MEDIA RELEASE

Melbourne artist Georgia Fields conjures a mesmerising spell of indie-rock swagger on her new single Persuasion, out Wednesday 27 July.

The infectious new track sees Fields embody the role of romantic villain. “I have plenty of songs about getting my heart broken, but the truth is, I’ve done my fair share of misbehaving”, the singer-songwriter laughs.

“I wanted to write an anti-hero pop song.”

Opening with a smouldering, soulful slow-burn, Persuasion unfurls into a shimmering vision of Casio keyboard hooks and Wilco-esque fuzz guitar. Strident synth flourishes further elevate the warm, rich and rock-solid rhythm section. Fields’ vocal consistently steals the show, sashaying from a smokey, velveteen purr to a powerfully commanding wail. The band provides a sense of gravity throughout, anchoring Fields’ insouciant sense of mischief as she sings – wily, wide of lapel, and with tongue planted firmly in cheek – “I’m looking at him… but I’m thinking of you”.

Persuasion is about the magnetic pull of desire; the rubber-willed heart that coaxes us, despite our best efforts, back to that person we know is trouble. In the wake of this desire, our resolve becomes “a bug on its back”, and suddenly we’re rationalising the decision to turn up on our ex’s doorstep, half-drunk in the middle of the night.

Produced by drummer/multi-instrumentalist Josh Barber (Gretta Ray; Gotye; Emma Anglesey), Persuasion marks the third insight into Fields’ forthcoming album Hiraeth, due for release November 2022. The record takes its title from a Welsh word with no direct English translation, referring to a sense of nostalgia or grief for the lost places of your past; a profound longing for a home you can’t return to, as it no longer exists.

Hiraeth (pronounced “hee-raith”) was recorded in a converted 1930s church at the back of Barber’s rural property located in the tiny farming village of Mollongghip, Victoria. “When you arrive, you walk up through the veggie garden, past the pine trees”, Fields recounts. “I swear to god: on my first visit, a golden-brown hare lolloped out from behind a rose bush. It’s like a postcard.”.

Fields and Barber played almost all the instruments across the album, with Jules Pascoe (Jazz Party; Husky) contributing bass guitar. “Collaborating with Josh has been a dream because because he brings a huge breadth of skills to the table. He’s a world-class drummer, a highly creative multi-instrumentalist, and a meticulous sound nerd. And because we were working out of his workspace, rather than hiring an external studio, we had daily access to his entire cache of drum sets and percussion.”

That experimental approach to layering percussive soundscapes can be heard in Persuasion’s odd-ball bridge section, which pulses with castanets, cowbells and chimes – oscillating like a hypnotist’s pendulum in full swing.

It’s a persuasive pop petition we’re willing to be won over by.

Persuasion is released on all streaming platforms, Wednesday 27 July.

Hiraeth is due November 2022.

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

PRESS QUOTES

“Holding My Hands Out is a quiet anthem.”

– Music Feeds

“Georgia's vocals take the lead dynamically as they dance between sincere and soft, to powerful and soul-moving. Beautifully composed and delivered between gritty and dainty moments, Holding My Hands Out is a testament to Georgia’s abilities as a songwriter and a vocalist.”

– Pilerats

“She possesses a powerful pop voice that’s at once forceful and elegant, and on Holding My Hands Out, her vocal control of the song is supreme.”

– Tone Deaf

“Holding My Hands Out is less an indie-pop track than a carefully layered piece of sonic art. Each addition of an instrument is a brush stroke… Georgia’s vocals range from a breathy caress to soaring dominance.”

– The Point Music News

“A magnetic showing of fearless art-pop and searing vulnerability.”

– Ramona Magazine

“This is a glorious and edgy indie pop single that teases the ears, it softens as it builds with Georgia’s stunning vocals shining throughout the restrained and cleverly composed track.”

– Skope Mag

“Holding My Hands Out is an art-pop kaleidoscope.”

– Sense Music Media

“Georgia Fields dreams in fantastic Technicolour…. Irrepressible pop. ★★★★”

– The Sydney Morning Herald

“A voice you simply cannot un-hear… The evocative songstress paints entire worlds.”

– Frankie Magazine

“There is something wonderfully experimental about the way in which Georgia and her musical cohorts jettison a song into the creative stratosphere.”

– Beat Magazine

“Intelligent, seductive and touched by a vividly-blooming magic.”

– Autumn Roses

“It’s in poised vocal and muscular percussion where Fields is in her element – when she’s off the leash yet achieving the balance of melancholy.”

– Rhythms Magazine

“Her new album Astral Debris is her finest, most expansive work yet.”

– The Herald Sun