Ceres have gifted us with two new moving singles Humming and MAXi, out now via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
Following on from their delightful single Want/Need, which marked the band’s return after a five-year absence, Humming and MAXi showcase what the beloved indie rock band do best – raw honesty and earnestness wrapped up in unforgettable songs held in a deep reverence for years to come.
Humming is one of the most vulnerable songs in the Ceres canon, in which singer/songwriter Tom Laynon deals with gut-wrenching loss and the aftermath. MAXi has an air of hope and freedom in the wake of necessary change.
On Humming Tom Lanyon says: “Tom Bromley (Los Campesinos!) heard Humming for the first time and sent me a message: ‘It should be a single!’
‘Hahaha’ I wrote back, without actually showing any emotion on my face at all. I thought he was joking.
It can’t be a single, I thought to myself. Humming is a sad song. A song about sad things. About loss and about blaming yourself. Hating yourself, even. It’s too much. Weak when it mattered. Faux-strong when it didn’t. How can you still love me? Humming a harmony, something for me.
‘Nah, f*ck that,’ I said out loud, ‘Humming’s not a single.'”
On MAXi, Lanyon says: “’I don’t know—sometimes I love you, and sometimes… I… I don’t know. I don’t.’
‘Well I can’t be with someone who thinks like that,’ she said.
I hung up the phone and stared at the steering wheel. Parking lot was quiet. I felt very alone, and very free.
Change is hard. Phone calls are harder. But sometimes you just need to make the call.
Sadness and optimism in two and a half minutes. I love this song.”
Ceres are one of those special bands that don’t come around too often. An oft-touted favourite of those in the know, Ceres sprung up organically via word-of-mouth until their breakthrough 2016 album, ‘Drag It Down On You’, let the rest of Australia in on Melbourne’s best-kept secret. By the time ‘We Are A Team’ rolled around in 2019, Ceres hit their stride with the release of life-affirming single Viv In The Front Seat, which captured the hearts of everyone who heard it. Sold out shows, award nominations and critical acclaim followed, with Ceres wrapping up their most successful album cycle right as the pandemic arrived. With COVID came a lot of life changes within the camp – the intervening years saw members leave and return – and though Ceres was quietly humming along in one form or another, the band decided to return to the fore, all in it together.
Ceres first headline tour in half a decade kicks off next month. Both Melbourne shows sold out in a matter of hours – the first one via a cheeky password sent out to their Secret Staircase mailing list before the tour was even announced!
HUMMING + MAXi Are Out Now via Cooking Vinyl Australia – SAVE / STREAM HERE
CERES – Live On Tour
w/ Suzi
Final Tickets On Sale at weareceres.com
Saturday 13 July – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne / Naarm * SOLD OUT*
Sunday 14 July – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne / Naarm * SOLD OUT*
Thursday 25 July – The Brightside, Brisbane / Meanjin
Friday 26 July – Crowbar, Sydney / Warrang
With thanks to Deathproof PR
