Nipaluna/Hobart-based alternative-rock trio Verticoli have just revealed their contemplative new single Sailor – produced by Jon Grace (Cable Ties) and mixed by Forrester Savell (Make Them Suffer, Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect).Â
Sailor is a yearning cut of poignant alt-rock that is equal parts inviting and foreboding. Littered with distorted bass guitar and haunting falsetto backing vocals, the band create a sombre yet gripping soundscape as the honeyed vocals of lead singer Sam Hunn wash over the listener.Â
“The first draft of Sailor was knocked up in about 45 minutes and wasn’t a song that a lot of thought went into initially”, Hunn explains about the process behind Sailor. “It was a demo that would have sat dormant in the list of potential ‘B-sides’ if producer Jon Grace didn’t get his hands on it. I think he saw more potential in it than we did. It was a case of a song shaping up into a different and beautiful beast in the studio. It’s musically very simple. We all have a soft spot for it because the whole team, including producer Jon Grace and engineer Cam Hull, were involved in turning the song from a raw demo into what it is now.”
“Lyrically the song is about failure being in the eye of the beholder”, Hunn continues. “It was inspired by learning about the difficulties someone close to me had experienced in their younger years, which wasn’t kept secret per se, but certainly wasn’t readily shared. Knowing this made me feel less alone and self-critical, and I started thinking, ‘God, I wish I’d known this earlier!’.”
Accompanying the release is the track’s striking music video – directed and shot by Dan Meale from Creative Grit across Lewisham in Southern Tasmania. The clip is a scenic extravaganza, using drone shots to showcase the areas beauty and isolation. Hunn explains, “We were really keen to have Tassie as a feature of the video. It’s where we all grew up, and we love the place. Being out on the water and using those big wide shots from the drone showed it off. Sitting in a boat playing musical instruments while Jez rowed for an hour was also a good laugh! I guess the three boys in a boat on a journey towards the top of the dunes just kind of sums up the song lyrically (vaguely admittedly) and being in a band. The camaraderie, the sometimes difficult journey, the chance for failure, the video is less a ‘story’ and more a metaphor for trials and tribulations.”
To coincide with the release, the band will play shows across Naarm/Melbourne, Kanamaluka/Launceston and their hometown of Nipaluna/Hobart – DATES HERE. The band previously won the Party In The Paddock triple j Unearthed competition and have played Falls Festival in Marion Bay. They’ve also supported Australian rock luminaries DZ Deathrays, British India, Delta Riggs, Cog and Kingswood.Â
Previous releases have seen support from Australian radio stations triple j, triple j Unearthed, Edge Radio, 2XX, Aussie Music Weekly, 4ZZZ, 2RRR, 2SER and Radio Adelaide. They’ve also seen online praise from blogs AU Review, Hysteria Magazine, The Music, Livewire AU and HEAVY Mag.Â
Sailor IS OUT NOW – STREAM HERE
Connect with VERTICOLI
With thanks to Good Intent
