Wollongong’s Pirra burst at the seams with grooves, good vibes and rugged sheen in their latest track, ‘Out Of My Hands’, which sees the act team up with Australian singer/songwriter, Tim Wheatley.

The new single is also an insight into Pirra’s upcoming new album, ‘Spirals’ (which releases on September 30 via BLK&WHT Records), tying in appearances at Jungle Love Festival (Queensland), Listen Out Festivals (Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane), and most importantly at Relish Festival (Bellingen) on album release day, with the act playing alongside the likes of Winston Surfshirt, Ash Grunwald, and The Black Seeds.

‘Out Of My Hands’ is brimming with slick swagger, from the Mark Ronson-ish drums and spring reverb guitars, to the bass line that bounces and bubbles over the beat, and the 70s synth purrs and growls, it all lays the bed for vocalist Jess Beck’s saccharine, flowing vocal melody, which is complemented by guest vocalist Tim Wheatley gorgeously contradicting tone that is husky, yet smooth. ‘Out Of My Hands’ takes a slight step back from the more upbeat electronica-pop stylings, and hands us a sliver of Motown-meets-lofi pop that has a stunning, sweet polish on it.

Vocalist Jess elaborates on the slight shift in tone with the new track.

“Out Of My Hands is a slower burn than our last few dancey tracks, so it’s always exciting to see what the people think. It’s always fun when it’s a collab too, and working with Tim has been a great experience. It didn’t matter that Tim was on the other side of the world in London, when we got his vocal stems sent over we just knew he was the perfect fit for this track”.

Coming to life during lockdown, Out Of My Hands was produced by Pirra’s own Curtis Agent and James McKendry, with the band recording everything on the track, except the drums and Tim’s vocals, from home. Inspired by the laidback yet bold tendencies of artists like Matt Corby and Gorillaz, it is also the soul and pop ways of New Zealand band Leisure that collectively influenced the end result of Out Of My Hands, alongside some ambiguous relationship thematics, as James explains, “Out Of My Hands came about during the first lockdown, we’d been listening to the band Leisure quite a bit and were really digging the way they write. At the time I’d set myself a goal to write songs with just a guitar and voice to try and avoid over-producing things to cover up dodgy songwriting. It’s loosely about a tense relationship, but I like keeping it vague and letting the listener fill in their own gaps”.

Named for the Luritja Nation word for “moon’ following the group forming during university, Pirra have continually turned heads with their striking and danceable indie pop. Working over the years with the likes of producer Roy Kerr, who has worked with London Grammar and AURORA, Konstantin Kersting, the producer behind the Tones & I hit Dance Monkey, Davide Rossi, who masterminded the string arrangements for Coldplay and The Verve, PNAU’s Sam Littlemore, and Greg Calbi of Tame Impala and Arcade Fire fame, Pirra have become one of Australia’s most exciting acts, with their breakout 2019 hit Under The Skyline also nabbing sync placement on Netflix’s Terrace House. With previous high-profile festival appearances at Surry Hills, Sydney Festival, Newtown Festival and Australian Music Week, Pirra’s live show is also now the stuff of legends, with the group’s impending live performances set to feature, as Jess perfectly puts it: “Irresistible beats and energetic performances delivering soaring songs that will hypnotise you into letting your hair down”.

A labour of love, ingenuity and ambition, the new album Spirals is set to catapult the Wollongong quartet further into the ears and souls of old and new fans alike, and Out Of My Hands is the perfect appetiser for more Pirra goodness still to come in 2022. And while a global pandemic and ongoing hurdles may have thrown setbacks into the mix for musicians across the globe, Pirra set their sights firmly on proactivity and positivity against the odds to conjure Spirals, as Jess concludes, “Rather than get down about all of the show cancellations due to the “C” word and then the rain, it was time to get as productive as possible. In addition to the songwriting, James and Curt put a lot of time into the production and mixing and so it makes the release even more special”.

Keep an eye out for ‘Spirals’ at the end of September, and meanwhile, stream the modern classic ‘Out Of My Hands’ now on all digital platforms.