In 2018, exactly 20 years after the release of their 1998 hit single 'Buses And Trains', Australian pop duo Bachelor Girl popped up again with a new single 'Speak'.
For vocalist Tania Doko, it was the ideal comeback. “We hadn't released anything for the better part of 15 years, so it felt good to come back with something that I feel is never going to date,” Tania says.
“Talking about mental health and talking about the importance of expressing yourself, even if it's trivial, but more importantly if something is weighing on you, having the courage and feeling safe to speak up is so crucial in life.”
After such a long hiatus, and the fact she has been living in Stockholm for the past eight years, Tania knew that whatever song they released, the message had to be vital and timely.
“To be that safe space for other people is really important, that's what we were trying to get at with 'Speak'. A reminder to all of us to check in with ourselves and each other and how we're going. Life is so fast and crazy, more than ever we have to take stock and stop a little bit.
“Releasing 'Speak', if we were going to release anything. . . we felt this would stand out in the sense of something important that needs to be expressed out there in the community, so we were proud of it from that point of view.”
The musical pairing of Tania and bandmate James Roche made serious waves when Bachelor Girl debuted in 1998 with their 'Waiting For The Day' album, which featured 'Buses And Trains'. They enjoyed far-reaching success until disbanding in 2004, with both Tania and James pursuing respective careers in music.
Back together now, Tania says there's a lot of catching up for her and James to do. “We were hoping to release more [new music] soon but the distance between us literally has proven more challenging than we thought, even though you can do a lot of things remotely these days; we really do thrive on the chemistry that we share in the same room,” Tania says.
“We haven't had that luxury of time; we have songs waiting to be released so 2020 will be about releasing these babies, and I'm moving my Swedish family and myself back to Australia in the next 15-18 months, so you'll be seeing us more regularly on home soil.”
This October and November, Bachelor Girl stretch their stage legs once more with a run of regional festival dates plus a headline show in Brisbane.
Twenty years after their heyday, Tania takes to their classics with a refreshed attitude. “It was strange but just like riding a bike in many senses. Because I had the big break I appreciated it again, I appreciated the songs that travelled through the years,” she says.
“Some of the songs have very typical '90s production, but the messages haven't dated. 'Buses And Trains' is still poignant to me and so many other people that singing them again after having at least ten years off felt really fresh actually. Having the break made it feel fresh again and that's still the case now with coming back home to do these gigs.”
Bachelor Girl 2019 Tour Dates
Fri 25 Oct - Hamilton Hotel (Brisbane)Sat 26 Oct - Sounds From The Borderline (Goondiwindi Showgrounds)
Sat 3 Nov - A Hitch To The Sticks (Wangaratta)
Sat 30 Nov - Band2Gether (Wolumla Recreation Grounds)
