Music DANDE & THE LION
Sydney indie-pop four piece, Dande and The Lion have released their powerfully curated new track, ‘Children of the Hour.’ Following their previous single, ‘Harder to Breathe’, the band continue to pour their emotion into their beautiful lyrics, expressed through the powerful vocals of Natassa Zoe and Abbey Gardner.
‘Children of the Hour’ is a single that highlights the dynamic that Dande and The Lion have bolstered across a strong run of releases, stretching back to debut single ‘Wasting Time’ in 2019. The band’s musicianship manifests here; nuanced and open lyricism fusing together with bright, rich instrumentation. The song’s narrative focuses on relationships and the chemical reaction we have when meeting a person that seems to come out of nowhere and have a huge impact on your life.
BAD PONY After 10 years together as a band, 12 national tours and three International showcases, Bad Pony are ready to share their debut album, ‘Forever Up & Coming’ with the world. An album marked by sincerity, it’s an indie-pop-rock gem that is polished, explorative and filled with genuine artistry reminiscent of iconic front runners and fan favourites, Foals, The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club and alt-j. “The album is a spectrum of all types of music we love, and it’s designed to take the listener on a descent into darkness,“ says the band. “We want there to be something for everyone on it. Thematically, it covers some ground about loss, depression, triumph, addiction, religion, community, but we think most of all, love.”
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“‘Children of the Hour’ was inspired by a play I read by Lillian Hellman - ‘The Children’s Hour’ that was later adapted into a film starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine,” says Natassa. “Hellman’s story played a part in helping to initiate my songwriting process and I started to reflect on how this related to experiences in my own life at that time. “The single centres around the push and pull within an intimate relationship; meeting someone who takes you completely off-guard and shakes up your world in a totally unexpected way.” Collaborating with ARIA-nominated Producer, Xavier Dunn (Jack River, Graace), Dande and The Lion created auditory magic in Dunn Studios, Sydney, with mixing and mastering provided by engineer, Klaus Hill (Diplo, Snakehips). CHILDREN OF THE HOUR is out now!
INSTA @wearedandeandthelion Words: Beehive PR. Photo: Saz Watson
This 10-track album is a culmination of three years of writing, refinement and recording. It showcases a band who has found confidence in their sound and honed their craft. “As soon as we returned from playing at South by Southwest (SxSW ) in Austin, Texas (2018), we wanted to make an album. It’s been a dream of ours and though it was a long process, we’re so psyched with the end result.” ‘Back To Basics’ opens the album with a gentle opening swirling of strings, acoustic guitars and spacious vocals that pulls you in. Halfway through, they flip the switch and unleash their power, setting the stage for the remainder of the album. The album then morphs and twists through various vignettes that map themes of loss, triumph, addiction, community, and love. Dabbling in pop arrangements, cathartic rock choruses, punk, orchestral and rap. On the
surface, this might seem an ambitious undertaking, but the result is a refined distillation of pure artistry linked by an overarching genre of power packed pop/rock that Bad Pony has been known to deliver. Bad Pony will be delivering an explosive live set to venues in a national tour in support of their debut album ‘Forever Up & Coming’. Watch this space.
INSTA @badponymusic Words: Beehive PR. Photo: Richard Clifford