March

On Friday 4th March, Part Time Records and Remote Control will release EWAH & The Vision of Paradise’s second album The Warning Birds. The Warning Birds was recorded towards the end of 2018 at Head Gap Studio in Melbourne, Victoria with Finn Keane, who co-produced the album with bandleader and vocalist, Emma Waters (EWAH). The Warning Birdsis an exploration in the meaning of paradise that, across its twelve tracks, manages to feel both grim and uplifting in equal measure; something of a treatise on a world in crisis, the album searches for paradise, starting from a hellish post-apocalyptic world. The lead single ‘Hole in the Sky’ is released today.

Hailing from Lutruwita/Tasmania, EWAH & The Vision of Paradise’s moody sound has been described as “epic post punk with a scope as wide as the Australian skyline.”

Brought together through the recommendation of late friend and label mate Mike Noga, the enigmatic act immediately sparked interest from Part Time Records upon viewing their striking video for single, ‘Vanishing Point’. “Right from the start we could tell that the band had a clearly defined vision about what and who they are” states Part Time Records’ Emma Coyle. “Having seen and loved their visceral live performance a few years ago, what sealed the deal for us was witnessing the high calibre of their creative output and getting swept up in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi narrative of their album”

Written and conceived over a protracted period that saw the band deal with the grief of losing loved ones, as well the joys of welcoming new family members, The Warning Birdsis the result of the band’s unwavering dedication to their vision – a labour of love, that bandleader and lyricist, Emma Waters (EWAH) describes as “An exploration of the meaning of paradise. Investigating paradise, purgatory and hell on earth through the prism of environmental disruption.”

EWAH on The Warning Birds – “We’ve been sitting on this album for a long time now. Working hard at it alone. Chipping away. Coming up against many obstacles and challenges. Deaths, births, empires crumbling, you name it. At the beginning, I laughed at the idea of the difficult second album. Well, it’s five years since we released ‘Everything Fades to Blue’”. EWAH continues “This one should’ve been released 2-3 years ago, but stuff kept happening to slow it down. Somewhere along the way ‘The Warning Birds’ became my albatross. There’s a point where finally you get to release this creature, beast, baby, call it what you will, out into the wild wide world and see what happens. Well, thank fuck that time has finally arrived.”

Opening the album with the brilliant ‘Dusk’, one of three instrumentals (Dusk, Noon and Dawn) that form the arc of the album, it’s immediately obvious why the band is so proud to be finally introducing The Warning Birds to the world.

Lead single, ‘Hole in the Sky’ acts as the centrepiece of the album, a cinematically tense exploration of the band’s home state of Lutruwita/Tasmania; the perils of its geographical isolation and perceived idyllic reputation. “Tasmania is often seen as a pristine wilderness; however, it has a potted history of environmental crisis and degradation. Think Franklin River, Lake Pedder, mining, deforestation and salmon farming. It is a place of brutal beauty, harsh weather and moments of political and community divide.”

The video for ‘Hole in the Sky’sess the enigmatic band performing live, expertly capturing then in their most captivating form. Like the video for previous single ‘Arcadia – Light Room Version’ it’s a collaboration between EWAH and director Ursula Woods, that this time brings together a team of local videographers and lighting talents from Moonah Arts Centre which is located on muwinina country in outskirts of nipaluna/Hobart suburbia. Drawing inspiration from 60s French pop and girl band videos like that of The Ronettes, the band’s strong live performance is perfectly accentuated by the deep inky blacks and stark noir lighting.

EWAH & The Vision of Paradise’s debut release, Everything Fades to Blue, was a eulogy to victims of violent crime against women, and captured attention nationally overseas including Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service on BBC Radio 6 (UK), Henry Rollins on KCRW (USA) and back in Australia, was Album of the Week at Edge Radio and Top Ten Albums of the Week at PBS. Single ‘Walk the Night’ picked up regular rotation on Double J. In April 2017, Everything Fades to Blue made The Guardian’s top ten listing of Australia’s best underground releases and was longlisted for the Australian Music Prize (The AMP) 2017.

Pre-order 12” vinyl: https://www.parttimerecords.com/shop/ewah-vision-of-paradise-warning-birds
Pre-save The Warning Birds: https://ewahandtvop.lnk.to/TheWarningBirds

EWAH & The Vision of Paradise – The Warning Birds is out March 4 via Part Time Records / Remote Control