Renee Millner - EP Review: Fly Me Back
Earlier
this month, I had the pleasure of reviewing New Zealand based Australian singer-songwriter
Renée Millner’s single Not OK, and much to my delight I have been
listening to her EP Fly Me Back over and over ever since.
The five songs contained within this album all carry a gentle strength both lyrically and melodically, and the music surrounding them is truly lovely.
Not OK feels like a reassuring hug from a best friend when your world’s falling apart – telling you everything will be ok in the end.
Cambodia is my favourite track without question – it brings me to tears in the same way Annie Lennox does when she asks Why. It feels heartbreakingly sad …and yet there’s something curiously hopeful in its lyrical offering, and the organ sounds fill my heart.
So Much feels like a throwback to another time – musically maybe more than anything, but the lyric is more strident and surer of itself than in days gone by, and the message has grown on me with every listen.
"Don’t tell me what I should wear." Amen!
Out Their Window is a storytelling song that pulls at your heartstrings… and I love the way harmonies and music add to the beauty of this tale.
Fly Me Back has so much to say, and I can hear why it’s the title track of the album – verses lead into the hook beautifully, and I love how sparse the music is and how gently the guitar guides the way.
"Fly me back from the edge" is a gorgeous line that carries much melancholy and yet holds so much hope, and overall, that’s the takeaway from listening to Renée's album.
Recorded with Sam Johnson of Rhythm Ace Studios and mastered by Chris Chetland, the lyrics are thoughtfully entwined with dreamy layers of vocals, guitar and piano that add to the song’s wistfully reflective tone.
Renée says “Part of the inspiration came from focusing on what really matters - the loved ones in your life. It’s also a reminder that you never really know what others are going through, so to move through the world with awareness and kindness.”
Renée is bringing her Fly Me Back tour to various venues over the next few weeks starting this weekend – I encourage you to make every effort to get along to a show near you.
About Renee Millner
As Renee says in discussing the track’s meaning, “The point is that sometimes we feel like we’re in the grip of something dark and malignant, when really it’s us that’s doing the gripping. And if, in those moments, we can release our hold, we create room for lighter, healthier things to enter.”
The single follows on from February’s emotive Out Their Windows, a song written in 2020 themed around the need to maintain connectedness in a pandemic world of limited social contact.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Renee Millner
Other Reviews By Hannah Jane
Lee Martin - Album Review: Dreamers Dawn
17 Nov 2024 // by Hannah Jane
Christchurch-based singer-songwriter Lee Martin has released her third studio album Dreamers Dawn – a dozen original songs crafted while dealing with personal challenges Lee faced during a time of transformation. The highs and lows are evident to the listener throughout the album, which includes highly personal lyric layered in a bed of genres from Indie Folk to Americana.
Read More...
South for Winter - Album Review: Of Sea and Sky
17 Jun 2024 // by Hannah Jane
Recorded and produced in Nashville TN alongside two-time Grammy award-winner, Matt Leigh, Of Sea and Sky is a beautiful offering from folk-rock trio South For Winter. New Zealander Nick Stone, Colorado native Dani Cichon (Stone), and Michigander Alex Stradal are three multi-instrumentalists and songwriters.
Read More...
Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields - Album Review: I Remember You
24 May 2024 // by Hannah Jane
I Remember You is the recently released collaborative offering from multi award winning Americana/Folk duo Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields. Over ten delightful songs, this record weaves stories of loss and love together with a strong sense of connection to the places they call home.
Read More...
Albi & The Wolves - Album Review: Light After The Dark
15 Dec 2023 // by Hannah Jane
Light After The Dark with its baker’s dozen of tunes is an infectious album that will uplift your soul. Award-winning indie folk stars Albi & the Wolves have created something of a wandering marching band for their third studio album which has made its way onto vinyl – one tick off their hopefully ambitious bucket list!
Read More...
Gig Review: Don McGlashan @ OneOneSix, Whangarei - 8/11/2023
14 Nov 2023 // by Hannah Jane
Back at my favourite musical venue up here in Whangarei tonight… OneOneSix is a community space beautifully set up for intimate shows suited to an attentive listening audience. If you live in Northland and haven’t been here yet, come join us!
Read More...
Gig Review: Hollie Smith @ One One Six, Whangarei - 4/11/2023
05 Nov 2023 // by Hannah Jane
Hollie Smith made a low-key entrance to the stage for her solo and intimate evening of music in Whangarei last night. There was a relaxed and casual vibe to the sold-out show, and the crowd responded well to Hollie’s candid delivery.
Read More...
Sam Heselwood - Single Review: Home
27 Jun 2023 // by Hannah Jane
Home is the new single from professional rugby player turned pop star Sam Heselwood – an up and coming Otautahi star who has already hit the charts and is clearly ‘one to watch’. An authentically vulnerable song, Home is both sweet and strong, and thoughtfully produced – recorded by Terence O’Connor and mixed by Simon Gooding.
Read More...
Jessica Leigh - Single Review: Wired
26 May 2023 // by Hannah Jane
Jessica Leigh’s new single Wired is a curious mix of upbeat pop and melancholic tones through jaded lyrics; “I’m getting tired, so I’m getting wired”. The lyrics in this track are heavily repetitive in part and given space to breathe in others, whilst carried by a fast moving and ever-changing bed of 80’s inspired music.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
