Sydney's Hevenshe delivers fuzzy, sensual alt-rock pop belter in 'Floor Bed'

Sydney’s Hevenshe has dropped a healthy dose of gritty, sensual grungy alt-rock/pop on her brand new single, ‘Floor Bed’. The solo project of the formidably talented Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive, Hevenshe breaks orbit, blazing into uncharted territory with revealing lyricism, and leaning in in heavy on the nostalgic instrumentation and explosive production.

‘Floor Bed’ celebrates queer joy and the chaos of coming out—an adrenaline rush felt by both the listener and, unmistakably, the artist herself. Depicting a connection so thrilling, so intoxicating, and yet all at once so simple, the song sees Hevenshe capture a sense of wonder; ‘It’s never been this easy, how?’.

On the process of writing this track, which sees her plunging head-first into an electrifying new chapter of art, life and love, she said:

“‘Floor Bed’ is an authentic recount of a ‘regular Sunday’. I wrote it in real time as the story of the lyrics unfolds: from sleeping in, to debating an outfit and driving to a lover’s house. By the time I arrived (as the song goes on to detail), half the track was already written and played to her on a mattress on the living room floor.” HEVENSHE

‘Floor Bed’ is dripping in early-00s post-grunge attitude — thick, gritty guitars and layers of drone notes packed in tight, leaving space for her vocals to rise and absolutely soar. There’s cheeky DJ scratching buried deep in the mix (blink and you’ll miss it), and the classic soft verse / loud chorus / post-chorus hook combo hits like a freight train. It’s a perfect storm of high-contrast textures and huge alt-rock moments. Floor Bed smashes you with fuzzy force, then melts into sensual abandonl — all while being catchy as hell. An absolute belter from Hevenshe.

With nods to Alanis Morissette, Weezer, Linkin Park, Soundgarden, and the genre of early 2000s coming-of-age soundtracks, Hevenshe draws from various pools of inspiration in the sonic qualities of ‘Floor Bed’.

Unfiltered in its sense of raw, yearning lyricism. Brimming with gritty guitar fuzz and distorted drums. Anthemic in its production and flawlessly curated layering. The end result is dark, saturated, and undeniably sexy. One for fans of Ecca Vandal, WAAX and Yours Truly, ‘Floor Bed’ emerges victorious in its objective to “thrash the listener with sensuality.”

Working on the track with an all-star lineup including one Ben Stewart of Slowly Slowly, as well Ben Siva AKA jnr., with the former lending his knack for arrangements, and the latter jumping in for further production and mixing. Hevenshe was quick to dive into production for the track, keen to ride the infectious wave of creative momentum. She detailed:

“I was so excited about the song, I knew it needed to be recorded ASAP so I could start playing it live at upcoming shows. I made a rough demo and sent it to Ben Stewart (Slowly Slowly) who helped me arrange the sections and make stems for my live show remotely. We developed the guitar parts and spoken backing vocals to reflect the necessary tension in the lyrics. I realised quickly that the decisions around songwriting and vocal delivery in particular, were led by leaning into what felt shocking and taboo. When I heard the track ‘Angel Things’ by local artist Rageflower, I booked in with her producer Ben Siwa straight away. We had so much fun collaborating on the production with loads of creative sounds like DJ scratches, rings jingling and genuine police-car sirens. From start to finish, the song was such a joy to create, ideas and energy were abundant.” HEVENSHE

With the genesis of the Hevenshe project only having occurred in 2022, powerhouse Jenna McDougall has quickly reiterated her standing as a beloved artist and performer, and as one of the most profound singer-songwriters that Australia has ever produced. With her cathartic and empowering tunes already having drawn in well over half a million streams, 50K monthly listeners on Spotify, and over 275K followers across her socials, the love emitted from Hevenshe’s audiences runs as deep as it does wide.

Set to welcome her new single ‘Floor Bed’ with a launch show in Sydney later this month, Hevenshe will be joined by a diverse array of friends across a variety of disciplines, including music, line dancing, pole dancing and burlesque comedy!

‘Floor Bed’ is out now on all streaming platforms.