Central Coast’s Joel Leggett brings a stunning new single in ‘Cup of Tea’, a dark and biting indie folk track written for a close friend facing an earth-shattering end to a long-term relationship.

The track become a quick outpour of grief and heart-wrenching sympathy from Leggett.

‘Cup of Tea’ is gorgeous, intense, and stormy modern indie folk from Joel Leggett. The beauty of the track lies in its bit by bit building of the instrumentation, like steeping a brew; the soft strum of acoustic guitar, and empathic vocal and lyrical delivery from Joel that teeters on the edge of breaking down, to the banjo, haunting background harmonies, and steady bass plod, heading to a climactic gush of emotion. It’s a bittersweet, yet comforting modern folk gem that becomes a gut-punch to the feels.

“The song came to me when I was on tour going through the Gold Coast and the words ‘nothing better than a warm cup of tea’ popped into my head. I instantly had to pull in somewhere and get my guitar out and start writing. The song came to me very naturally from there. I tried to put myself in my friend’s shoes to feel his pain. It only took me about half an hour to write from start to finish, and I think that's about as long as I wanted to spend in his shoes.” JOEL LEGGETT

‘Cup of Tea’ boasts mixing credits from Jack Nigro (DMA’s, Skegss, Middle Kids, Pacific Avenue) alongside the mastering talents of Millenium Mastering (Flume, Rufus Du Sol, Lime Cordiale). Recorded alongside close friend and fellow artist Will Hearn while visiting him in Byron Bay, the track was something of an accidental achievement, as far as a studio project goes:

“We sat in his home studio and I showed him the song. As we started jamming together, Will set up a microphone and we tracked the guitar. All of a sudden, after doing some vocals and percussion the song started taking shape. I realised that maybe we’d accidentally recorded a song. I think we captured a certain magic in that because there was no pressure, and I wanted to keep the song that way.” JOEL LEGGETT

A gentle and quietly haunting tune that builds up to a huge, belting climax, ‘Cup of Tea’ is defined by what Leggett describes as “a sombre, oceanic feel” and “dark, misty ocean vibes.” Leggett’s vocals push in and out in waves, accompanied by stunning background harmonies and folk instrumentals. What starts slow and simmering climbs its way into a fiery finale where Leggett’s vocal talents and songwriting skills walk hand in hand to close out a track that is bound to linger in the mind and heart alike.

“The song is a comfort for anyone going through a similar situation. I try not to be too deep and keep my songs lighthearted and fun, but sometimes you need to tap into that dark pot of tea.” JOEL LEGGETT

The single arrives alongside a gorgeous and haunting music video, featuring Joel himself wandering around rocky cliff faces and vast pastures. So perfectly mirroring the feeling of loss present in the track itself – both in a sense of grief, as well as an actual, physical sense of feeling lost – this music video is a creative and thematic journey that ties in beautifully with the single for which it was made.

Leggett is set to hit the road with his full band in celebration of the release of ‘Cup of Tea’. He will be travelling to Newcastle, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne, on top of a hometown show on the Central Coast. Ticket holders can expect to see all of Joel's most well-known songs as well as a first hand taste of the new direction Joel and the band will be taking.

Joel is just over halfway through his ‘Cup of Tea’ tour, with remaining dates on the Central Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Melbourne left.

‘Cup of Tea’ is out now on all streaming platforms.