Pierce Brothers captivate with uplifting new single and video, 'In The Water', and announce national tour.
Photo credit: Dara Munnis
Melbourne indie-folk legends, Pierce Brothers have unveiled their latest single (and video), ‘In The Water’; a soulful, uplifting track that highlights the duo’s unique sound.
Following on from the success of previous single, ‘High & Unsteady’, which was co-written and produced by Tash Sultana, ‘In The Water’ is another of several tracks that Pierce Brothers have recorded in collaboration with multiple talented Australian artists including Garrett Kato, Steph Strings, and the aforementioned Tash Sultana.
The fun thing with how Jack and Pat Pierce approach their latest works, is that if you are fan of the duo, and have seen them live, you know of the intensity of their performance, and they are able to convey this to recorded works, with some extra bonuses. At their core, Pierce Brothers are vocals, guitar and simplified percussion, but drink in a track like ‘In The Water’ and all the extra layers start to ripple out. From the extra bottom end, and effects-laden vocal harmonies, to the layered extra guitars (with the distorted single chords just bubbling under the surface bringing to mind Dire Straits’ ‘Brothers in Arms’ if you listen closely). Honestly, the Pierce Brothers could carry off this song in its more raw state, but the extra production on ‘In The Water’ just hits that little bit harder, for a more emotive and fulfilling listen.
The song writing process for In The Water was an exciting and collaborative effort, with friend and keys player Dara Munnis adding his unique perspective to the mix. "As a major third wheel in the twin brother dynamic, we found pretty quickly that my main role was actually that of a casting vote between Pat and Jack," said Dara. "Whenever there were different options on the table for the direction the song was taken, I have 100% let this newfound power go to my head.”
The result is an emotionally resonant song that blends beautiful melodies with relatable lyrics, depicting the challenge of acknowledging and overcoming difficult emotion, the great search we all have for finding peace. The resounding theme of freedom is repeated throughout the song, inspiring hope and leaving us feeling like a better life is just around the corner. "We've had the idea knocking about for a couple of years, not knowing what to do with it," said Pat. "We all got together in Jack's studio, and we began feeling it out again and adding little layers of rhythm and ideas here and there. From there, it just began to build up."
The touching accompanying music video was once again directed in-house, with one of the brothers Patrick Pierce directing alongside co-writer of the track Dara Munnis. “I have wanted to shoot at these locations for a while, and I saw the work of Alicia Brown which got me thinking about using those designs and ideas in a music video about a child’s imaginary friend. Once that was in my head, I just began thinking of all the beautiful locations in Victoria and just wanted to get on the road to start filming them. I reached out to Maryanne Lea to help with the costuming and she took the idea and really ran with it!” Says Pat. Unfortunately, due to lockdowns in 2020, the filming of the performance aspect of the clip became impossible. “ We had to shelve the project until a new project that fit the song came along. Since then Dara has become a keys player in the band and this was our first song we wrote together. It just made sense that we release this music video we’d worked on for so long together”
To celebrate their new single, Pierce Brothers will be going on tour with a bunch of headline shows across Australia. Jack Pierce explains, ‘It’s been such a long time since we’ve played headline metro shows, so I’m just really excited to get back out there and play to some of our most excellent hometown fans. Melbourne is where we honed our craft and where our oldest fans are from, so we’re just really excited to see them all again’.
Pierce Brothers are known for their high energy live performance and their ability to create authentic, heartfelt music that speaks to the soul. In The Water is a testament to their musical prowess and their dedication to their craft. With their toes firmly in the sand, writing and recording music and touring Australia relentlessly, Pierce Brothers are poised to take the indie-folk world by storm.
‘In The Water’ is out now on all streaming platforms.
