CHAVEZ CARTEL SHARE NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘NO ONE’S WATCHING OVER’
With hazy propulsions and billowing soundscapes, the new single No One’s Watching Over out today from the Gold Coast’s Chavez Cartel is a cool, calm and deeply collected outing, shifting tack slightly from the group’s earlier 2023 EP Man’s Best Friend, but still undeniably Chavez Cartel. Also accompanied by a new music video, complete with an imposing mansion and sharp aesthetics, No One’s Watching Over amalgamates the building blocks of Chavez Cartel’s sonic DNA while also building towards a new EP release in 2024. Unfurling as an effortless and authentically charming journey, No One’s Watching Over will also undoubtedly be a fixture on the band’s setlist at The New Colossus Festival in 2024 following their invitation to perform at the event in New York next year.
Amongst its woozy guitars, driving beats and creamy vocals No One’s Watching Over revels in moody aesthetics and harder-hitting moments. Like a modern jolt merged with The Velvet Underground & Nico, No One’s Watching Over’s origins quickly evolved during a well-timed jam session, with the hypnotic track seamlessly flexing the band’s trademark HBO soundtrack-worthy swoon alongside themes of feeling lost in the moment, as the band explain, “No One’s Watching Over is about feeling lost and having a fair assessment of where you’ve gone wrong in life (and right) to get you to where you currently stand. It’s about being harsh but being fair. It’s about being held accountable but accurately accountable. It’s not about getting to the answers though. That stage where we have more clarity comes after this song. This song is about the feeling of going round in circles when we don’t know what to do with ourselves. It’s the first step towards repair but we can’t even see that yet. The hazy sounds of the song really do paint the picture so well of the hazy feeling of not feeling all there. The song was written in a time of self-work after a heavy break up.”
Teaming up once again with ARIA Award-winning producer Govinda Doyle to bring No One’s Watching Over to life, Chavez Cartel also sought to actively step beyond their comfort zones when it came to creating the perfect accompanying video for their latest release, pursuing more artistic territory with Direct Entertainment’s Anthony Brown at the helm of the band’s creative vision. And fluidly balancing the old with the new, the band’s team and lack of creative barriers proved to be the pivotal spark to lead Chavez Cartel into this new chapter. “Govinda Doyle did everything that we could not,” says the band. “We worked together on our last record, and we started to feel things changing for us and we want a lot more of the same. ‘Don’t fix what isn’t broken’ as they say. We also wanted a more arty video than anything we’d done previously, relying less on performances and making it more of an artistic introduction of the band. We hired the perfect location while we were away on tour earlier in the year – a really old mansion full of art, history, books and character, and the storyboard just sort of wrote itself. Once AB, our video guy, had familiarised himself with the property, we just let him do his thing. All we did was dress accordingly and get drunk on set. He did the rest. We always try to give our collaborators as much freedom as possible so that they can get into the project as if it were their own. I mean technically it is their own, so once we’ve outlined the concept and explained our style, we really do just hand the rest over. It’s important for creatives to be authentic and have their stamp on things, otherwise what’s the point?”
Releasing two EPs in 2019, Lucky Lucky and Confidence Is All I’m Taking Home, Chavez Cartel bunkered down during the pandemic years, turning their gaze and full focus into sharpening their sound and songwriting. The end result was their 2023 EP release Man’s Best Friend, which was unveiled after the group signed with End Of The Trail Records. Following Man’s Best Friend, Chavez Cartel embarked on an extensive East Coast headline tour, with 2023 also finding the group supporting The Reytons for their What’s Rock N Roll Australian Tour, as well as their first ever UK show, ticking off headline shows in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham alongside performances at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton and at the End Of The Trail Creative Showcase in London.
Gaining support from BBC Radio while across the pond earlier this year, Chavez Cartel have also recently appeared at Rockhampton River Festival, as main support for The Delta Riggs, and will trek back overseas in 2024 after being officially invited and scheduled to play at The New Colossus Festival in New York next March. And for Chavez Cartel, the prospect of another imminent international adventure is one that affirms that the sky is the limit for this talented Gold Coast collective. “It was sort of like a before and after moment in our career thus far,” shares the band. “Looking back, before that UK tour, we were half the band we are now, and we owe it all to the vital experiences that tour gave us. There’s something really boosting about getting on planes and being received well at the other side of the world for doing your thing. The top up of self-belief and surety we got from that tour was an acceleration that we’ve never felt before; or at least not at the pace we felt it. It just goes to show that there are some things you just have to do to move forward, and that first international tour was one of those for us. Playing at a showcase event too was great for us because it wasn’t just new fans that we picked up, industry personnel also bought into us which again gave us more confidence in what we are doing. It’s like if the moguls see potential then it adds to the argument that there’s a career to be had here. We picked up some New York connections which shows as the next showcase event we were invited to play at happened to be in New York. Funny how things work out, isn’t it? A band from Gold Coast playing shows around London and picking up festivals in America. What a ride!”
No One’s Watching Over is out today, Thursday October 5.
CHAVEZ CARTEL – UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
6-10 MARCH 2024 | THE NEW COLOSSUS FESTIVAL | NEW YORK, USA | 21+
Tickets available from Dice.fm
Soundcloud: NO ONE’S WATCHING OVER
RADICAL SON SHARES MAGNETIC NEW SINGLE ‘UNTIL YOU CALL MY NAME’
A magnetic meeting point of shimmering soul and beauty, the new single Until You Call My Name out now from Radical Son is a striking ode to gratitude and the power of love. A goosebump-inducing moment in time from the revered Kamilaroi artist with Tongan heritage, Radical Son will bring his new track as well as his forthcoming album Biliyambil (The Learning) to vivid life at the Sydney Opera House supporting Emma Donovan on October 20, as well as 2024’s National Folk Festival.
Produced by Andrew Robinson, Until You Call My Name is a proud, calm, yet stirring outing from Radical Son, aka David Leha, inspired by its producer Robinson as well as Marcus Longfoot and Darkinjung local Phil Bligh. With humid percussion, bright piano and the emphatic, immersive vocals of Radical Son himself, Until You Call My Name flourishes in its beautifully-crafted simplicity, beating at its core with the magic sparked between Radical Son’s work with Robinson and Longfoot at Full Circle Audio in Redfern, alongside Wantok Music. And for Radical Son, Until You Call My Name holds a special place in his heart, as he explains, “Proud of this piece. Of all the works that I have created, it’s one of my favourites.”
Another taste of Radical Son’s highly anticipated sophomore album Biliyambil (The Learning) which is set for release in early 2024, Until You Call My Name is a poignant yet powerful ode to finding happiness in moments of chaos, with Radical Son’s commanding vocals soaring above an ambient glow, declaring “I hear you call my name / Wanting to engage / We’re all finding our way / We’re coping with the struggle”. And in a world consistently divided and full of unrest, Until You Call My Name offers a calming balm as well as a timely reminder to look for what matters most in the darkness, as Radical Son shares, “For those divided and lost, pulled or drawn in many directions both externally and internally. I’m mindful that we are all finding our way and that as hard as it may sometimes be just getting by in life, it is my hope that we find a way to live life, to love.”
One of the mightiest and most compelling artists in the Australian cultural scene, Radical Son channels his experiences from his challenging past into immense power and resolve, with his trademark sound burgeoning with the urgency of hip hop and emotionally-charged soul, as witnessed by these new songs, and his first full length album 2014’s Cause N’Affect. A festival favourite, cemented recently by his show-stopping cover of his mentor Uncle Archie Roach’s Walking Into Doors, Radical Son has performed to standing ovations at Bluesfest, St Kilda Festival, VIVID, the AFL Dreamtime 2032 game, and the official Uncle Archie Roach memorial in Melbourne in 2022.
A highly-skilled concert artist, with performance with classical ensembles and high-profile collaborations under his belt with David Bridie, Emma Donovan, Frank Yamma, Lady Lash, Mau Power and Deline Briscoe, Radical Son’s artistry also expands to film and TV, with credits including Defining Moments, a six-part NITV documentary exploring life-defining experiences, and theatre work, including the lead role of Pemulwuy in I am Eora at the 2012 Sydney Festival.
Studying as a musician at The Eora Centre for Visual and Performing Arts in Redfern, as well completing a Bachelor of Music from Newcastle Conservatorium, Radical Son’s creative prowess is only matched by his otherworldly stage presence that equally transfixes and transcends with authenticity and sheer, compelling power. Cultivating his transformational life into his place as a bright fixture on Australia’s cultural landscape, Radical Son’s moving soul vocals and unique flair only strengthen with time, potently witnessed today via Until You Call My Name. And with an appearance on the horizon over the Easter weekend in 2024 at the National Folk Festival, a hub for the Australian folk community, as ever, magic is guaranteed when Radical Son takes the stage.
Until You Call My Name is out today via Wantok Musik and distributed by MGM.
FRI 20 OCT | SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE WITH EMMA DONOVAN, SYDNEY, NSW
Tickets available from https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/birthday-festival/emma-donovan
THURS 28 MARCH – MON 1 APRIL | NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL, CANBERRA ACT
Tickets available from https://www.folkfestival.org.au/
COYLE GIRELLI SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘BETWEEN US’ LIFTED FROM NEW ALBUM ‘MUSEUM DAY’ SET FOR OCTOBER 27 RELEASE
A fresh and upbeat love letter to a harlequin romance, the new single Between Us out today from multi-platinum English troubadour Coye Girelli takes a charming step closer to the impending release of his third solo album, Museum Day, due out on October 27.
Set against the lyrical backdrop of the Big Apple, Between Us unfurls with Girelli’s trademark lush vocals, stirring intimacy and swooning indie pop wiles, complete with nostalgic 80s elements forged in a fire of modernity. Produced by Lorenzo Wolff, whose previous work spans Taylor Swift and Kanye West, Between Us is Girelli at his buoyant and easy going best, glowing with cinematic charm while lyrically traversing charged passion in his own adopted home of New York, as Girelli reveals, “Between Us is a love story in New York City. A love lost and found again. Distance and return. A love that persists. Yet fighting against it. The fear and curiosity. What awaits? Heartbreak or True Love?”
Taken from Girelli’s forthcoming new album, Museum Day, Between Us sits amongst 10 dazzling tracks lying in wait, including the album’s previous singles, the smooth and sentimental Museum Day and the hooky fuzz of So Predictable. Ultimately an immersive and affable journey, laden with authenticity and soulful reflection, Museum Day seamlessly extends the foundations laid out by its predecessor, 2022’s Funland, with a noticeably modern injection driving at the core of Girelli’s new outing amongst his signature trademarks. “It’s a more modern sound than Love Kills for sure,” shares Girelli. “In some way it feels like the next step on from Funland. It’s more indie and in a lot of ways more contemporary feeling. Upbeat and in the shadows. Half New York City, half Manchester, England. Stories of moments, stories about people. Stories about lovers.”
Inspired by love itself as much as Girelli’s own ardour for the likes of The Smiths, with smatterings of The National, The Drums, Big Thief, Japanese Breakfast and War On Drugs, Museum Day bustles with rosy-cheeked pop (Jane Tells A Lie), swooning ballads (Swim, Real Love) and ambient heart-breakers (Nobody), like a modern-day Roy Orbison strolling through a Hollywood romance. Tirelessly helmed by Girelli’s effervescent yet stirring vocals, soaring into the heavens on the outro for Between Us and diving into woozy calm on I Tried to Love You, Museum Day ultimately draws to a close on a stripped-back note, with New York Rain beautifully capturing the essence of Coyle Girelli’s magic: reflection, romance and riveting storytelling that places you directly into the moment alongside Girelli himself. And while the overall album is an elegant and expertly-crafted affair, the road to creating Museum Day was unexpectedly swift amongst other plans, as Girelli elaborates, “I wrote and recorded this album in a very short time, a matter of weeks really at the start of the year. I’d written what I thought was an album. Then I wrote Museum Day. I scrapped the album I had planned, and in the weeks following wrote and recorded a whole new one. Which is what I’m releasing. I purposely didn’t overthink or analyse it. I let it write itself. Tell its stories. My job was to not overcomplicate it or get in the way.”
Recently enamouring with his sophomore album, Funland, in 2022, Girelli’s musical magic as a solo artist first unveiled via his debut full length album, 2018’s Love Kills. A gifted songwriter, storyteller and creative cauldron, Girelli has also found himself hotly in demand over the years as both a songwriter and producer for multiple artists, including work with BTS, Macklemore, Robin Schulz, Westlife and more. A multi-instrumentalist who has also turned his hand and voice to musical theatre along the way, Girelli’s previous releases have been repeatedly hailed as masterpieces by the likes of Rolling Stone Australia and countless others; a fact that is witnessed once again on Museum Day and tantalisingly in the near future for Girelli’s upcoming projects.
Set to perform an immersive theatre musical show called True Love Forever in New York next year, Girelli’s star is set to boundlessly continue to rise, with the talented English-born, New York-based artist already working on a follow up to Museum Day to bless 2024’s timeline even further. And it’s ultimately the free-flowing approach that Girelli adapted while crafting Museum Day that is set to shape and solidify any and all of his future releases, as Girelli concludes, “It was very fulfilling creating in this space. In flow. I’m going to try do the same thing with my next album. Makes life easier as well when you’re not over-analysing every little detail. Let the songs do their thing. I really let my instinct lead the way on this one. It feels fresh and true.”
Between Us is out today.
Museum Day is due out Friday October 27.