We are honoured to premiere the scything, visceral single and video for ‘Black & White’ from Sydney singer/songwriter Charlie Gradon today. This is an epic and grand track – Gradon’s voice is high and impassioned with a searing quality, driving a dynamic melody and thundering rhythms in a relentless onslaught.
Gradon has a mesmerising enigmatic presence both in the sounds and the accompanying video: a vibrant edge and a sense of restrained danger. The track was recorded in Liam Judson’s Sonic Funhouse studio (Judson performs as Lewis Goldmark – another favourite of ours) in the Blue Mountains and Gradon says of the recording process:
I think we ended up using the first take of the session. I’ll never forget Liam Judson (engineer) swearing loudly seconds after we finished, declaring we had it!
The song details the breakdown of a relationship, and you can feel the pain and the regret of opportunities missed in Gradon’s delivery.
The official music video for ‘Black & White’ was directed by Tom Stephens. Filmed in Pitt Town, New South Wales,it is lusciously shot and as ceaselessly dynamic and rent with emotion as the song. Gradon says of the video:
It’s about witnessing your life in a dreamlike state and seeing memories wherever you go.
The prowling sense of menace threads its way into Gradon’s enigmatic presence and the thunder of the instrumentation:
‘Black & White’ is out now and you can download and stream here.
We have of course met Gradon before – his collaboration with another Backseat Mafia favourite Huck Hastings saw the release of the shimmering single ‘Turbulence‘ earlier this year. Gradon has also collaborated with Julia Stone, Pacific Avenue, The Rions, DZ Deathrays amongst others.
Gradon will be playing live early in the new year – details below and tickets available here.
Friday, 17 February 2023 The Vanguard Sydney
Saturday, 25 February 2023 Shotkickers Melbourne
Feature Photograph: Liz Hamm
