JULIA STONE REVEALS NEW SINGLE ‘UNREAL’ + VIDEO PREMIERING TONIGHT ON YOUTUBE+ ANNOUNCES INTIMATE SYDNEY SHOWS
Image Credit: Brooke Ashley Barone
“Euphoric”
- ROLLING STONE
"Aussie queen”
- INDIE SHUFFLE
"The sound plays with musical eccentricity; Stone's ethereal pop vocal threading its way around almost-jarring synths and darker pop tones.”
- TRIPLE J
“Julia Stone reinvents herself on “Break,”
- IDOLAT
‘Unreal’ is the new single from Julia Stone; her second offering for 2020 and follow up to her striking return ‘Break’. Buried beneath the darkness of ‘Unreal’ belies the song’s hidden sweetness. Beginning it’s journey as a synth-gilded tale of friendship, the sample-heavy, richly layered track also speaks to the experience of feeling alienated in a relationship. ‘Unreal’ and ‘Break’ will feature on a greater body of work to come.
Julia Stone is also thrilled to announce she will perform live across two super intimate and truly special nights at Sydney’s The Factory Theatre on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November. A refreshing and rare announcement, Julia’s intention is to bring together the music-loving community in the times of uncertainty we’re faced with. “With the upcoming concert series, I wanted to take part in the healing of hearts in these troubling and uncertain times,” she explains. “Live music will always bring people together, celebrate our humanity and nurture our bond. Music heals as much as it excites, and I want to do all I can to re-establish our connection to one another. I’m beyond excited to play these shows in my hometown.” Tickets are on sale now here.
Written for her close collaborator and producer Thomas Bartlett, Stone explains the 'Unreal's anatomy; a dichotomy between darkness and delight. “When I’m with Thomas, I feel amazing! It’s all about making sounds with him and being in the studio, and having that experience,” she explains, before swiftly shifting the focus - “The song sort of transformed; it’s also a bit about the feeling of somebody making you feel like you can never quite be real and be yourself.”
Premiering this evening at 5:30pm AEST via YouTube, ‘Unreal’ arrives with an award-worthy performance from Stone and co-star, Australian actor Damon Herriman, perhaps most notably playing Charles Manson in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, in the song’s visual adaptation. Shot on Sydney’s Coogee Beach, the official video for ‘Unreal’ depicts a heart-wrenching, futuristic, Hollywood-esque plotline of love, loss and memories. Stone is repeatedly brought back to life in clone form as her love interest fails to let go of his loss.
As creepy as it is wonderful, the video was directed by Bonnie Moir, director of internationally acclaimed short films We’re Not Here & Dear Michelle. “What appealed to me most about this project, aside from the opportunity to work with the magnetic and talented Julia, was the chance to explore the emotional territory of relationships, love, loss and grief through the lens of the sci fi genre,” Moir explains. “I leapt at the opportunity to work with Julia, Damon, producer Emily Cook and cinematographer Sam Chiplin. These creative pursuits are nothing without an amazing team." Don’t miss the 'Unreal' premiere tonight from 5:30pm AEST here.
Julia Stone emerged in July this year with a dazzling new single ‘Break’. The single marked a profound shift for the artist; a shedding of skin from her folk origins. Since its release ‘Break’ has clocked up 1.3 million streams worldwide receiving widespread Spotify support including 9 New Music Fridays globally, Broad Chords, Women of AU+NZ, We Love Indie, Listen Local and Indie Arrivals. On Apple Music ‘Break’ received love across New Music Daily, ALT CTRL, Untitled, New In Indie and Alt Pop in several territories across the world, including a global Beats of the Week by Dre playlist addition. The thrilling video has surpassed 1 million plays on YouTube following its global premiere on the platform. Elsewhere ‘Break’ has piqued global attention with Idolator stating, “Julia Stone reinvents herself on “Break,” Indie Shuffle naming Stone an “Aussie queen”, Consequence of Sound singing her praises and Billboard including ‘Unreal’ in its best songs of the week feature.
Since the release of her 2012 debut solo album, By the Horns, Stone has placed her creative energies into various artistic endeavours. She and brother Angus Stone released two of their four albums - 2014’s self-titled, Platinum-selling, ARIA # 1-debuting Angus & Julia Stone and 2017’s Gold-accredited Snow featuring their hit ‘Chateau’ which took out #3 on the triple j Hottest 100 of 2018.
Stone also curated Songs For Australia in March this year - a compilation album to aid relief following the devastating Australian bushfires - featuring Kurt Vile, Laura Mvula, The National, Paul Kelly and Stone herself. She also stars in the upcoming film adaptation of Tim Winton’s Dirt Music.
Reimagined, reborn and reinvigorated, this new era for Stone replaces dirt under foot with wet pavements and sticky dancefloors; trades blue skies for red lights and red lips. Step into Julia Stone’s brand-new world. ‘Unreal’ is out now.
JULIA STONE | TOUR DATES
Presented by WME
Tickets on sale 10:00am AEST
Friday 6 November | The Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW
Saturday 7 November | The Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW