The Nomadic delivers haunting yet hopeful single on love and loss with 'Marie Antoinette' - announces sophomore album, 'New Horizons'

Sydney’s singer-songwriter, The Nomadic, delivers a haunting yet hopeful exploration of love, loss and growth on the stirring new single, ‘Marie Antoinette’, offering a sweeping glance into the artist’s upcoming sophomore album, ‘New Horizons’ - which is due out on December 14.

Helmed by singer-songwriter Rob Gaylard, The Nomadic sweeps in today with a glimmering and oscillating bundle of melancholy and optimism, with 'Marie Antoinette' stylistically nodding to the likes of early Coldplay, Radiohead, Phosphorescent, The War On Drugs, The 1975 and The National, while also fostering The Nomadic’s introspective and immersive unique flair.

The Nomadic delivers a stirring fusion of symphonic melancholy reminiscent of Coldplay, with subtle nods to U2, all while channeling a touch of Australiana à la The Go-Betweens in their track Marie Antoinette. The song swells and pulses with a cinematic elegance, led by haunting tremoloed guitars that seamlessly morph into bowed strings—a transition so subtle you might miss it, absorbed as you are in Rob Gaylard’s compelling storytelling. Every sonic element is meticulously spaced, glimmering like light on raindrops, before coalescing two-thirds of the way into a rich, immersive tonal landscape.

“Marie Antoinette is about being in a relationship with someone where things are so close to working but it’s not quite there,” explains Gaylard. “You both have work to do on yourselves, you both have hidden trauma, there’s a revolution coming for both of you! You just don’t know it yet! But over time you will come to see the silver lining in the current (painful!) cloud and realise that you grew from pain, suffering, hardship and crisis. The song is not about anyone in particular, just really inspired by the stage of life I was at and the observations of the world around me and the struggles friends and family were going through!”

After relocating back to Sydney in 2022 following years as a regular fixture on the New York City indie rock scene, Gaylard’s original designs for his latest body of sonic work also grew alongside working with some high-profile local talent, with an army of collaborators from around the industry joining Gaylard to grow The Nomadic journey; and, to ultimately bring both ‘Marie Antoinette’ and its broader album ‘New Horizons’ to full-bodied life. “I was lucky enough to work with some of the best in the business!” shares Gaylard. “I relocated home to Sydney Australia in 2022 and recorded New Horizons with Dan Frizza in Sydney at Forbes Studios. The Nomadic is the best of Aussie rock talent, with Miles Thomas (Lior, Ronan Keating, Montaigne) on drums, Oliver Thorpe (The Whitlams, Matt Corby, Meg Mac) on guitar, and Brendan Clark (Meg Mac, Montaigne, Jack River) on bass. Dan Frizza as producer lends the kind of magic touch that has seen him enrich the work of the likes of Tones and I, King Princess, and Gurrumul.”

Mastered by Greg Calbi of Sterling Sound in New Jersey, ‘New Horizons’ builds upon the foundations set by The Nomadic’s 2022 debut album ‘My Mind is Racing’. Detailing themes of loss, change and hope amongst fluctuating moments of indie hues, classic and modern rock, wistful anthems, alt-country and more, ‘New Horizons’ feels instantly intimate and welcoming, with many of Gaylard’s own powerful experiences percolating throughout. “The main themes of the album are feelings of being stuck in life and having the feeling that there is ‘something out there better for you’, of not wanting to let go of dreams, going through big changes professionally and personally, loss of relationships, and generally life upheavals!” Gaylard reveals. “This personal theme is set against the backdrop of major global changes and events, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, climate change, social and societal changes, and revolutions in the west.”

Imbued with a passion for music and songwriting from a young age, Rob Gaylard’s road to forming The Nomadic stemmed from his own nomadic lifestyle, living in five different countries in the first 10 years of his life, including Australia, Burma, Singapore, the Soloman Islands and the UK. This nomadic theme continued into Gaylard’s adulthood, with the talented creative living and working with the United Nations, national governments and NGOs in Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Israel/Palestine. Also a massive sports fan alongside his musical pursuits, Gaylard’s adventures under The Nomadic moniker entices listeners to enter a world of boundless melodies and wanderlust-inspired styles, first witnessed in 2022 with The Nomadic’s debut album ‘My Mind is Racing’, and set to flourish further this December with the release of ‘New Horizons’. Commencing The Nomadic project in 2014 off the back of immersing himself in the vibrant energy during a stint in New York City, Gaylard ultimately returned to his Australian roots in 2022, teaming up with producer Dan Frizza to begin work in earnest on ‘New Horizons’ in 2023; and the rest is set to be history.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be releasing Marie Antoinette!” shares Gaylard. “It feels like the culmination of a long journey, from the initial conception of the songs to the development and creation of the final product in the studio, mixing and mastering! Combine that with the emotional experience of going through some rough times and coming out the other side to see some New Horizons – overall It’s been a bit of a marathon!”

‘Marie Antoinette’ is out now on all streaming platforms, while the sophomore album, ‘New Horizons’ from The Nomadic releases on December 14.