Last year, judges of the prestigious Grant McLennan Fellowship crowned Jack Bratt as the 2019 winner. Honouring the musical legacy of the late Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens, the Fellowship offers a cash prize and a career-development trip to New York, London or Berlin for six months.
Based on Jack Bratt‘s latest single and video alone, there is no one more deserving.
The Brisbane guitarist, songwriter and producer has offered up a brooding study in over-thinking with ‘Spades’, complete with whip-sharp lyrics and haunting melodies to keep you coming back for repeat listens.
Speaking of the inspiration behind the track, Jack explains, “I’m a classic over-thinker, and Spades is a bit of a snapshot of me over-analysing everything. It’s a lot about comparing where I’m at in my life to my friends and family, thinking about whether or not I’m where I should be compared to, say, when my parents were at the same age.”
The visual accompaniment, directed by Clint Lewis of Red Tape Pictures (Tim Rogers, The Church), was shot in black in white, with Jack Bratt its sole focus. The lyrics and backstory behind ‘Spades’ are laid bare in this stunning display of solo expertise.
WATCH: Jack Bratt, ‘Spades’
Jack Bratt says of the video: “I just wanted the video to be simple. Playing this song solo, not in a band setting, is a pretty vulnerable thing. When I walked into the room for the first time and saw the pillars and the stained-glass windows, I knew it was going to be perfect for the song.”
While Bratt’s adventure overseas has been put on hold amid COVID-19, he still hopes to head to New York City soon for a three month artist residency and to play a run of intimate shows while over in the US.
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If ‘Spades’ is anything to go by, the future is filled with beautiful music and story-telling for one Jack Bratt, and the folks over in New York will be very lucky to have him.
