The last time we covered Jack Bratt, he had just been awarded the prestigious Grant McLennan Fellowship jointly funded by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Australian Performing Rights Association and was looking forward to using the proceeds to fund a three month residency in New York last June. How things have changed.
At least Bratt has used the time well, releasing another outstanding single, ‘The Outsider’ with an amusing video to accompany it. The themes of the song are particularly apt given the horrendous burden artists have suffered in particular as a result of the pandemic. Bratt says:
It’s about being left of centre, about not fitting in, it’s about perception. You may have an idea about how others view you, but that’s not necessarily who you are. It’s easy to think somebody might be doing really well, but that could just be a front, while they’re dealing with a lot of problems. I think what I’ve learned from being in lockdown and having conversations with friends, is that nobody is really okay; we all have our own struggles.
Anxiety is at the core of the song. It’s really about trying to get by, but everybody is carrying around some sort of pain with them. It’s alarming how many people I know especially in the music industry who suffer with anxiety and mental health.
The video, directed by Bradley Murnane from Spilting Films, depicts the travails of an alien landing on earth – a fitting depiction of an outsider in society who nevertheless finds love:
A paean to the plight of outsiders, poignant and cinematic and, above all, empathic with a glimpse of hope for the future. Lovely stuff indeed. There is, apparently, an album underway too, which will be highly anticipated.
