Former Captives guitarist, Tasmanian artist Marcus Wynwood is expanding his punk-rock roots to incorporate folk and acoustic elements on his newest single, 'Never Left The Ground'.
A delightfully laidback track brimming with a hopefulness borne from an inquisitive mindset, 'Never Left The Ground' pays homage to day dreamers everywhere.Accompanied by the chirping of birds intermittently, the song begins with jangly yet lulling acoustic guitar strumming, Marcus' folk-punk vocals bringing to mind colonial Australia.
With escapism lyrics flourishing, it's an endearing ode to contemplative thinking and one's place within the greater scheme of life navigating the endless grind of living.
The addition of beautiful trumpet tones (played by Andrew Sulzberger of the Bad Dad Orchestra) adds an elegant, sophisticated feeling yet also enhances the triumphant nature of individuality over a collective mindset.
"I wrote this song pretty quickly, over a day or two, which is really unusual for me," Marcus says. "I was listening to a lot of Frank Turner and Neutral Milk Hotel at the time, and I wanted to get that lo-fi, indie-folk songwriter-songwriter feeling. Part of this was loose strumming acoustic guitars with slightly abstract and ambiguous lyrics."
Ahead of the song's release tomorrow (26 September), today scenestr is thrilled to premiere 'Never Left The Ground' music video (that was filmed in Marcus' home town, Penguin). Enjoy.
"The clip was filmed along the main street of my home town Penguin by my mate David Sturges. I was pretty nervous during filming, I had to sing and strum loudly in the middle of the day doing multiple takes up and down the street. We got a lot of looks!
"Dave had the hard part – he had to walk backwards while filming. To help with this, we had Ella Sturges with us, and part of her role was to let Dave know if he was about to walk into something. . . Ella would yell 'move left', but the trouble was that because Dave was walking backwards Ella's left was his right. You can see where this is going!"
The end of the video features Marcus attempting to take flight off a park bench with some 'amazing' DIY wings. "The wings were made from an old cardboard box and rubbish bags the night before we filmed," deadpans Marcus.
"I initially found a pair of beautiful white angel wings and some colourful butterfly wings, but they didn't suit the vibe I was going for. I wanted the wings to be dirty, trashy and obviously DIY to suit the theme – someone who has tried hard but felt they never really succeeded."
As for the inclusion of Sulzberger's trumpet playing? "Rather than playing a guitar solo like I normally would, the song felt like it needed a trumpet," Marcus says.
"I reached out to mates The Bad Dad Orchestra, and Andrew Sulzberger was excited to get involved playing the trumpet solo. He did an amazing job, he's a fantastic musician and a great guy. I recorded the song in my studio over a couple of weeks and I’m pretty happy how it turned out."
'Never Left The Ground' features on Wynwood's forthcoming EP 'Never Stood Out & Never Fit In' (out 17 October).
Marcus Wynwood 2024-2025 Tour Dates
Sun 29 Sep - Spreyton Cider Co (Spreyton)Sat 12 Oct - Devonport Tenpin Bowl
Sat 19 Oct - Penguin Beer Co (Penguin)
Sat 4 Jan - Good Gumnuts Festival (Romaine)
Sun 5 Jan - Good Gumnuts Festival (Romaine)
