It has taken five years, but Perth avant-folk darlings Simone and Girlfunkle are finally back with new music, which they will bring to the South West this month.
The six-piece released their sophomore album, Hold On, on March 24.
The record is the hotly-anticipated follow up to 2013’s critically-acclaimed Hurry, Harry.
Simone and Girlfunkle vocalist and founding member Bridget Turner explained the hiatus to the Mail and where the album title came from.
“It took a long time for new music from us for a few reasons – I was unwell and had to have surgery, which ended up taking a few years to recover, a few members moved on and we replaced a few drummers,” she said.
“We’ve been this outfit for a few years and finally found our groove.
“That’s why it’s called Hold On, we were saying to people waiting for new music, ‘hold on, it will come’, and to ourselves – ‘just hold on’.”
Hold On is spearheaded by new single and album opener Girls, a self-described war cry.
The multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist band wow fans with pitch perfect three-part female harmonies, dreamy guitars, keys, omnichord, drums, bass, and a smattering of lush instrumentation.
The album was recorded and mixed at Blackbird Studios by Dave Parkin and mastered by ARIA award-winning engineer William Bowden.
Known as a band that is as at home in the studio as they are on stage, Simone and Girlfunkle’s reputation has seen them perform at St Kilda Festival, Nannup Music Festival, and Fairbridge Folk Festival.
Turner said their new music was still in line with the Simone and Girlfunkle spirit from their early days as a folk-duo and their time as a bigger band.
“The music is still very diverse,” she said.
“We haven’t got a set sound, it’s not all indie-pop, it is a bit of a beautiful mess, which sums up the last five years.”
Themes explored in the album include love and loss, something Turner said was simply a reflection of getting older.
“Everything that happens to you, your life influences and those feelings definitely comes out in your music,” she said.
Since the release last month, Turner said the new music had been received incredibly well by audiences.
“We’ve got some A Capella moments, clap harmonies, it is really bare and connects with people in a different way,” she said.
“It is pretty great to involve the crowd.
“That’s what we want and what it is all about after all.”
Simone and Girlfunkle will play the Fire Station, Busselton on April 14 from 8pm.
