Emerging from the grips of indefinite hiatus, Whitley is back with a new single, new album and weathered suitcase in tow. Don’t call it a comeback. This is the resurrection.
Propelled by a soft, mechanical heartbeat, single ‘My Heart Is Not A Machine’ is the first taste of new album Even The Stars Are A Mess – a project that saw Lawrence travel the world over (by way of Mexico, Cuba, England, The Netherlands, Peru and Italy, among others).
His journey eventually ended in The Amazon Rainforest to shoot the video for ‘My Heart Is Not A Machine’. The new track has reignited the love for Whitley in force, reaching over 10,000 views on youtube within it’s first week.
Hopes of his return were birthed earlier this year, when Whitley was unexpectedly and exultantly announced on the lineup for this year’s sold out Splendour in the Grass festival. The news just keeps getting sweeter, with Lawrence announcing a run of headline shows to coincide.
“It took me a lot of thinking to realise that I get to play music with my best friends to great people,” he says of his return. “It’s something I am newly sentimental about.”
Kicking off in Brisbane on Friday 12th July, the Even The Stars Are A Mess Tour will see Lawrence back on stage with his Whitley cohorts, providing fans the first chance to hear his latest musical wares and no doubt, some old favourites too. Tickets are on sale now.
Folk-pop chanteuse Esther Holt is along for the ride as main support, with her melodic and honest tunes proving the perfect starter. As front woman and songwriter of the now defunct indie-folk group Snowy Belfast, Esther has performed alongside the likes ofJosh Pyke, The Panics and The Beautiful Girls. Her debut EP Countless Verse is out now.
Even The Stars Are A Mess follows on from Whitley’s acclaimed sophomore offering Go Forth, Find Mammoth, with an irrevocable warmth, beauty and intimacy reminiscent of debut LP The Submarine.
Whitley’s new single ‘My Heart Is Not A Machine’ is out now, bundled up with a few remixes of the same track by friends Kins, Fractures and Leadbetter via iTunes.
The forthcoming album Even The Stars Are A Mess is released Friday 5th July, via Dew Process/Universal Music Australia and is available for pre-order now via iTunes or JB Hi Fi.
Whitley Even The Stars Are A Mess Tour
With Esther Holt
Tickets on sale 9am now
Fri 12th July: Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
Oztix: 1300 762 545, www.oztix.com.au
Sat 13th July: Jive Bar, Adelaide
Moshtix: 1300 GET TIX (438 849); www.moshtix.com.au
Thurs 18th July: Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Moshtix: 1300 GET TIX (438 849); www.moshtix.com.au
Fri 19th July: The Hi Fi, Melbourne
www.hifi.com.au / 1300 THE HIFI (1300 843 443) or Oztix: 1300 762 545, www.oztix.com.au
Fri 26th – Sun 28th July: Splendour In The Grass – SOLD OUT
