A year since her death, Brisbane's beloved indie musician Tara Simmons continues to release new music with today's arrival of 'Let's Go'.
Upbeat and playful, 'Let's Go' is pure synthpop joy that bounces around on a pogo stick of electronic fun.
The single's release, which has been made possible by a group of Tara's musician and industry pals as well as family and friends, is also the first of more new music from Tara, with a posthumous album to be released in March.
A song about the decision to be 'all in' with a new relationship, Tara weighs up her options on 'Let's Go'. "She was straight down the line – she was studying epidemiology and biostatistics, but she was also an artist to the very end and to the very essence of her being," long-time collaborator Yanto Browning says.
"So I think when it came to her romantic interests, she was always torn between the rational and the romantic. And that’s what 'the chemist and the dreamer' line is trying to articulate."
Click here to read Yanto's open letter he penned after Tara's death.
The track, which was written by Tara and Yanto also features a couple of other Brisbane legends with Sam Hales (The Jungle Giants) and producer Konstantin Kersting (Tones & I, Mallrat) spending a day recording at Empire Studios, adding some "extra oomph".
"This track was Tara’s nod towards LCD Soundsystem I think," Yanto adds.
"When the drop hits I just dance along with a big dumb grin – it still gets me. "Dancing through the sh.t times and wanting to party as well as be reflective and introspective was very much part of Tara's character. And we would dance around like idiots in the studio working on this when it would fall into place.
"As the news got worse and worse, Tara's desire to make upbeat dance tracks got greater and greater. I think she was trying to avoid the obvious, very introspective maudlin songs that would come from being terminally ill and just going 'well life’s a party too so I want to make sure I celebrate that'."
Tara's final album, 'Show Me Spirit 'til the End' will land 20 March – two days before what would have been her 35th birthday. She worked on the record until the last moment, even recording a song in the palliative care ward, perched on the end of her bed, under fairy lights put up by her mum.
The album includes previously released 2019 single 'North', which surfaced just a few days after Tara's passing.
The record also features a host of collaborations and contributions from a who's who of Brisbane music including the aforementioned Sam Hales and Konstantin Kersting as well as Megan Washington, Danny Harley (The Kite String Tangle), Gav Parry (YesYou), Kate Miller-Heidke, Dean McGrath (Hungry Kids Of Hungary, Rolls Bayce), and Chris O'Neill to name a few.
