Not that long after mesmerising us with their single ‘Cool Kid‘, Joan & The Giants are back with the monstrously beautiful and stately single ‘Sleep Alone’. This single not only showcases singer Grace Newton-Wordsworth’s breathtakingly immaculate vocals but confirm the band’s ability to craft perfect portions of knee trembling pop.
The track is restrained and disciplined with a balladic pace, and yet simmers with a searing intensity that scalds. The denouement is euphoric, the delivery theatrical and posed and there won’t a dry eye in the house as it floats off into the ether. Emotions seem to bleed out of every note, and as Newton-Wordsworth describes, the recording process encapsulated the emotions:
This song was one of the most challenging songs we have ever recorded. It’s funny because I wrote it entirely on acoustic guitar, and it sounded very country. When we showed it to our producer Dylan Ollivierre, he definitely had some ideas for a different vision that was much more alt-pop produced, which was perfect for us. We recorded this song during one of the most difficult periods of my life, and I nearly gave up on it altogether, but thankfully Dylan kept checking in and encouraging us to tackle it and keep going. It’s great having a producer that has your back, and mentors you along the way. I have never thrown myself so hard into the vocals, and literally just put all my sadness and heaviness into them – it was cathartic. You’ll hear that in the screamo part at the end haha
As with ‘Cool Kid’, the band does not deal with inconsequential themes and injects every millimeter of available emotion into Newton-Wordsworth’s stunning vocals, exhibiting a range far more dramatic than the Himalayas. Newton-Wordsworth says of the song:
‘Sleep Alone’ is about feeling attached to someone that doesn’t make you feel appreciated or seen. You feel like you’re running in circles, canceling plans, waiting up for a message – all for someone who doesn’t really care. Then when they are there, it can also feel so good it’s suffocating, like it haunts the spaces you live in. The scent on the pillows, the memories that creep in the spaces around you. This song is about wanting someone so much, it’s toxic and you’d rather not sleep than sleep alone longing for someone’s touch. I love the references to the hauntings, burying secrets in a graveyard, the morgue – it all feels heavy, which is exactly what it felt like to write this song about real moments in time.
Sweeping and expansive, utterly heart achingly bold, this is another brilliant release from a very exciting band:
‘Sleep Alone’ is out now and available to stream and download here.
Coinciding with the release of ‘Sleep Alone’ and in celebration of previous single ‘Cool Kid’, Joan & The Giants will be heading out on their first ever headline tour; their debut East Coast dates as well. Starting in Newcastle on 5 July, the band then travels up and down the coast, visiting Sydney, Wollongong, Brookvale, Alexandria, Melbourne & Mornington, before heading back west, to play four shows across WA’s Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough & Perth. Details below and tickets available here.
Wed 5th July Hamilton Station Hotel Newcastle
Thurs 6th July Royal Hotel Bondi
Fri 7th July Towradgi Beach Hotel Wollongong
Sat 8th July Bucketty’s Brewery Brookvale
Sun 9th July Yulli’s Brews Alexandria
Wed 12th July The Retreat Brunswick
Fri 14th July The Espy Basement St Kilda
Sat 15th July Gods Bandroom Mornington
Sun 16th July Post Office Hotel Coburg
Fri 21st July Froth Brewery Bunbury
Sat 22nd July Hally’s Bar Busselton
Sun 23rd July Clancy’s Fish Pub Dunsborough
Sat 5th August The Bird Perth
Feature Photograph: Ashlyn Burley
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