Some comeback records lean on nostalgia until the wheels come off. Bachelor Girl appear to have chosen a sharper route: revisit the past, then rewire it completely. The duo have unveiled a new version of ‘Blind’, featuring Darren Hayes, as the latest preview of forthcoming album Waiting For The Day: Artist Sessions.
Stream ‘Blind’ HERE.
Following the warmly received reimagining of ‘Treat Me Good’ with Jessica Mauboy, ‘Blind’ heads somewhere darker. What was once anchored in polished pop now arrives as brooding electro-pop, built on atmosphere, restraint and carefully measured tension.
Frontwoman Tania Doko says the track may be the most radically transformed song on the project. Inspired by producer James Roche’s minimalist approach, she describes her vocal performance as tormented and hushed, carrying betrayal through clenched teeth rather than grand gestures. It is a useful reminder that quiet songs can still cut deep.
Hayes’ presence adds another layer of history. His friendship with Bachelor Girl stretches back decades through shared touring and the peculiar fraternity of surviving pop-duo life.
“I get invitations to collaborate with other artists and most of the time… I politely decline,” he says. “When Tania sent through the demo… I called her up immediately. And I’m not a phone person.”
It is easy to hear why. Hayes has always understood how to inhabit melody with precision, whether through Savage Garden classics like ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ or solo staples such as ‘Insatiable.’
Due in June, Waiting For The Day: Artist Sessions revisits Bachelor Girl’s double-platinum debut with collaborators across 15 tracks. What could have been a commemorative exercise instead sounds like an attempt to test how these songs behave under modern light.
The duo will also take the project on the road this August, beginning in Melbourne at Brunswick Ballroom before dates in Brisbane, Adelaide and a final stop at Factory Theatre on 18 October.
Go HERE for tickets.
