Naarm/Melbourne-based indie-pop artist KEZRA has returned with a spellbinding new offering Back Home – produced by Mark Zito (Fractures) and mastered by Matthew Neighbour (Matt Corby, Middle Kids, The Avalanches).
Sombre chords sway back and forth as KEZRA’s comforting vocals wash over the listener to create a safe space to reminisce about heartbreak. The minimalist instrumentation immensely enhances the yearning and anguish that KEZRA so beautifully explores while creating a hypnotising, textured soundscape that leaves so much room to breathe.
KEZRA talks about the process of writing Back Home: “I started writing this song on the floor of my living room, strumming along on my guitar, but feeling very uninspired during lockdown. So, I plugged in my vocal harmoniser pedal, in the hope that it would give me some inspiration and help me write in a more creative way. It first began with the slow paused chord changes on the guitar. Then the lyrics – ‘I was taken back to the house where we met’ came to me whilst using my harmoniser and this instantly set the tone for where the rest of the song needed to go. There was something special about the imperfect and mechanical sounding harmonies, that made these lyrics hit deeper. The guitar pauses are almost echoing that feeling of being stuck, reminiscing on the past, replaying old memories in your mind and not being able let go. Towards the end, the strumming is so aggressive with distortion, building up with anger, kind of like a cry for help by the end of the song.”
Taking cues from luminaires Phoebe Bridgers, Maggie Rogers and Holly Humberstone, KEZRA draws on her innermost feelings to create deeply intimate and pensive explorations through song. In the live arena, KEZRA made an impressive entry into the Australian music scene by selling out her first single launch. She has since graced the stage of Let Go Fest with the likes of G Flip, Mallrat and Slum Sociable, and large sporting events such as the Australian Open and the F1 Melbourne Grand Prix.
Previous singles were widely embraced by the likes of Australian radio stations triple j Unearthed, 4ZZZ, Radio Adelaide, Southern FM and Aussie Music Weekly. The track also received support from online blogs Pilerats, Music Feeds, The Music, The AU Review and Forte Mag.
Back Home is out now
LISTEN NOW
Connect with KEZRA
With thanks to Good Intent