Kim Churchill is a singer-songwriter whom originally hails from the far southeast of New South Wales in the coastal town of Merimbula.
Wanting nothing more than a life filled with surf and musical creativity he believed that once he finished high school that there was only one path to pursue, “I had been playing and writing songs for a lot of my life, guitar was always the thing I was really passionate about. There wasn’t a whole lot of choice for careers in music down that way, so I left on the road and started busking, living in the back of a van.”
The fresh-faced Churchill took quite a drastic gamble in making this move; thankfully, it could not have worked out for the better. In parting ways with his hometown, the folkster kicked around Australia, writing and performing until he finally charmed the heart of a Canadian manager and the rest is history. Churchill has since released three records, namely: Kim Churchill (2010), Detail of Distance (2012) and the focus of this piece, 2014’s Silence/Win.
Silence/Win was recorded in two unique locations. The first, “up in the top left hand corner of Vancouver Island” which Churchill further explained as “pretty much the only Canadian surf town.” Emphasising the importance of his love for the ocean, he cemented “I think I really tried to mould the situation to be a bit more Australian.”
The second location was in the city of Vancouver itself, “in a small studio house, it was down on the beach.”
In dissecting Silence/Win, Churchill provided some very interesting insight to the tracks he holds closest to his heart, “the ones that felt like I had the least to do with them. As a songwriter you work really hard to have those moments where you’re kind of just channelling something you’re no longer thinking about it you can’t explain where it comes from. The ones that I can’t relate back to myself in any way are normally the ones I like the most.”
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“There’s a song on the album called ‘Rage’ which we did with me and an acoustic guitar and a string quartet that, for me, is just the highlight of the album. I sat down and wrote literally in five minutes, I didn’t write the lyrics down or anything. I’m not sure how or why it came into existence but I am proud of myself for having done that.”
And proud Churchill should be. There’s absolutely no way telling that ‘Rage’ was written on the spot, let alone in five minutes. The decision to mix in the symphonic quartet adds a melancholic swirl that heralds this track a pinnacle on the record.
Continuing, he stated, ‘Window For The Sky’, the first single, was a lot of fun and it was an interesting track that I nearly didn’t write because I thought it was too pop or commercial and that was such a stupid attitude.”
We couldn’t agree with Churchill, this foot-stompin’ hands-clappin’ sing-along is an infectious and poppy-crowd pleaser, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that when it’s pulled off with a genuine conviction. The hoarse vocals in the chorus demonstrate the multi-instrumentalist at his greatest and the inclusion of brass elevates ‘Window For The Sky’ into a feel-good hit anthem.
Proving emphatically that he is no “one trick pony”, ‘Dying Sun #7’ spins as the polar opposite of the aforementioned poppy jam, turning beautifully with subtle fingerpicking twangs whilst Churchill’s wispy vocals fade in and out of focus. The track builds as the troubadour wipes his heart off his sleeve, crying “and all I know, is how to let it go, move on as the river flow/I miss you/I’ve lost the strength I need/now I wonder how I can continue.”
What’s interesting was Churchill made no mention of the opening jam, ‘Single Spark’, a track we found to be one of the strongest. The palm-muted verses slowly build as Churchill bursts into a more indie-blues eruption, stepping away from his signature “man and a guitar” folk sound.
Silence/Win is without doubt Churchill’s most bold, coming of age and overall powerful release to date. Having just embarked on a national tour to support this record, he closed in stating, “I think that the live show is now on a level that I’m happy to say is a vast improvement on anything I’ve done.”
You can pick up a copy of the Silence / Win via JB Hi-Fi or iTunes and catch Kim when he rolls by your town.
Kim Churchill Tour Dates
THURSDAY MAY 29TH – HERITAGE HOTEL, BULLI
FRIDAY MAY 30TH NEWTOWN SOCIAL CLUB, SYDNEY
SATURDAY MAY 31ST – CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE
SUNDAY JUNE 1ST – BRASS MONKEY, CRONULLA
WEDNESDAY JUNE 4TH –INDI BAR, SCARBOROUGH
FRIDAY JUNE 6TH – THE PRINCE OF WALES, BUNBURY
SATURDAY MAY 24TH – ANU BAR, CANBERRA
THURSDAY JUNE 5TH – MOJOS, FREMANTLE
SATURDAY JUNE 7TH – ALICE & SHARNI PRESENT: TENTH & GIBSON, ADELAIDE
All tickets available at www.musicglue.com
