Back in November 2022, Naarm/Melbourne band Blackbirds F.C. impressed with their album ‘Magiclands’ (see my review here, complete with the usual lame puns), and now we are proud to premiere their gorgeous new single ‘Rings Around The Sun’.
Coasting on a delicious Hammond organ bed, the vocal duties are taken up by Gina Hearnden as the acoustic guitars ring out and luscious harmonies edge the delivery. There is an almost alt country ring to the track, augmented by the weeping violins that recalls The Triffids – an aching melancholia that creates vast, endless cinematic vistas and an electric undercurrent.
Songwriter Jeremy Gronow says ‘Rings Around The Sun’ was written during Victoria’s lockdowns in 2020:
The song is about getting over the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds and learning to enjoy the moment – a process many people went through during COVID. The chorus line “floating a river of light” was inspired by light reflecting off water onto a wall, as you often see at swimming pools or under bridges. For me, the song conjures up images of lying in bed with a lover in the afternoon, as the sun pours in the window.
The slow burning fuse sparkles with its yearning intensity and the lyrics are poetic and expressive:
I, call to the sea
End this odyssey
Let my ships come in
Fill their sails with gentle wind
The track perfectly captures that feeing of restlessness and anxiety, leaved by a resolute stoicism:
With new guitarist Jeff Baker (The Golden Rail) in the team, this feels like a more sober and reflective band, weary yet resolute and filled with an intricate delicacy. ‘Rings Around The Sun’ is out tomorrow and will be available through all the usual download and streaming sites and through the link above.
Blackbirds FC launch ‘Rings Around the Sun’ at the inimitable George Lane, St Kilda, 7.30pm, Saturday, 4 May 2024 with Billy Baxter & Gina Hearnden from The Hollowmen and Sarah, Izzi & Edie.
Details here and tickets here.
The launch features support from Billy Baxter and Blackbirds’s Gina Hearnden from Melbourne 90’s legends The Hollowmen. The close friends are playing their first show together in 15 years.
Blackbirds F.C. are:
Jeff Baker – electric guitar, organ sounds
Phil Campbell – drums, cabassa, tambourine
Julien Chick – bass, backing vocals
Jeremy Gronow – electric guitar, backing vocals, cello arrangement
Gina Hearnden – lead and backing vocals
Bec Long – cello
with Cameron McKenzie – electric guitar, acoustic guitar and organ
