Meanjin/Brisbane singer/songwriter Zanna Black is releasing a gloriously ethereal track ‘This Town’ tomorrow and we are inordinately honoured to bring you an early listen. ‘This Town has a delicate, fey delivery, filled with a whimsical whirl that is enticing and transfixing. Black’s voice dances through the ether, drenched in a yearning melancholia, a bed of strings providing a comforting iridescent glow.
There is a gentle tone reminiscent of Christina Perri, and yet imbued with an antipodean sunshine that sparkles in the sunlight. Fittingly, the accompanying video is awash with shimmering sunshine and rolling waves as Black and her band performs – a deep geographical connection to the landscapes and the sea.
Indeed, Black says that this song has two meanings for her, both reflecting on the people of Queensland who have had to abandon their homes due to flooding and on her grandfather, who had to flee his country. This becomes very relevant given the flooding affecting Northern Queensland at the time of writing – a beautiful land vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the changing climate, as well as the dark tribulations facing many vulnerable and dispossessed peoples around the globe.
This is heart-achingly beautiful music. ‘This Town’ is out tomorrow (Friday, 7 February) and will be available to download and stream via all the usual sites.
As a solo artist, Black ahas been sharing her ethereal music with the world since 2022, but she’s been active in the musical space for years, touring with her various bands around Brisbane. Her songwriting has led to her music being used in TV and movies, with ‘Down To The Waterside’ used in the Canadian TV series ‘Hockey Wives’ and the 2016 film ‘Burns Point’. A prodigious talent that is on the ascendancy.
