BABITHA SIGNS TO SPUNK RECORDS + ANNOUNCES DEBUT EP
+ NEW SINGLE 'THE CLOWN' OUT NOW, PERFORMING AT MARY'S UNDERGROUND MARCH 12
Photo by Jordan Kirk
“Country lilted with howling pedal steel
and a voice that invokes some of the greatest songstresses of our time,
Babitha has arrived everybody. This is the 2020 zeitgeist."
Katherine Devaney (ABC Country)
"Hanging on every moment from Babitha on this track.
Plenty of conviction coming through with this wilting daydreamer."
Dave Ruby Howe (triple j Unearthed)
"So Fleetwood Mac it could be on a skateboard"
The Underground Stage
Today Australian singer-songwriter Babitha, the solo project of Gadigal/Sydney creative Imogen Grist, is proud to announce her signing to Spunk Records. To celebrate, Babitha has released new single 'The Clown' with the news of her debut EP due for release on February 26. Listen to 'The Clown' HERE.
Bursting with enthusiasm, Babitha shares "I’m very excited to be part of the Spunk family and teaming up with Aaron to release the first Babitha EP. After a disappointing year of cancelled shows, it’s been tricky as a new artist trying to find my feet, so getting signed after just one single release feels incredibly validating and encouraging. I’m stoked to be joining a catalogue of artists I truly admire, and can’t wait to see how the year unfolds."
Aaron Curnow, head of Spunk Records, too says "I heard 'Get Away' on local radio and was taken by it’s breezy feel. I excitingly asked Imogen to listen to the EP and was impressed by how well written the songs were! I instantly thought of anyone from Emmy Lou Harris to Mazzy Star and even the Laurel Canyon folk music. I was hooked!"
'The Clown' is a languid shift from the shadowy harmonies of her debut 'Get Away', which received widespread national and community radio playlisting on ABC Country, FBi Radio and 2SER, in addition to airplay on Double J and more. On 'The Clown', Grist’s vocals take centre stage, complementing a gentle riff and soft skiffle instrumentals from the Babitha band, with fleeting Whitney-esque backing vocals.
"I wrote this song after a friend of mine was partying too hard and I was getting a bit concerned," she shares. "It’s about the pressure you feel to perform and put on a show - when you’re heading down a path that feels inauthentic or contrived. I wanted this song to be a tender reminder that it’s ok to slow down and think about who you really want to be." Following a string of sold out performances across Sydney, Babitha will be launching her debut EP at Mary’s Underground on Friday March 12. Tickets available HERE.
Babitha (pronounced 'Tabitha' with a 'B'), is the first musical project of Imogen Grist, a modern day Jolene inspired by the mythology of the 'other woman'. Both reflective of music’s golden years yet critically of our time, Grist drapes self-reflection in heartache through a folk-country ballad hybrid of rich harmonies and soaring melodies, reminiscent of contemporaries Julia Jacklin, Big Thief, boygenius and more. Babitha is equal parts vulnerable and evocative, commanding and detached.
'The Clown' is out now via Spunk Records, buy/stream it here.
BABITHA EP LAUNCH
Fri 12 Mar - Mary's Underground, Sydney
Tickets available here.