Be absorbed by the new single from Melbourne-based and Californian-born musician Michael Beach. ‘Next to You’ features an insistent, rhythmic melody, over which Beach’s understated vocal performance is perfect for delivering his quirky, thoughtful lyrics. He says of the song: “Sarah (who painted the cover for the record) and I were going through an intense period of grief during the making of this record. She would often say, ‘I feel like a shell,’ and that saying became a familiar refrain for both of us at that time. I had been listening to a lot of Robert Wyatt, and I really like how even his most downtimes are quite playful and strange, with lots of oddball aquatic themes. So I took that dour phrase of ours and tried to bring a bit of lightness to it with a hermit crab analogy. When I was touring with Simon Joyner recently, I played a solo version of the song at the wonderful Port Noise Festival in Lyttleton, New Zealand, and a bunch of beautiful young people in the front row started making playful crab hands at each other, so I knew the lightness had come through. It was a joy to behold.”
The video, directed by Sophia Mero, is a vibrant, colourful, quirky animation. She says: “This artwork was inspired by ‘The White Horse’ by Paul Gauguin, 70’s sci-fi art, and the writing of Ray Bradbury.”
The single is taken from “Big Black Plume”, Beach’s fifth studio album, which is out now on Goner Records. This varied collection of songs celebrates making connections in a challenging world, full of hostility and uncertainty. Beach notes: “I was wrestling with the beauty and intensity of the natural world and coming to grips with the human destruction of it. I have an overwhelming sense that humans will come and go, and the world we depend on will outlast us.”
A host of high-quality collaborators include Dirty Three guitarist Mick Turner, The Necks bassist Lloyd Swanton, Tropical Fuck Storm members Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin and folk artist Leah Senior. Together, they have created a charming, tuneful collection. Enjoy.
