TULLIAH’S DEBUT EP FRE$H HUGS OUT TODAY + HEADLINE TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED
Photo Credit: Simon Eeles
“Whimsical, otherworldly and devilishly creative”
- FAULT
“Dreamy rising star"
- tmrw
“She moulds together a hazy, laid-back production with swaying vocals that really pull you in and don't let you go until the song's final chords; the time in between being a lesson on Tulliah and the stories and experiences that fuel her work.”
- PILERATS
“Really Quite Lovely”
- DORK
Singer, songwriter Tulliah has today revealed her stunning debut body of work, Fre$h Hugs - a six track EP packed to the brim with vastly mature musicality and breathtakingly emotional songwriting that catapult Tulliah far beyond her 19 years. In celebration, Tulliah will perform headline shows at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory - Gallery Bar on Saturday 8 May and the Workers Club in Melbourne on Friday 14 May. Pre-sale tickets are from 8am AEDT Friday 12 March with code ‘freshhugs’ - Sydney tickets here, Melbourne tickets here.
Following her debut single ‘Company’ from 2019, which earned her a spot as a finalist in the triple j Unearthed High competition that year, Tulliah unveiled ‘Just My Type (A Little Bit Lonely)’ in late 2020 - the single saw her land a spot in The Independent’s (UK) Ones To Watch list for 2021. Tulliah went on to announce and sell out, within hours, her first headline, hometown show at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel with just two tracks to her name. Tulliah held a watery-eyed crowd tenderly in her arms for the full set.
Arriving in February this year, ‘Distant Dreams’ was the second taste from Fre$h Hugs; a song written as a reminder not to break away from personal dreams and visions for the future. The single saw Tulliah feature with coveted overseas titles including Wonderland and tmrw Magazine with the latter naming Tulliah a “dreamy rising star”.
The video for ‘Distant Dreams’ premiered on FAULT Magazine who declared it to be, “Whimsicle, otherworldly and devilishly creative”. Filmed in Tulliah’s hometown, Mt Martha Beach, Australia and directed by Cass Dennis, Tulliah explains, “30 degrees, snow gear on the beach, fish man = very weird dream! I had this idea for a while that the video clip for ‘Distant Dreams’ would be really weird and dream-like. When I was in the studio we went on a tangent about being in winter clothes while sunbathing on the beach, flying on planes to Hawaiian beaches and little fishes eating big sharks.”
Tulliah - 'Distant Dreams' (Official Video)
Two further official songs - ‘Okay’ and ‘Take It Off Now Boy’ - join the aforementioned singles on the EP. ‘Focus track ‘Okay’ is the EP’s most intimate and personal moment, which still brings Tulliah to near-tears even months following its writing. “It’s about letting [a friend] know that I’m there for them, and that I’m there to listen in a time of need,” Tulliah explains. “It’s about just letting your friends know you’re there.” Those lucky enough to snap up tickets to her Corner Hotel show can vouch, when the young artist teared up, turning the crowd into a beautiful, watery mess.
Moody and scathing, ‘Take It Off Now Boy’ was co written with Gio Stonne and is scandalously about a mutual friend being cheated on while in a coma. Tulliah explains how the song came together. “After hearing what had happened to our friend, Gio and I wrote the song in about 20 minutes. It’s about being helpless in this situation. Although our friend was hurting, it’s hard to get over someone that you loved.”
In addition, the EP features two interlude tracks which add a tapestry of depth and imagery to the body of work. ‘Teenager’ is a prelude to ‘Just My Type (A Little Bit Lonely)’. It includes a BBC audio sample from an interview called ‘It’s The Age of the Teenager’ featuring Lady Lewisham during an interview about what she thinks of young people. On ‘Hey My Friend’, a prelude to ‘Okay’, we hear an emotional Tulliah set the scene for the subject matter of ‘Okay’ - it is raw, unedited and deeply emotive.
There’s a lot to take in on Fre$h Hugs. The EP simultaneously captures Tulliah’s pure brilliance in pop music, alongside the heartfelt stories and emotions that give them their soothing edge; balancing both intimacy and richness through swirling and incredibly powerful pop music. Dean Tuza (Stella Donnelly, The Rubens) sat in the production hot seat across the entirety of the EP, working closely with Tulliah to finesse each track. In addition, Grammy-winning producer David Kahne (Lana Del Ray, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks) produced string arrangements that feature on the EP.
Recorded throughout mid-2020 while her Victorian hometown came out of lockdown (and then back in again), the EP offers relatable glimpses at a teenage musician coming of age, reflecting on mental health and relationships, with a warmth and comfort that feels like a hug from a close friend (hence the EP title). With influences nodding towards Whitney and Aldous Harding, Fre$h Hugs is a reflection of a maturing adult and the music that’s helped soundtrack her most pivotal moments; the end result being music with that certain something special that makes you feel like it's going to be a soundtrack for other people in itself.
Allow yourself to be embraced by Fre$h Hugs and don’t miss Tulliah live in concert this May in Sydney and Melbourne.
TULLIAH TOUR DATES
Pre-sale tickets on sale now with code freshhugs
Saturday 8 May | Oxford Art Factory - Gallery Bar, Sydney NSW | Tickets
Friday 14 May | Workers Club, Melbourne VIC | Tickets