also be taking to stages across Australia alongside multi-platinum producer Hayden James, supporting James in Brisbane on August 12, before travelling to Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and finally in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion on Saturday September 3.
REAL gleams with drizzled synths and vibrant beats, as Boo’s dreamy vocals effortlessly billow you into the clouds above. And while generally not drawn to devouring music while he creates, it’s on both REAL and its broader album Between The Head and the Heart that Boo allowed himself to melt into artists like Billie Eilish, Moby, Massive Attack and Glass Animals during the writing process; and the end result is nothing short of chilled whimsy and multifaceted meaning, as Boo explains, “REAL is definitely one of my favourites on the record for me and has so many different messages embedded in the meaning. I wrote this song at a bit of a low point, with the idea of creating a song that can be a bit of a sing-a-long wherever the listener may be. My album, Between The Head and the Heart, is twelve separate messages that I wrote throughout the COVID period. I really needed to do this for myself, and it has undoubtedly helped me get through the last 12 months. I never want to give away the exact message or meaning of why I wrote a song, firstly, because some things are incredibly specific and personal, but mainly, I love the idea of a listener creating their own meaning to the track. That’s the most important thing about art and music to me.”
The broader impending new album Between The Head & The Heart is as equally heartfelt and enigmatic as the etheareal latest single REAL; from the swooning overtones of opening track Dream to moments of deeper electronica on I Like It Like, dance-anthem vibes on previous single Next To Me, dreamy pop-driven jaunts on the Glass Animals-esque Superstar and, finally, acoustic beauty on closing track on Let Me In, the impending new album truly captures intimacy and sonic eloquence with fluent ease, enrapturing you momentarily in a breathless and astonishing space somewhere between thought and feeling.
Working alongside producer Matt Bartlem for Between The Head & The Heart as well as input via Jay Bainbridge, Hayden James, Luke Palmer and Ian Peres throughout the album, the end result for Boo is one remarkably driven by finesse and introspection, as Boo elaborates, “This record is the most personal record I’ve written to date. I had another record written before this but it didn’t feel like it was the right one to release at this time in my life, so I wrote another one. While writing this one, I basically stood in front of a mirror and spoke to myself. That is the best way I can describe what it’s all about.”
Already an established act in the Australian musical landscape since Boo Seeka’s astral debut single Kingdom Leader back in 2015 and a debut album Never Too Soon in 2017, 2022 for Boo continues to shape itself as a year of triumphs, not just with the approaching reveal of a hotly-anticipated second full-length album and a collab with acclaimed Aussie artist Hayden James on the track Free, but also with Boo’s milestone moment appearing with James onstage at the iconic Coachella Festival in Californa back in April. And fans at home can catch both Boo and James live in action this August, with Boo set to support James on his Aussie Lifted national tour. Reminiscing on his Coachella exploits as well as the ultimate power of live music, Boo concludes, “Having the honour of playing Coachella with Hayden was incredible. It was something I’ll never forget, and I can’t believe people were already singing our song back to us. Playing live honestly is the most amazing way to connect with people, we are all one entity at that very moment.”
REAL is out now
Between The Head & The Heart is due out Thursday June 30 and is available to presave now.
MAL DE MER SHARE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO ‘MIRAGE’ LIFTED FROM NEW EP ‘SANGUINE’ SET FOR JULY RELEASE
Potent Perth collective Mal de Mer have released a brand new single Mirage, a slinky, funked-up fantasy that’ll tap shoes far and wide. Alongside the bustling frivolity of the new tune, Mal de Mer have also announced an accompanying video for Mirage, with both the song and video marking the final alluring glimpse into the group’s brand new EP Sanguine which will officially drop on July 8 and is available to presave now.
Mirage continues Mal de Mer’s penchant for defying genres and expectations, with atomic glimmer and grooving shimmer pulsing through the veins of the brand new track. Inspired by the likes of Parcels, Anderson .Paak and Lil Nas X, Mirage is permeated by jangly keys, wiry basslines, bright guitars and sun-soaked melodics alongside the striking stylings of vocalist Saskia Fleming. Brandishing a bittersweet narrative beneath infectious instrumentals, Mirage diverges slightly from the six-piece’s earlier funk roots, embracing lashings of electronic pop amongst their trademark wiles, while also acting as a must-have anthem to blast in your car (windows down) after a bad day or that breakup.
And while Mirage acts as the final peek into the impending EP, Sanguine, the song’s origin story stems from an extremely quick creation, as drummer James Marelich explains, “It’s always a great feeling finishing music and finally releasing it, but this one feels especially surreal as we only wrote it a couple of months ago! Watching it transform from an idea into a full-fledged piece of music so quickly has been awesome”. And elaborating on the track’s fantastical moniker and thematics, vocalist Saskia says, “Mirage is a nonchalant narration of leaving someone that you should have left a long time ago. To me, this song feels like a shower argument – you get to speak your truth, uninterrupted, and finally put that person in their place”.
Working with long-time Mal De Mer visual collaborator Sarah Gelmi on the video for Mirage, the resulting filmclip is a comical ode to farewelling a lousy relationship. Expanding on the visual inspiration behind the video, Saskia says, “The video is a satirical send up of leaving a crappy relationship – it taps into the joy of moving on and looking back with relief.”
Mal de Mer teamed up with Broderick Madden-Scott on mixing and producing duties, and Joe Carra on mastering for their upcoming sophomore EP Sanguine. Set for release July 8, the group are poised to truly encapsulate the buoyant and transformative notions of the EP’s moniker, as Saskia adds, “Sanguine as a body of work follows the disorienting journey out of a toxic situation, and the metamorphosis that takes place afterwards. I reckon the theme of Sanguine is best encapsulated by the definition of its title: optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation”.
Mirage is out now.
Sanguine is out July 8 and available to presave now.
JACK PANTHER ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE SKI LIFT 001 + NEW EP WHY DON’T YOU COME OVER? OUT MAY 20
A glistening fusion of silken noir and fresh candor, Auckland based queer pop artist Jack Panther returns today with a lush new single SKI LIFT 001. Flowing with alt pop flavours and sharp vulnerability, SKI LIFT 001 is also accompanied by a bold visualiser, contrasting the heart-rending lyrics and melodics as Jack appears laying on the floor slowly bleeding out. SKI LIFT 001 also marks a peek into Jack’s impending new EP why don’t you come over? which will release on May 20.
SKI LIFT 001 welds candid lyricism with a fresh-yet-moody sonic aesthetic, with alt pop whimsy coaxing you deeper and deeper into Jack’s intimate world via this schematic ballad. Inspired by alt-pop royalty like Joji, Troye Sivan, FKA Twigs and King Princess, SKI LIFT 001 also hints at the intimate wooze of James Blake amid sparse guitars and softly burgeoning soundscapes. Conjured in a mere six hours and produced and mixed by Harry Charles, the track effortlessly captures the sudden and searing hit of nostalgia that can strike in the blink of an eye. Of the significant personal themes underpinning SKI LIFT 001, Jack says, “Last winter I went skiing for the first time since going with my ex-boyfriend, and so many bittersweet memories came flooding back to me. I remember having an epiphany while skiing that I took so many moments with him forgranted. It’s a feeling that I think resonates with a lot of people – nostalgia can hit you so hard and so quickly. Writing this song was so cathartic for me, I had a lot of feelings towards my ex and I think in a way I wrote it to acknowledge these feelings and try to move on.”
The visualiser for SKI LIFT 001 starkly contrasts the raw elegance of the track, with Jack slowly revealed to be bleeding out on the floor from an injury caused by a ski pole. With Jack’s performance emphasising the single’s stirring themes in bold and innovative fashion, the concept for the visualiser came to Jack in a dream, causing a sudden late night text to the clip’s director Devan Narsai. Of the video’s origins, Jack says, “Devan and I were brainstorming concepts for a while. One night I fell asleep and awoke again at 11:30pm. In my delirious, dream-like state I came up with this crazy, daring concept of bleeding out on a floor. Immediately I texted Devan who happened to still be awake at the time and texted back that he loved it. When filming it I was just so in awe that Devan and I made this unique, wild concept come to life.”
Joining previously released singles If I Was and Feels Right that dropped late last year, SKI LIFT 001 is yet another enticing peek into Jack’s forthcoming new EP why don’t you come over?, due out May 20. A culmination of harnessing the ups and downs of being in your early 20s alongside Jack’s ongoing creative evolutuion, this sophomore EP celebrates healthy lashings of personal narratives, edgy pop and staggering empowerment as Jack sanguinely steps forward into a new and emboldened chapter. Speaking on the origins of his new EP, Jack says, “It showcases such a different side to me, one that feels kind of badass. Throughout the process of writing the project I was listening to such confident, self-assured music and it rubbed shoulders with me, I guess. For the first time I feel empowered by my own music and I think that’s why I feel so connected to it. I was in the process of moving cities at the time. With so many changes, everything felt like both the world was opening up, yet crashing down on me. In that time I was so forced to look inward, discover more about myself, my identity and the queer history of people that fought for my right to have a voice. That’s where this project stemmed from, I had so much to say to the people around me and the people before me.”
Following on from his debut EP this dream i had released back in 2020, 2022 promises to be the most explosive year for Jack so far, not just via his stunning new EP on the horizon, but also with plans to focus on his live band amid some upcoming writing sessions in Australia and the UK.
SKI LIFT 001 is out today.
why don’t you come over? is out May 20.