Today, Meanjin / Brisbane-based artist FELIVAND shares her new single Big Little. Another gorgeous blend of bedroom pop and alternative R&B, the track serves as the final teaser of the 22-year-old’s forthcoming debut album, ‘Ties’ – out August 5 via Sweat It Out.Â
Grounded by a slick, jazz-influenced bassline and textured, organic percussion, the lyricism of Big Little weaves through a backdrop of atmospheric synths and delicate guitar plucks. A reassuring hug in musical form, the track sees FELIVAND make a promise to a loved one in crisis: a promise of holding space and standing ground until monolithic problems don’t tower quite as tall anymore.Â
On the origins of Big Little, FELIVAND notes: “Someone I love was struggling with their mental health and I wrote this song to and for them. A reassurance to them that I will always stick around, until problems that feel huge one day feel small.â€Â
An exploration of mental health and interpersonal connection, Big Little arrives as an apt taster of ‘Ties’: a project that sees FELIVAND unravel knotty questions on wellbeing, spirituality, relationships and her own place in the world. Throughout the forthcoming debut album, FELIVAND‘s songwriting leans towards poeticism, nuance, and the metaphorical – underpinned by rich basslines, jazz-flickered chords, harmonic vocal stacks and crisp percussion. Speaking to ‘Ties’, FELIVAND shares: “I have dreamt of recording an album ever since I can remember, so to see ‘Ties’ in its final form brings me a joy and satisfaction I can’t quite put into words. I have never felt more aligned with or proud of anything I have written before.â€
Taking the new album to the road this August and September, FELIVAND is set to perform at headline shows at Brisbane’s Woolly Mammoth, Mary’s Underground in Sydney, and Melbourne’s Northcote Social Club.Â
Although FELIVAND still records in much the same manner as she began – a fruitful, abundant flurry of working with samples, bass lines, vocal stacks and chords, cocooned in her bedroom’s secluded sphere of creation - ‘Ties’ sees her open this once-private sphere to outside collaborators, including Wes Singerman, Taydex, Royce Wood Junior, Max Byrne, Tristan Hoogland and more. Working collaboratively, FELIVAND’s vision comes into clarified relief, able to oversee the flourishing of a song from germination to budding actualisation.
Influenced by the likes of Kali Uchis, Solange, James Blake, among others, FELIVAND‘s recent projects have garnered praise from Billboard, COLORS, triple j, Bandcamp, Lyrical Lemonade, Apple Music (New Artist of the Week), and more.Â
For an artist whose interwoven personal and creative development has always been on show, the story of FELIVAND is that of an artist continually growing into herself. Join the ‘Ties’ journey with Big Little today, ahead of the arrival of a monumental debut LP.Â
FELIVAND AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
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Friday August 19 – Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane - TIX HERE
w/ Monet’s Pond + Hannah Sands
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Saturday August 27 – Mary’s Underground, Sydney - TIX HERE
w/ Taj Ralph + Moonboy
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Friday September 2 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne - TIX HERE
w/ Your Girl Pho + Franko Gonzo
Big Little is out now – BUY/STREAM HERE
‘Ties’ is out Friday August 5 via Sweat It Out – PRE-SAVE HERE
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With thanks to Thinking Loud
