Brisbane band June Low are currently working on their third album, with the indie collective teasing that project – which is slated for release in early 2024 – with their newest single, 'Wild Loving Heart'.
Sparse, grainy indie rock intermingles with arty post-grunge tones and a jangle pop rawness that melds into the song's lyrics detailing the brutal forces of nature.A stop-start guitar riff opens the song as dreary yet golden drum fills and a glistening bass rhythm are joined by weary-sounding vocals that complement the lyrical themes of the modern disassociation many have with the perils faced by the planet.
"The song is really making a reference to how disconnected we as human beings have become, from ourselves and the land on which we live," shares vocalist-guitarist Emma White.
"So various forces of nature like fires, floods and such, remind us of our footprint in the most brutal way at times. It's really quite a political song, asking 'did you burn out your wild loving heart?'."
Ahead of the song's release tomorrow (24 November), scenestr is thrilled to premiere the 'Wild Loving Heart' music video today. Enjoy.
Alongside Emma are Brian Mann (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jane Elliott (bass) and Sean Clift (percussion), the band having toured with Mia Dyson and the late Mike Noga (The Drones). In 2019, they were nominated in the Blues and Roots category at the Queensland Music Awards.
The writing of 'Wild Loving Heart' began in late 2019 as Emma witnessed bushfires raging across Queensland that soon spread into the devastation that consumed large areas in New South Wales and Victoria by early 2020.
"Growing up on an acreage," says Emma, "I was surrounded by bush, so I definitely feel a strong connection to nature, but we also must realise that we need to look after our planet and take climate change seriously and ask the hard questions so that the generations that come after us have a planet that they can actually live on.
"The song sat in my back pocket for a few years," adds Emma, "before I brought it to the band and they gave it a bit more of a rock treatment by adding more guitar, bass and drums. The song starts off a bit off beat and builds to a crescendo at the end."
The treatment for the music clip was completely DIY, with the band filming in a garage. "Gerald Glynn filmed the video clip and we recorded it in his garage with some TV sets that showed Emma and Moses dancing in colourful boiler and hazmat suits," shares the band.
"It was really clever how Gerry did that actually – we were all in the room together and he had cameras set up that captured us dancing and being silly, and then these dancing shots got projected onto the TV sets while the rest of the band sat around either looking bored; or rocking out with a Jesus statue in Brian's case.
"It was quite late when we recorded it, but we were all in good spirits and the band were total champs because we'd had band practice earlier in the day, so it was a big day and one big rolling party.
"I remember looking over at Moses at one point and he was imitating The Exorcist in his dance moves – it was quite hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing."
June Low's next show is at The Cave Inn (Brisbane) on 8 December with Moses Leigh Jones and The Melancholics.
