We are very honoured to exclusively premiere the debut single ‘Mother’ from Geelong-based singer/songwriter Daisy Kilbourne, with an additional link to a short film that that accompanies the exquisite track.
Inspired by her own experiences, ‘Mother’ delves into the heart-wrenching journey of witnessing a
mother’s gradual unravelling after the loss of the love of her life. Written as a conversation between a
mother and her children, the song captures the painfully familiar feelings of helplessness and sorrow
when watching someone you love struggle with grief.
Kilbourne says:
I wrote this song after the passing of my father, watching my mum lose parts of herself with him as he left. You can’t help but wonder if they’ll ever come to be the person they were before, and you feel guilty that you can’t make their pain go away. It isn’t easy talking about these things, but if it’s something that can help people overcome their grief, then it’s worth it.
As an additional emotional link that adds an indelible poignancy to the track, there is a strong family presence in the recording. Kilbourne says:
Since the song is so personal, we thought about adding a real personal touch to it. So at the end of the song, all the harmonies are actually sung by my siblings, Rose, Lily, and Ivory. For something quite emotional, recording them was the funniest night of my life. It was nice to create a good memory to attach to this song, and also hear how much Ivory sounds like Dad when he sings.
‘Mother’ glows through the crisp, crystalline acoustic guitars that dapple under Kilbourne’s velvet gossamer vocals aching with a tangible poignancy and grief. Sweeping, weeping strings bolster the haunting edge that filters through the track and hangs at the periphery. At the heart is a desire to address someone else’s loss and a desire to try and fill that yawning chasm:
Mother are we enough to keep you alive?
The song starts to burn with a vivid intensity as the background vocals create ethereal, ghostly layers. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful track that shimmers with colour and emotion:
Kilbourne has created a breathtakingly stunning debut which heralds a bright future for the singer/songwriter, who lists the seventies as an influence. You can indeed detect traces of Carol King and Dusty Springfield in her silken delivery. You can download and stream the single from tomorrow via all the usual sites.
We are also honoured to provide a link to the short documentary entitled ‘Father’ that has been crafted to accompany the track. It’s the reading out of an eye wateringly poignant letter written by Kilbourne to her late father, delivered over the top of dappling instrumentation and with some historic family footage. It is an elegant expression of creativity and connection, the passing on of love for music and performance, the indelible thread of memory and passion that filters through the genes. There is ultimately a message that those who have passed live on within us and through the things we create:
‘Mother’ was created as part of the GRID Series Geelong program, proudly supported by the Victorian
Government through Creative Victoria, the City of Greater Geelong and the Victorian Music
Development Office.
