There is a quiet strength running through Blank Instrument’s new single ‘Green and Blue’. Premiering today on Backseat Mafia ahead of its official release on 7 August, the track finds Boorloo/Perth songwriter Kim Franklin continuing the deeply personal journey that will culminate in her debut album, Jumping at Ghosts, later this year.
Following June’s ‘Brand New’, ‘Green and Blue’ expands the emotional landscape of the forthcoming record, reflecting on loss while resisting the temptation to become overwhelmed by it. Anchored by warm piano and gradually unfolding into a rich blend of swelling synths, organ, acoustic and electric guitars, the song explores the difficult balance between carrying grief and allowing yourself permission to pause.
Stream it HERE.
At the heart of Jumping at Ghosts is Franklin’s late friend Julie, whose generosity continues to shape the album long after her passing in 2023. Close friends brought together through work and a shared love of music and storytelling, the pair remained deeply connected over the years. Before she died, Julie left Franklin a gift with one simple instruction: pursue your dreams. That act of faith became the foundation that allowed Jumping at Ghosts to be made.
Written during a trip to Byron Bay, close to what would have been Julie’s birthday, ‘Green and Blue’ draws on the rhythms of the coastline to explore emotional renewal. Watching surfers patiently waiting beyond the break became an unexpected metaphor for accepting uncertainty rather than fighting against it, allowing life to unfold in its own time.
“Whenever I feel worried or overwhelmed, my instinct is to literally run for the hills,” Franklin explains. “In Byron I rounded the corner and looked down from the cliff to see all these surfers just ‘waiting in the blue’. While working on this album, I feel like it was trying to teach me something about being in the present moment, not rushing to the end and allowing the process to unfold.”
That philosophy echoes throughout the song. Rather than offering neat conclusions, ‘Green and Blue’ embraces stillness, creating space for reflection without losing sight of hope. Franklin’s understated vocal performance carries the emotional weight with remarkable restraint, allowing the arrangement to breathe around her rather than overwhelming the intimacy of the writing.
If ‘Brand New’ introduced the emotional terrain of Jumping at Ghosts, ‘Green and Blue’ reveals its emotional centre. It is a song about grief, certainly, but equally about patience, healing and recognising that sometimes the most meaningful progress comes not from pushing forward, but from allowing yourself to stand still.
