MAMA KIN SPENDER RELEASE SPELL-BINDING NEW ALBUM ‘PROMISES’
A mesmerising journey through soul folk, hypnotic harmonies and open-veined lyricism, the new album Promises out today from ARIA-nominated and WAM award-winning duo Mama Kin Spender is one of those truly rare creative entities that transfixes mind, body and soul; a seismic concept album that explores every facet of love, from optimism through to decay, rage and transformation.
The opening track, Arrows is immediately captivating, and so Promises kicks off with a nod to the likes of Alabama Shakes and Pat Benetar.Swaggering melodics and resoundingly relatable lyricism: “You and me / What a team / Then something started creepin’ in / A lazy blamin’ kinda thing / Just when I, I thought that you, could be my everything”. Steeped in real-world experience, Arrows also pierces memorably with its bewitching vocal interplay between Mama Kin Spender’s Danielle Caruana and Dingo Spender, voicing universal themes of drifting apart offering an intoxicating catharsis. Next up, Bleeding Out instantly charms with a juxtaposition of melody and sentiment. With openly raunchy yet honest lyricism, unpacking passion and frustration. Love continues to thread its way through Promises in its raw title track, channeling regret and romantic despair. The otherworldly Desert Rain is effortlessly draped in humid instrumentals, oscillating melodies and swooning vocals.And finally the relief that is the sumptuous ruminations of We Are The Water.
The album’s glimmering focus track Dance With Me offers a more upbeat fare, with Danielle and Dingo both capturing a fearless and cathartic energy that powerfully pulses through the instrumentation and driving rhythms. “Dance With Me is the wild, fleeting magic of the honeymoon period—those heady moments when love surges like a tidal wave, fueled by dopamine, and oxytocin,” shares Mama Kin Spender. “It’s the hugs AND the drugs and the song that lingers in your heart after the first sleepover, a melody that tugs at your soul years later, weaving together the shimmering highs of young, optimistic love in its opening chapters. Euphoria, rapture and joyful freedom.”
Love That Will Not Die, captivates, a soulful ballad punctuated by poignant guitar lines and dreamy vocal back-and-forth between Danielle and Dingo. Promises then dives deeper into heartfelt rumination on the smoky yet serene What’s Wrong With Me. Mama Kin Spender continue to re-imagine the soul and roots space with their own brand of magic, Promises’ penultimate track Blue Belle slithers with sensual melodies and whiskey-soaked soundscapes, channelling vivid heartbreak. Danielle and Dingo deliver a final note of surrender and acceptance, with the timeless track, The Road. A cinematic end point to Promises, and one that also yet again showcases the flawless balance between Danielle and Dingo, and the broader magic wielded by this collaboration under the Mama Kin Spender moniker. The Road would happily find its place at the end of a heart-rending indie romance as it softly rolls away with the lines: “Don’t ask me any questions / I don’t need reminding / Of the road we leave behind…”
An album that captures a galaxy of vignettes of the relational experience and ultimately in the space of 10 tracks, Promises is achingly personal yet easily relatable, ultimately a diary entry about the rise, fall and transformation of love. An album that details with pure honesty every facet of matters of the heart with a compelling array of soul, folk, pop, rock and more, Promises will capture your heart, make you feel seen, and maybe – just maybe – inspire you to take great care of love.
Renowned for their raw, percussive energy and beguiling harmonies, Mama Kin Spender is the collaborative creative project from long-time friends and creative partners Mama Kin (Danielle Caruana) and Spender (Dingo Spender). With a stalwart reputation for songwriting that grips at your core, as well as their unforgettable live performances, Mama Kin Spender released their debut full-length album in 2018, with Golden Magnetic scoring an ARIA Award nomination for Best Blues and Roots Album. The pair have previously won Best Folk Act (2013) and Best Blues / Roots Act (2018) at the West Australian Music Industry Awards, and have also performed at the likes of WOMADelaide and Woodford Festival, Perth, Darwin and Vivid Festival, and toured across North America and Ireland and across Australia; with plenty more to come.
Mama Kin Spender will be taking their incredible show on the road starting next month for their Promises Tour, heading to Pomona, Murwillumbah, Brisbane, Brunswick, Archie’s Creek, Belgrave, Sydney, Milton and Dashville don’t miss your chance to catch this incredible pair and their spectacular new album live in action.
Promises is out today.
MAMA KIN SPENDER – UPCOMING SHOWS:
Tickets available from mamakinspender.love
FRI 05 SEP | MAJESTIC THEATRE, POMONA/GUBBI GUBBI QLD
SAT 06 SEP | THE CITADEL, MURWILLUMBAH/BUNDJALUNG NSW
SUN 07 SEP | LEFTY’S MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE/MEANJIN QLD
FRI 12 SEP | BRUNSWICK BALLROOM, BRUNSWICK/BULLEKE-BEK VIC
SAT 13 SEP | ARCHIE’S CREEK HALL, ARCHIE’S CREEK/BUNURONG VIC
SUN 14 SEP | SOOKI LOUNGE, BELGRAVE/WURUNDJERI VIC
FRI 03 OCT | PADDINGTON UNITING CHURCH, SYDNEY/GADIGAL NSW
SAT 04 OCT | MILTON THEATRE, MILTON/BUDAWANG NSW
SUN 05 OCT | DASHVILLE SKYLINE, DASHVILLE/WONNARUA NSW