RÜFÜS DU SOL COLLECT ARIA AWARDS FOR BEST GROUP AND BEST DANCE RELEASE NOMINATED FOR GRAMMY FOR BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING
The extraordinary year marches on for RÜFÜS DU SOL who lastnight took home the ARIA awards for Best Group and Best Dance Release, with a performance of their song Alive (from their sold out Banc of California stadium show) broadcast as part of the awards ceremony. The Aussie electronic trio also this week picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for Alive, their third Grammy nomination in the last two years.
“We’re truly humbled to take out two ARIA’s amongst such great company in both categories – it means so much to us to be recognised at this level,” enthuses the band, “It’s such an exciting time for Australian music right now and to be a part of that community that’s translating overseas, it really means a lot to us. We can’t wait to come back home next year to play live for everyone.”
“And we’re incredibly grateful to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Alive. We wanted to lead with this song as our first new piece of music after the pandemic, as it felt like the right mix of melancholy and hopefulness that spoke to the shared experience of the past couple of years for us. We still get the same feeling when we play it live and see the crowd reactions. We’re eternally thankful for everyone who’s been a part of our journey thus far, particularly our co-producer Jason Evigan and mixing wizard Cassian for their role in this song.”
The ARIA wins and Grammy nomination cap off what has been an unprecedented year for RÜFÜS DU SOL – dropping their anticipated fourth studio album Surrender which debuted at the top of the ARIA charts last month, announcing their biggest home tour yet with Sydney and Melbourne shows selling out before tickets even had the chance to go on sale to the general public, performing On My Knees on Jimmy Kimmell Live!, headlining some of America’s biggest festivals Governors Ball (NYC), Austin City Limits, III Points Miami and Outside Lands San Francisco, and finishing up their extensive North American tour (which included 3 shows at LA’s Banc of California Stadium, performing to 70,000) last weekend.
Tickets to the Australian national tour are on sale now and are moving fast with the band selling out their Sydney and Melbourne shows, and announcing second shows in these markets. This tour will provide the only opportunity for fans to witness the phenomenon that is RÜFÜS DU SOL live in Australia in 2022 and will kick off at Brisbane Showgrounds on November 26, before taking in Sydney’s The Domain on December 2 and 3, Adelaide’s Ellis Park/Tampawardli on December 10 and Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse on December 15 and 16, before finishing up at Perth’s Langley Park on December 17. Tickets are on sale now via Moshtix.
Tickets to the Surrender tour are on sale now BUY TICKETS HERE
Surrender is out now on Rose Avenue and Reprise / Warner Records STREAM / PURCHASE SURRENDER
NATIONAL SURRENDER TOUR
Presented by triple j
SAT 26 NOV | BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS, BRISBANE, QLD | 18+
FRI 2 DEC | THE DOMAIN, SYDNEY, NSW | 18+ [SOLD OUT]
SAT 3 DEC | THE DOMAIN, SYDNEY, NSW | 18+ **NEW SHOW ADDED
SAT 10 DEC | ELLIS PARK / TAMPAWARDLI, ADELAIDE, SA | 18+
THU 15 DEC | FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE, MELBOURNE, VIC | 18+ [ SOLD OUT]
FRI 16 DEC | FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE, MELBOURNE, VIC | 18+ **NEW SHOW ADDED
SAT 17 DEC | LANGLEY PARK, PERTH, WA | 18+
MAL DE MER ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE DO YOU SEE ME?
Dynamic Perth six-piece Mal de Mer have today announced their glistening new single Do You See Me?, an eclectic, irresistible track that details the tough, dramatic reclaimation of personal power that occurs when a toxic relationship ends, out today, November 24. Mal de Mer have also announced a visually stunning lyric video to accompany the track, made in collaboration with photographer Mare Elzinga.
Do You See Me? is the result of a truly unique amalgamation of influences; evocative of everything from Camp Cope to Andy Shauf to BADBADNOTGOOD, in other words – it’s just Mal de Mer. Steady, funk-inspired bass lines sit harmoniously amongst sharp, vintage synths while lead vocalist Saskia Fleming’s distinctive voice confidently takes centre stage; handclaps and crisp drums drive the song forward – it’s a curious number, and the expert mesh of genres within this single is nothing new to this skilled group. Speaking on the inspiration behind Do You See Me?, Saskia explains, “The song came about when I was in a pretty dark headspace. At the time, I was trapped in an exhausting combination of deep sadness, and overwhelming anger. I’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves, but I hope the listener can feel those emotions wash over them as they flow through the song. When I finally plucked up the courage to show the band what I’d written I was blown away- everybody’s parts felt like essential pieces of the song that were meant to be there all along. It was like everything just clicked into place.”
The video for Do You See Me? is a quaint, child-like celebration of the formidable lyrics in this song. Nostalgic, colourful, crafty, and clever, the lyrics are built from small letter beads, all mismatched and topsy-turvy. Explaining the brilliant idea behind the video, Saskia says, “It’s a stop motion lyric video using beads, pastel felts, and glitter (among many other things!!). My housemate Freddie came home one day from Spotlight with a load of colourful beads, and made me a necklace with a lyric from this single on it. When I was given the necklace, it at first sparked the idea of doing a very limited run of merch in the form of jewelry for this track. That idea then snowballed into doing an entire stop motion lyric video using those beads. The concept is using colourful childlike craft supplies to create a clip that at first seems upbeat, and straightforward, but over the course of the track, gradually begins to reveal it to be a facade hiding the dark reality of what is going on beneath the surface. I worked on the concept with the amazing director Mare Elzinga, who took my basic idea and has brought it to life.”
Mal de Mer, a French maritime term for seasickness, is a band with an undeniable, unbreakable connection to the ocean. The band’s name is a part of family history for lead vocalist Saskia, as she explains, “My family has had a long history with water and the ocean – a captain, a swimmer, a pirate, a professor of maritime law, a sailor… so I guess naming the band was a way for me to feel like I was continuing that family history. Looking back on deciding the name now though, I think I may have just been tricked by my mum who strategically placed a thick book of nautical phrases and sayings in front of me when I was trying to name the band….”
Do You See Me? is out now.
ISLA NOON ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO I NEED TO GO HOME
Steadily making a name for herself in New Zealand, Australia and across the world with her infectious brand of electronic indie pop, Isla Noon has today announced her elevated new single I Need To Go Home, a deeply relatable track about feeling jaded at a party, released today. The exciting new artist has also released a dazzling video to accompany the song, directed by Swap Gomez and Oshara Ardelean of Umbrella Creative. I Need To Go Home follows Isla Noon’s glistening track Talk About Us, which has had over 50,000 streams on Spotify alone since its release.
I Need To Go Home is a brilliant testament to Isla Noon’s sheer skill as a lyricist – “I see a glistening line of spilled red wine like a runway to the door – I think I need to go home,” is so deeply affecting, a pretty twist of words that perfectly sum up that feeling of being totally preoccupied with leaving a night out. Evocative of pop queens Carly Rae Jepsen, Robyn and lyrical master Taylor Swift, I Need To Go Home is an irresistibly danceable tune – synths and sharp beats percolate underneath Isla Noon’s assured, unique vocal. Speaking on the conception of the track, Isla Noon explains, “The song tells the story of a night out where the illusion of a grand ideal is shattered; that moment you sober up to see a girl crying into her drink, the spilled wine all over the floor drying to a sticky sheen and a few lonely souls looking for connection on a dancefloor. More than anything, it’s a metaphor for confronting times in my life where I’ve pulled back the veneer on things I was taught to accept or expected to enjoy. The track speaks to a time where I had no choice but to listen to that inner voice – even if it meant leaving on my own.”
The video is a pertinient artistic refection of Isla Noon’s inner conflict, as described in this layered track. The concept is simple yet truly effective, as she dances amongst dark and light, two opposite worlds that represent the place she is running from, and the place she is headed. Describing the video, Isla Noon explains, “The clip flashes between two contrasting locations, one being a night-time cityscape with rich colours and full body performance. The other location symbolises ‘home’, a place to which I have retreated and can move slowly and contemplatively through. This place is new to me, and I’ve had to face up to some difficult truths to get there. I wanted to capture the symbolic nature of the song, in that ‘home’ wasn’t so much a physical location but rather a more honest relationship with myself, one in which I didn’t ignore that nagging gut feeling that lets me know when a situation isn’t right for me.”
It’s always special when you can track the growth of an artist through their discography, pinpointing the songs that define their craft and propelled their career to new heights. There is no doubt that I Need To Go Home will be one of those tracks for Isla Noon – her lyricism and vocal melodies are the best they’ve ever been, shining assuredly amongst a bed of exciting, modern pop production. If you didn’t know Isla Noon before this song, don’t worry – you definitely will soon.
I Need To Go Home is out November 19 via BigPop Records.