Adelaide singer-songwriter Christopher Panousakis aka Timberwolf has thrown off the shackles of his folk music origins to write and record his debut album.
Embracing a wider array of songwriting influences, Chris says his new material is a deliberate step away from the folk-music scene he initially courted success as a solo musician. “In a lot of ways, folk music is like a nursery for a lot of solo artists,” Chris says, “because it takes time to build up your craft and actually even learn yourself, realise your skills and the things about your writing and performance that makes you you, makes you authentic.
“Under the banner of folk music was more of a gateway for me to enter songwriting and enter recording, which are two different worlds as well. It was only after my time off, touring the last couple of EPs and getting to know my craft a little better that I actually became more comfortable jumping out of that nursery per se and finding a way to present myself with transparency.”
With his EP 'Flux' released back in 2015, the debut album from Timberwolf is a long-awaited that sees Chris expand his craft and come into his own as a singer-songwriter. “When your personal self and your performing or songwriting self are close together that's when your being the most authentic,” he says.
“I wasn't quite being myself because I didn't know how to on those last two EPs, whereas now I don't feel any different on stage, off stage or recording and that's a good place to be in.”
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Three singles have already been released from the album: 'Something That I Said', 'Washed Out' and most recently 'Hold You Up', each one revealing a little more of Timberwolf's sonic expansion.
With a release date still to be confirmed, Chris says the album is all but complete and hopes to put it out soon. “It's really close to being finished,” he says, “but there's just a few loose ends to tie up on the B-side of the record. There's other decisions to make too: what songs will make the cut and which songs will fit the narrative of a guy going through his romantic journey across this whole LP.
“So it's very much in the fine-tuning stages and picking the right pieces of the puzzle for the message I want to put across. I would love to have it out at the latest by the middle of the year... I'm feeling good about that.”
Although Chris had taken some time away from touring and live performance to work on his new material, he's been on the road recently supporting Amy Shark on her 'Adore' single tour. It was a good warm-up for his own tour in July.
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“Now I'm back in the flow of playing, especially supporting Amy, I'm really looking forward to the tour especially on the back of a new single and with an album coming out soon,” Chris says.
“I'm excited to share all this new material with people and I think there are important messages of vulnerability and transparency in these songs that I think are important to galvanise a lot of people in a time where there's a lot of perceived division going on. “So it's an important tour and I can't wait to grab it with both hands. I've rejigged the set so it's basically a showcase of the whole album before it comes out, plus a few old songs.”
Timberwolf Shows
Sat 10 Jun - Sea N Sound Festival (Sunshine Coast)Fri 14 Jul - Jive Bar (Adelaide)
Sat 15 Jul - The Workers Club (Melbourne)
Fri 21 Jul - Leadbelly (Sydney)
