TILLY FENTON SHARES PUNCHY NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘IT’S YOU!’ DEBUT EP ‘IT’S A FEELING THAT I KNOW’ SET FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 10
A sparkling new chapter is imminent for Melbourne/Naarm indie pop artist Tilly Fenton, with a punchy new single It’s You! out in the world today, and the announcement of her anticipated debut EP it’s a feeling that i know set for release on October 10.
Playful, effervescent and with some charmingly gritty rock edges around the gloss within, It’s You! showcases Tilly’s expansive nuance as a songwriter, capturing her cheeky, fun side while also embracing some iconic pop icons and a soundtrack-inspired modus operandi for the end result. “Olivia Rodrigo’s music definitely had a huge influence on the sound for this song,” shares Tilly. “Ever since her first album came out, I had always wanted to write a super upbeat, angsty and playful pop rock song after hearing ‘good 4 u’ for the first time when I was in high school. It feels pretty full circle considering this was the music I was listening to, while I was going through the experiences that inspired It’s You! Another artist that shaped the sound of this song was Hannah Montana and the early Miley Cyrus music. I was so obsessed with the Hannah TV show and movie growing up, so a lot of the music from it was engraved in my brain from a very young age. I had always wanted to write a guitar driven song with punchy hooks and confident, cheeky lyrics, so I definitely channelled my inner Hannah for It’s You!”
Marking an exciting step closer to the release of her first-ever EP, It’s You! also balances its upbeat stylings with relatable and immersive storytelling, with Tilly delivering an empowering ode to standing up for yourself on her latest track, as she elaborates, “It’s You! is about that one person who really gets under your skin. It’s a love letter to the kind of people who twist things, make you question yourself, and somehow turn you into the villain. It’s that moment you stop biting your tongue and finally say what you should’ve said ages ago, with just the right amount of pettiness “my co-star said you’re hurt because you picked a fight with your best friend”. It’s playful, dramatic and weirdly healing screaming “it’s not me, it’s you!”
Initially penning It’s You! during a session with Anna Laverty (Lady Gaga, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), Tilly sought to write “a vengeful yet cathartic song”, with the pair brainstorming lyrics that ultimately led to a discussion of the common saying: “it’s not you, it’s me”. “I thought it would be fun to reword it to “it’s not me, it’s you”,” Tilly explains. “I then brought this song to my producer Michael Belsar and my drummer Ben Ellingworth and started the recording process, and we all had so much fun experimenting with different sounds. Michael and I then spent more time on the song, and it continued to evolve into what it is today.”
Mixed by Michael Belsar and mastered by Dale Becker, the accompanying music video for It’s You! saw Tilly work alongside Jesse Richards, who returned after working on Tilly’s previous live video for The Secret, with the brand new clip bringing It’s You!’s underlying message to life via a live performance, mirroring the dramatic yet liberating themes. “The video for It’s You! is a live performance we shot in an empty theatre,” shares Tilly. “The concept came from the idea of performing to no one but yourself. There is something really dramatic but also freeing performing a song like “It’s You!” in that kind of space. It’s kind of like dancing in your bedroom when no one is watching. I have had a vision to do a music video in a theatre for so long and I think it’s so perfect that I ended up doing it for this song!”
Sitting as the energetic closing moment for the broader five-track EP it’s a feeling that i know, It’s You! powerfully concludes the EP’s oscillating moods and moments. Opening with pillowy-soft introspection with The Secret, Tilly’s dulcet vocals float over serene instrumentals and vulnerable lyricism. The percolating bliss of the EP’s midway point, Valentine, dazzles in driving rhythms and dreamy hooks, and It’s You! concludes on a grittier yet jubilant note, with the entire EP resoundingly reflecting Tilly’s ultimate mission statement. “This EP is a very coming of age story,” says Tilly. “I wrote these songs while I was navigating all the confusing, emotional, and overwhelming moments that come with growing up, especially in your teenage years. They’re honest and vulnerable, but always with a sense of hope that everything is going to be ok. I hope that these songs offer comfort and remind people they’re not alone in what they’re feeling and allow them to find joy in the chaos.”
Starting her musical journey back in 2023, Tilly Fenton has spent the past few years crafting her debut EP, working alongside renowned producers and songwriters Anna Laverty and Michael Belsar, while also channelling inspiration from Lizzy McAlpine, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers into her own unique sound. An artist capable of balancing vulnerability with strength, Tilly is one of the rare few who can imbue the emotional complexity of growing up and navigating relationships through a mature lens far beyond her 22 years, with her debut single The Secret and Valentine already captivating listeners along the way, and the latter also featured on The Hot Hits with Nic and Loren on the HIT Network.
Earlier this year, Tilly also ticked off another massive first: completely selling out her first headline show at The Bergy Bandroom, with more live performances slated for later this year to launch her brand new EP which has been many worthwhile years in the making. “Performing live is one of my favourite parts of making music,” shares Tilly. “There’s something so special about feeling the energy in a room, connecting with people in real life, and sharing that moment together. Fans can expect a fun, high-energy show where we dance our hearts out, mixed with intimate acoustic moments for some of my slower songs.”
It’s You! Is out today.
it’s a feeling that i know EP due out October 10.
SKUNKHOUR ANNOUNCE ‘UP TO OUR NECKS IN IT’ 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TOUR FOR OCTOBER + NOVEMBER
Commemorating 30 years since the release of one of the Aussie music industry’s most iconic singles, this October and November will see Australian funk rock heroes Skunkhour perform nationally for their Up To Our Necks In It (For 30 Years) tour. A celebration of the 1995 smash hit of the same name that cemented the cult sonic alchemy that catapulted Skunkhour from the local scene into international infamy, the upcoming tour will showcase the track Up To Our Necks In It alongside some extra surprises. 30 years on, Skunkhour remain one of the country’s most enduring acts, and 2025 is primed to celebrate the past, present and future of this influential genre-bending collective.
Kicking off on NSW Centra Coast on Friday 24 October, Skunkhour’s Up To Our Necks In It (For 30 Years) tour will head to Newcastle, Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Frankston and Melbourne, before concluding on Saturday 15 November in Adelaide. Tickets for Skunkhour’s upcoming tour are on sale now from www.skunkhour.com.au.
A raw, jazzy and ultimately uplifting outing, Up To Our Necks In It opens with melancholic instrumentation before swelling into a swooning, soulful affair, embracing rapped spoken-word vocal verses balanced alongside soaring melodies and rousing arrangements. Taken from the band’s sophomore 1995 album Feed, with the album peaking at #21 on the ARIA Charts, Up To Our Necks In It went on to feature on triple j’s Hottest 100, with the single also deviating from Skunkhour’s earlier sonic terrain, ultimately solidifying the group’s trademark funk-meets-rock distinctive musical DNA. “Up To Our Necks is a fairly unique track,” the band shares. “It was very different to the heavier, darker sound we went for on Feed, our second album, and for us in general. It crossed a lot of boundaries and markets for us. It got played on triple j, ABC, commercial FM and community radio. All of that was pretty rare for any band back then let alone a funk, rock, Oz hip hop indie band in the mid 90s.”
“It also helped seal our deal with Acid Jazz records in the UK and was included in their Totally Wired series of compilations,” the band add.
“It’s still our most popular track live and on Spotify as well.”
Instantly turning heads upon its release, the origin story behind Up To Our Necks In It was a truly organic affair, stemming from a literal dream before evolving naturally into the magnetic end result, as the band reveal, “our guitarist Warwick Scott woke up from a dream one morning and that signature riff, chords an all was stuck in his head. He brought it to rehearsal and the band started jamming on it. The vibe of it reminded me of a poem I’d written a couple of years prior. It just had this melancholic and introspective feel to the chords and groove. I seem to remember the chorus and Aya’s verse melody, and lyrics coming together right away too.”
“It was one of those blessed moments in a band when everything seems to get plucked from the ether and things just write themselves,” the band continues. “That’s when you know you’re all in tune and meant to be doing this thing together.”
A band entirely like no other, Skunkhour remain a unique force in the Australian music landscape. Fusing disparate sonic elements together to create a sound entirely their own, it’s this very distinctive and authentic approach that the band attribute as the likely underlying secret sauce behind their ongoing legacy. “I think that’s why the music we wrote 30 years ago still stacks up and why we have such a loyal following,” the band share of their eclectic yet focused repertoire. “And we now have younger generations coming to our shows now who appreciate the mix. It’s a total blast.”
Starting life as a band in the early 90s, Skunkhour emerged in a time that surrounded the rise of grunge, rave culture and hip hop in their early stages gaining momentum. Bringing together eclectic influences and insatiable talent, Skunkhour’s mix of thunderous rhythms, trail-blazing (for the time) rapping, brass sections and more saw them gain a cult status locally, which soon spread like wildfire across the country. Whether wowing the mainstage at festivals, performing alongside INXS and Beastie Boys, or holding court onstage at their own headline shows, the sonic love child of hip hop, acid jazz, alt rock and funk found a dazzling home at the core of Skunkhour’s creative identity; and it’s one that has survived and thrived against disbanding, reforming, multiple appearances on triple j’s Hottest 100, repeated chart success and the general highs and lows of life as a professional musician.
“We’ve been through our trials and tribulations like anyone or group of a certain age (cough, cough),” the band shares. “Most of us had or have side projects and careers in other fields. Aya lived and gigged in LA for a number of years in the late 2000’s.”
“When we reformed around 2010, the original keyboardist Paul Searles was living overseas, so we brought in the legendary Al Goodman who has been with us ever since,” the band adds. “Then in 2022 our drummer Michael Sutherland (who started the band with Dean and Warwick) left, and we brought in Carlos Adura. He plays with The Strides, Tim Finn and The Beautiful Girls. Both he and Al have been a perfect fit in every way. They’ve really helped rejuvenate the spirit and brought back a heavier emphasis on the soul funk groove side of our sound. Which has meant that our live shows are more dynamic and powerful than ever.”
With 30 years passing since the release of their iconic single Up To Our Necks In It, the group have staged multiple revivals over the years, gifting more Skunkhour goodness onstage for fans to revel in. And while all eyes are currently on celebrating their 30-year anniversary milestone this year for one of their most beloved tracks, the chance for even more Skunkhour new music isn’t entirely off the cards, as the band reveals. “We’ve released a number of new tracks in recent years with our Parts of the Sun EP and Rain on Me. But at the moment we’re pretty flat out managing our lives and doing a regular run of shows every year, and the odd festival appearance.”
“We’re probably due for some new music next year to keep things moving,” they add.
But before any talk concretely turns to new material, 2025 offers a chance to pay fitting homage to Up To Our Necks In It and Skunkhour in general, with the band set to bring their infectious live energy and a horde of old and new favourites to stages around the country starting this October.
“Fans can expect plenty of energy and good vibes,” the band shares about the upcoming tour, “with an emphasis on the more well known, dynamic funky side of our catalogue, sprinkled with some reworks, a few of our own faves, as well as some of the recent releases from the past couple of years.”
“We played a run of regional show last year which was a lot of fun and we were amazed by the turnout and reaction. People in those areas seem to really appreciate you coming to their towns and seem a little less self-conscious so the vibe was awesome. It actually reminded us of the early days of touring when you turn up to a place with no idea what to expect and it almost feels like a party ‘cause everyone kind of knows each other or are connected in some way.”
Tickets for Skunkhour’s upcoming Up To Our Necks In it (For 30 Years) tour are onsale now from https://www.skunkhour.com.au/.
SKUNKHOUR – UP TO OUR NECKS IN IT (FOR 30 YEARS) TOUR DATES:
FRI 24 OCT | EVERGLADES, WOY WOY NSW | 18+
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets
SAT 25 OCT | KING STREET BANDROOM, NEWCASTLE NSW | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
THUR 30 OCT | THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY NSW | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 31 OCT | BURLEIGH TOWN HOTEL, BURLEIGH HEADS QLD | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 1 NOV | THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE QLD | 18+
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets
THUR 13 NOV | PELLY BAR, FRANKSTON VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 14 NOV | CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 15 NOV | THE GOV, ADELAIDE SA | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
EMILY ULMAN RETURNS WITH SPARKLING NEW SINGLE ‘SEVERE CLEAR’ THE TITLE TRACK FROM HER FORTHCOMING ALBUM, ‘SEVERE CLEAR’, OUT OCTOBER 10
A bright and dulcet addition to her ever-growing repertoire, Melbourne/Narrm singer-songwriter, and music industry legend, Emily Ulman today returns with Severe Clear, the sparkling title track from her forthcoming album of the same name set for release on Friday, October 10.
Blending her buoyant charm with acoustic, folk and pop elements, Severe Clear channels a poignant optimism, with Emily nodding to Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now to evoke “the hope after the heavy.” As Emily explains, “Severe clear is an aviation term describing skies so clear and cloudless that the endless visibility is too much to take in. I have always loved the phrase. Severe clear weather often follows a storm, and that resonates with me too. A furious, cloudy pocket of weather giving way to something calm and bright and still. Pilots say these conditions are dazzling,almost too perfect.”
“Severe Clear is a song about the moments that arrive after everything has settled,” Emily adds. “It’s about clarity that is so beautiful it is almost unbearable. That strange kind of beauty: perfect, but piercing. I think about weather a lot. I lean right in because it is intrinsic. And magical. This song lives in that space between forecast and feeling. It is about the quiet, everyday moments that suddenly become enormous in their clarity. Like standing in the middle of something spectacular and letting yourself be swept up by it. It is about love, about letting yourself be soft and fall, it’s about buying matching towels because you want to be one and the same. Johnny Nash wrote ‘I Can See Clearly Now’. And I’m borrowing the idea that after the clouds and hard times pass, something brighter takes their place. Sometimes clarity isn’t sharp or sudden or cold. Sometimes it is soft and patient and a little bit dizzying. And perfect.”
With Severe Clear – both the single and broader album – Emily worked alongside a stellar team to realise her creative vision. Produced and mixed by Bonnie Knight (Amyl and the Sniffers, Angie McMahon, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers) at The Aviary, with Every Hillside recorded at Soundpark, the album was mastered by Simon Berckelman (Courtney Barnett, Passenger, Lime Cordiale, Cate Le Bon). Drawing inspiration from the likes of Julia Jacklin, Adrienne Lenker, Big Thief, Pinegrove and Bill Callahan the album’s songwriting, structure and emotional weight are further enriched by contributions from Gab Strum (Japanese Wallpaper, Mallrat, Gretta Ray), Alex Lashlie (Closet Straights, Loose Tooth), and Soren Maryasin (Stella Bridie, Chitra).
Beginning with its glowing title track, Severe Clear opens on a serene and stirring note, offering an optimistic warm embrace drawing listeners into Emily’s inner world. From there, the album moves through intimate acoustic beauty and soothing harmonies (Every Hillside), wistful melodies over ethereal backdrops (Fans in the Stands), and a folksy yet cinematic ode to life’s highs and lows (Mountains Mountains Mountains). It balances polished introspection (Trundle), stripped-back glimmers that swirl through your bones (Lake Mistake), and gentle flourishes of empowerment (Planned Burn). At the midpoint of Severe Clear, is an exquisite, vulnerable modern love ballad (Liminal Spaces) that gives way to brooding melancholia (Toughest Tourniquet), before the raw, rousing penultimate track If It Isn’t True, where Emily shifts between vocal serenity and spoken word over sparse, moody instrumentation. Closing with Repeat Things, Severe Clear ends in resounding clarity and vulnerability, carrying inescapable undertones of optimism through heartache, change, and renewal – a perfect embodiment of Emily’s potent songwriting and performance, as well as the broader album’s themes.
“Severe Clear is about change,” shares Emily, “and renewal. About being brave enough to step back into something you love, even after a long absence. It is an album full of mountains and hillsides and clouds and clarity. It is about duality. The ability to hold two conflicting and coexisting truths at the same time. Severe Clear is deciduous. A letting go and a returning. A way to make peace with the cycles that keep pulling me back to songwriting, and back to myself.”
A defining force in the Australian music industry for over two decades, both on stage and behind the scenes, Emily Ulman’s lengthy tenure championing artists has seen her curate and program lineups at some of Melbourne’s most iconic venues, including The Prince Bandroom, The Gasometer Hotel, and The Toff In Town. Additionally, Emily has programmed some of the country’s most significant music events, including Brunswick Music Festival, White Night Melbourne, the CHANGES summit, and her own award-winning online festival Isol-Aid, which received the 2020 triple j J Award for “Done Good” and was named Best Festival at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards. Recently, Emily served as Executive Program Director for ALWAYS LIVE, a Victorian state-wide celebration of contemporary music, inclusive of emerging artists through to international icons, from sell-out stadiums through to intimate venues all playing home to these one-off, exclusive and community-focused events.
Dedicated to shaping a more progressive, inclusive and artist-first Australian music scene, Emily’s creative output is as acclaimed as her work behind the scenes, with her earlier 2025 single Every Hillside marking her first new solo material in over a decade. Now with her stunning and hotly-anticipated new album Severe Clear set for release this October, Emily has channelled her passions and creative core into a collection that is honest, intimate and destined to captivate.
“I’m a words and feelings to the front type of writer,” Emily reveals. “I have described my songwriting as emotional archaeology; digging through my memories to see what might still be living underneath. To sift and sort and better myself as a creator and as a person. I’m constantly taken by the intensity of a moment or phrase and the way a single word can unearth something you thought was long buried. And this is who I realise I am. I write to excavate. I sing to archive and fossilise and remember the mess and magic of it all.”
“It feels really good, really scary, really perfect, really disorienting to be releasing Severe Clear,” Emily concludes. “This is the first time in ten years that I’ve released music and it’s so familiar and wildly foreign. I’ve spent the past decade working behind the scenes in the music industry, but I never stopped writing. I’m glad that Severe Clear is the song and album returning me to my own music and creativity. It’s honest and personal, and I’m proud of it.”
Severe Clear (single) is out today.
Severe Clear (album) is due out Friday October 10.
Pre-order: SEVERE CLEAR (Album)
Pre-save: SEVERE CLEAR (Album)
TRACKLIST:
Side A
- Severe Clear
- Every Hillside
- Fans in the Stands
- Mountains Mountains Mountains
- Trundle
Side B
6. Lake Mistake
- Planned Burn
- Liminal Spaces
- Toughest Tourniquet
- If it Isn’t True
- Repeat Things
“Emily Ulman, you’ve done it again, it’s an exquisite song, ‘Mountains Mountains Mountains’…. it’s so lovely to hear a voice that we know so well as a co-host and a conversationalist, to hear that voice just amplified and there’s an alchemy that takes place that turns the voice we know into lyrical mode, it’s very specially to hear that tune…. what a storyteller, it’s a short song at 2 minutes 12 but she just packs so much in”. – David Astle – ABC Victoria statewide evenings
“Love how organic and natural this track (Mountains Mountains Mountains) feels! Emily Ulman creates a gorgeous atmosphere <3” –
Anika Luna – triple j
“It’s all sweetness when it comes to Emily Ulman. Dulcet yet pointed songwriting makes it the worth the wait after an almost-decade hiatus. Welcome back Emily!” – Sara Glaidous – triple j