Sydney Miller tackles inescapable toxic relationships on latest dark alt-pop banger, 'Chains'.

Melbourne producer, singer/songwriter and soundscape experimentalist, Sydney Miller enters 2024 in full swing with her first of many releases to come this year in ‘Chains’. The track paints the narrative of being intertwined in a toxic relationship to the point of no escape.

The new single engulfs the listener with its stimulating soundscape of confidently maximal percussive elements and hypnotic synths, enticing them to stay in Sydney’s malignantly painted world - which is further emphasised by her visceral lyrics and grounding vocal performance. All of this is complemented by the cleverly embedded texture of chains; a constant metallic thud rattling the listener into a shuddering trance.

‘Chains’ is an infectiously dark alt-pop bounce, with a cheekily sinister synth horn section, rubbery bass, and absolutely relentless dance-pop thump. In true Sydney Miller fashion, there’s tonnes of layers to peel back, particularly percussively speaking, with multiple tones and hits bouncing from left to right. All this is happening while Sydney channels her inner pop-diva to really exercise the demons of a toxic relationship. A fantastic, dark alt-pop banger that is packed full of swagger. Good luck getting this one out of your head.

Sydney dives deeper into what went into ‘Chains’.

“Chains highlights the point where I could begin to feel how restrained I was in different social situations. It’s not necessarily about one person or thing, but I think it’s an extremely relatable revelation that people often have, where they realise they’re accommodating someone else at the expense of their own happiness and wellbeing. It’s about that initial gut feeling of “how did I let this happen?” and then spiralling because a part of you is still attached and you can’t shake yourself free just yet.”

The fruition of this enigmatic production technique and intrinsically vibrant sound can be attributed to Sydney Miller’s unique creative approach, which she has retained since her very first release back in 2020.

“I always gather a collection of object recordings specific to the song I’m writing before I begin fleshing out the production. I accumulate audio samples that cover a range of textures, rhythms, harmonic/melodic qualities... to somewhat replace traditional instrumental sounds you would expect in a song - like drums, synth lines.

“After that, I’ll piece different things together until I figure out a beat or phrase I like. Then I’ll fill the gaps with synths, kick, and whatever else I feel like is missing. I’ll usually layer these with samples too though!”

Not only did 2023 see Sydney honing her already impressive songwriting and production skills to create new releases, but she also received the opportunity to travel to Bali to collaborate with an impressive array of artists from worldwide, via the International Artist Habitat - with support from the VMDO. 2024 will not only see the release of new solo work, but also collaborative releases with international artists and producers including Alien Child, Lindon Carter (Carter and the Capitals), Jeremy Parkin (Jeremy Parkin, Local Boy), Leo Sudden, and Kiwat Kennell.

“I’m really excited for 2024 to share this new wave of Sydney Miller music. Thanks to IAH and the VMDO, I had the opportunity to collaborate with incredibly talented artists from around the globe. Not only was I able to co-write and feature on tracks of genres I typically wouldn’t, but I learned so much from my collaborators. I walked away with an abundance of new skills, and a newfound confidence. This definitely shines through in Chains, despite it being a solo release.”

‘Chains’ and accompanying B-side, ‘Something New’ are both out now on all streaming platforms.