Listen to the new solo single from Silverchair's Ben Gillies

Ben Gillies, legendary drummer for Silverchair, has released his new solo single “On the Stereo”.

Produced by Konstantin Kersting (Tones and I, Spacey Jane, The Jungle Giants), the modern synth pop track was influenced by Gillies’ childhood.

“We all have experiences that we only need to think about to feel joy or a spark of excitement that can make us smile,” he explains. “For me, it’s listening to music on the stereo. As a child I’d sit in front of the stereo, taking in whatever song was playing, and I kept doing it throughout my teens and into adulthood.

We tend not to listen to music on the stereo any more – it’s in our headphones, on our devices – but there is really nothing like that completely immersive experience of listening to music coming through speakers at home (Maybe that’s why there’s such a demand for vinyl again).

“‘On the Stereo’ is a song about listening to music that also, I hope, captures what a magical experience it is. It is one of those songs that appeared with minimal effort. During a writing session in Newcastle, I quietened my mind then recorded for 10 or 15 minutes while I messed around with some chord progressions and melodies.

Scott Aplin helped out with some of the instrumentation, then Konstantin Kersting brought the production to life. It was such a fun process making this song and I think we captured just how much fun it is to listen to music… on the stereo!”

‘On the Stereo’ could be the first taste of a fuller release. “I’ve got a bunch of songs in orbit at the moment… who knows, maybe enough for an EP or an album for next year? Dave Homer (Something for Kate, Empire Of the Sun) created this single artwork which gives everything that bright pop of colour I was looking for,” Gillies adds.