Music

CHELSEA WARNER

SYDNEY’S CHELSEA WARNER IS BACK WITH HER SECOND RELEASE FOR THE YEAR IN ‘NOT IN THE MOOD’. ANOTHER PLAYFUL R&B JAM, THIS NEW SONG IS BEGINNING A PERIOD OF EVOLUTION FOR CHELSEA AS A CONFIDENT LYRICIST AND PRODUCER, GROWING HER SOUND AND STYLE WITH MUSINGS ON THE EXPLORATION OF SELF-LOVE AND COMING OF AGE.

“‘Not In The Mood ‘ is about spending quality time with yourself. Hidden within its sassy, stand-offi sh veneer is a profound self-love that says it’s okay to just enjoy your own company. I wrote this track to try and understand myself better, noticing my desire to be more and more introverted. It’s a love song to solitude, and a diss to people who can make you crave it,” says Chelsea.

The multi-instrumentalist wrote ‘Not In The Mood’ at the beginning of 2020 where the experience of isolation helped trigger potent songwriting ideas. “I realised just how profoundly fulfi lling spending time alone is, and really reconnected with myself for the fi rst time in a while. I also realised it was exhausting interacting with people so often and that, this whole time, I was quite introverted.” explained Chelsea. Sonically, the track moves between snapshots of gritty, jazzy R&B, laid back vibes and pop music, thus once again showcasing Chelsea’s superior production prowess.

“I made the beat fi rst before writing the track, and this was the fi rst time I’d done things in that order. Now it’s one of the main ways I write, since I spend so much time making beats. I remember stumbling on these weird chords when I was playing keys and thinking they were a cool basis for a song, then building everything else up from there! Like everything else last year, writing this was a blur, but I clearly had something I needed to say!”

For fans of alt-R&B acts such as Solange, KAYTRANADA and Milan Ring, Chelsea Warner’s debut EP ‘Drama’ sets her apart in Australia’s expanding neo soul scene. The EP features a collection of songs from a young woman evolving from girlhood to a more well-rounded brilliant R&B artist in the making.

“It’s an alternative R&B record that details my coming of age and selfactualisation. ‘Drama’ is the drama of living. The drama of growing up. The theatricality of the world. The way it feels like a stage, or that you’re always waiting to be seen. Either chasing or shrivelling up under the spotlight. The competitive, anxiety-inducing headrush of constantly unpacking the world and your place in it. The invisible audience that shadows you throughout adolescence, informing every moment and every decision. The main character energy in the narrative of coming of age.”

‘Not In The Mood’ is out now. •

INSTA: @chelseawarnermusic www.chelseawarnermusic.com

Words + Images: BEEHIVE PR

www.beehive-pr.com.au

JOHNNY HUNTER

STRIKING, EVOCATIVE AND EXECUTED WITH A VIBRANCY THAT CAN INSTANTLY CAPTIVATE. SIMPLY TITLED ‘LIFE’, THE LATEST TRACK FROM THE SYDNEY GROUP FREELY DIVES INTO A MULTILAYERED SOUNDSCAPE THAT REFLECTS THE INTRICACIES AND UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE SUBJECT ITSELF.

Built on a foundation of strong guitars, rhythms and synth work that provide moments of euphoria amongst the brooding, ‘Life’ is a touchstone release for Johnny Hunter. Here, the band offers up a moment of catharsis - an avenue to fi nd a renewed passion for life when we’re at our lowest.

As the band’s second release through Cooking Vinyl Australia, ‘Life’ is another stride forward for the band as they head into a new creative cycle of releases.

Johnny Hunter worked on the single with engineer Adam Greenspan (IDLES, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and Jack Moffi tt (The Preatures) at Parliament Studios in Sydney.

Sonically, ‘Life’ moves between shades of IDLES, Fontaines D.C. and Parquet Courts. Vocalist Nick Hutt sings each lyric with an impassioned sense of yearning, the lyrics soaring against a beautiful synthesis of post-punk and airy synth-pop sounds.

“To fi nd life is to fi nd happiness, it is the ultimate end and purpose of our existence,” says Nick.

Signing with Cooking Vinyl Australia in 2021 has been an early sign that the band is well and truely into a next stage of their evolution. And now, with two arresting and dynamic releases under their belt for the year, Johnny Hunter’s sonic identity continues to thrive.

‘Life’ is out now. •

INSTA: @_johnnyhunter_

OUTFIT

SOUL-DRIVEN POP TRIO OUTFIT UNVEIL THEIR GRIPPINGLY HONEST DEBUT, ‘SUNNY’. THE SINGLE WRAPS TIM TAN’S INFECTIOUS POP MELODIES AROUND WARM GROOVES, LUSH CHORDS AND NARRATES BATTLES OF INTERNAL HEADSPACE SO VIVIDLY YOU’D MISTAKE THEM FOR YOUR OWN.

“‘Sunny’ came from a concept that Tim had in his head after hours of trying to fall asleep. The concept surrounded the sentiment of: I woke up, but in a way I guess I could have kept sleeping, describing the cyclical nature of day to day life at the time.

“We were in between houses, music industry took a dive due to the pandemic and we really just needed a light at the end of the tunnel to move closer to.

“From there the song grew into a full concept dealing with issues around mental health and fi nding comfort in what and who you have around you to collectively move towards the sunnier, sunnier, sunnier place,” explained the band.

For the music video, outfi t brought the fun to band members’ houses and home studios with direction from Aydin Bozkurt.

“We really wanted to paint a picture about what the song represents to us and what it could represent to others so we were focused on fi lming the video at home and depicting a time of unrest between close friends. We really felt like it was important during this time to speak about how deeper conversation can really be the missing element in the lives of people close to you and most issues are positively affected by conversation and not silence, especially with the world dealing with new kinds of connections and disconnections,” says outfi t.

Originally from Perth, the band has played together and separately over multiple projects. Tim, since living in Sydney and Melbourne, has focused on songwriting/producing for the Korean music scene. During this time, Tim’s work has accumulated a staggering 200,000,000 plus streams and 1.1 million physical unit sales.

‘Sunny’ is out now. •

INSTA @outfi tmusic_

DOMINIC BREEN

THE LONG-AWAITED DEBUT ALBUM FROM SYDNEY’S DOMINIC BREEN IS OUT IN THE WORLD. RELEASED VIA SYDNEY LABEL DOUBLE DRUMMER - GRETA STANLEY, COUSIN TONY’S BRAND NEW FIREBIRD, ‘BLUE VOLUME’ SEES BREEN DEEP DIVE INTO THEMES OF IDENTITY, ANXIETY, HOPE, DISILLUSIONMENT, YEARNING AND LOVE.

‘Blue Volume’ is a gorgeous, bold and textural statement. Each song is its own little microcosm, yet the whole thing fi ts together perfectly like a 10 piece jigsaw. It features acclaimed singles ‘James Street Tonight’, ‘Lovelost’, ‘Under Your Sorrow’ and most recent single ‘Real Hard Week’, which was just picked by Dave Ruby Howe for the Triple J Unearthed podcast.

Among the new tracks, there’s moments of longing - ‘Please Change Your Mind’, raucous alt-country - ‘The Place Where All Good Dreams Get Lost’ and sparkling dream-pop - ‘Give Me a Drink From The Cup of Your Hand’.

“Blue Volume is kinda like a constellation. It’s constructed with lots of different experiences, adversities, people, some connected and similar, others far apart and totally disparate. Some shine brightly and others are cloaked and less obvious. It can be seen as a singular thing if you look at it a certain way, and it will illustrate a picture for you, or point you in a direction. I think the way it appears to you will depend on where you are and how you are. Whatever you get from it is true, but not true for everyone,” says Dominic.

Blue Volume is available online at www.doubledrummermusic.com. •

INSTA @dominicbreen www.doubledrummermusic.com