‘Today, I’m Staying Home’ is a glorious, anthemic paean to cocooning from a prodigious new talent, Thomas Keating. A rippling acoustic bedrock underpins Keatings open heartfelt singing and chorus as wide and open as the Simpson Desert. This is a catchy, jaunty pop song whose lyrics are contrastingly tinged with a hint of regret and melancholia born out of internal struggle and pain.
Keating says:
(the song) is inspired by one of those mornings where you wake up…and you decide instead of leaving your bed or home to face your life and all the responsibilities that come with being an adult in this world, you just stay in. I’ve always struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety around the uncertainties and pressures of everyday life, and I guess at the time I wrote the song I was going through such a phase. I think it’s important to remember that at times it’s okay just to feel like shit – it’s okay to put your hand up and say ‘I’m not dealing with this very well. I need help’. Mental health is extremely self-alienating, and I’d like to think that we are moving past the stigma of shame that has hung around such ailments for far too long.
It is a beautiful portrait of pain that has an unique flavour of Australiana in the same way as iconic bands such as The Go-Betweens and The Triffids (my particular and regular points of reference) and more contemporary examples like The Outdoors Type and Courtney Barnett. A glorious genetic link and, indeed, a glorious song. The accompanying video clip of the band playing in the studio is simple yet expressive:
Just wonderful. The single will be available through all the usual sources from 1 February 2019.
Keating is touring the East Coast of Australia throughout January and February – full details below:
Wed January 16 – Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, Batemans Bay, NSW
Thurs January 17 – Club Sapphire, Merimbula, NSW
Wed January 30 – Narrabeen Rsl, Narrabeen, NSW
Thurs January 31 – Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle, NSW
Fri February 1 – Miranda Hotel, Miranda, NSW
Sat February 2 – Waves, Wollongong, NSW-
With Pete Murray, tickets available here.
Fri February 8 | The Newsagency, Sydney | 18+
Sat February 9 | Red Betty, Melbourne | 18+
Tickets available here.
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