22 July 2022 - 0 Comments

Award-winning Aotearoa singer/songwriter, Jenny Mitchell, is thrilled to share her third studio album Tug of War via Cooking Vinyl Australia today, featuring the stellar singles Trouble Finds a Girl (2022 APRA Country Music Song of the Year), Somehow, Lucy, Snakes in the Grass, and new track, If You Were a Bird. The accompanying vinyl edition of Tug of War will arrive on October 14. Download / stream / buy HERE.

New single If You Were A Bird showcases all that is wonderful about Jenny Mitchell as an artist; its accompanying video effortlessly brings the Tug of War album cover to life. It is a captivating reflection on the song, featuring Jenny’s sisters Maegan and Nicola, who also contribute harmonies on the recording.

View HERE.

Discussing If You Were A Bird, Jenny says, “It’s a pretty straight forward little love song! It is a story of finding a new love, feeling safe and valued, and all the good things. Particularly after not feeling that way in previous relationships. Starting with just my guitar and voice, the way it was written, it grows into a warm, full song with lovely cello parts from the incredible Monique Clare. This was one of the earlier songs written for the record and it felt like the start of a new chapter. At the time I thought the whole album was going to be a continuation of this story but life had other plans! So chronologically, it made sense for this song to open the album.”

Tug of War has already received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone Magazine awarding it 4 stars, saying, “… it is her best work, worthy of every award it will inevitably collect” and Country Music Capital News stating, “… a pleasingly deep, raw and honest mix that shows her maturity as a woman and as an artist.”

Respected artist Fanny Lumsden explains, “This album gently takes a hold of you and rocks you and shakes you with equal measure. Its sophisticated, yet simple and makes you feel like everything is going to be okay. I am a huge fan of Jenny Mitchell’s work and this album truly has the graceful grit we all need right now.”

Having just completed 7 x Australian tour dates with Fanny Lumsden, Mitchell has been announced as one of the featured performers at BigSound Country, set to take place in Brisbane from September 6 - 9, 2022.

Produced by Matt Fell, Tug of War is a deep and emotional dive, for the artist and the listener. It finds Mitchell at her most raw and honest as a storyteller while creating a musical work that’s as rich and fertile as the farming country in New Zealand where she grew up. The title, Tug of War, hints at the turmoil at the heart of the songs while the musical settings draw on inspiration from old-timey country to dark folk mountain music and classic singer-songwriter albums. The music defies easy categorisation but if you admire music by genre-defying artists from Emmylou Harris to Kasey Chambers and Jason Isbell, you are going to love Tug of War.

Mitchell explains, “Tug of War is years of writing, recording, filming and collaborating. When I reflect on the process now, this collection of songs are so much more than I initially imagined they’d be so it’s fair to say I’m very excited to be announcing the news today. Matt and I have really explored my sound and I can’t wait for people to hear that.

“Like many in their early twenties, my life has been turned inside out in the past couple of years. I’ve lost people, learnt lessons and also had some of the best moments of my life along the way. So it’s fair to say this record is a bit of a mixed bag. I feel very lucky to have created it with the incredible players and producers that I did.”

The songs of Tug of War were written at a time of big life changes - graduating from the University of Otago, musical career on hold in lockdown, the break-up of a relationship, the death of Jenny’s grandfather, taking a job and leaving a job, moving from her long-time base in Dunedin for a new life in Wellington.

The making of the album wasn’t a straightforward process either, with Mitchell unable to travel, sharing demos with Fell in Australia and musicians sometimes in lockdown also making contributions from home studios.

The album concludes where Mitchell started out, in the loving arms of family, the song Love Isn’t Words to her father and grandfather Bruce, and a song that honours the life of Bruce, The Bush and The Birds*.When you hear it, with the voice of the three sisters lifted up in harmony, with Jenny’s aunty Jill acknowledging the family’s heritage in te reo Māori, you know that this is music about something deeper and more enduring than making pop hits.

*Please note The Bush and The Birds will only be available physically until vinyl release on October 14.

To celebrate the release of Tug of War, Jenny Mitchell will embark on a 8-date New Zealand tour. The tour begins on August 26 in Christchurch and sees Jenny and her band tour the Tug of War album to Nelson, Auckland, Wellington, Invercargill, Oamaru, Dunedin; finishing up in Gore, Jenny’s hometown, on October 20. Tickets are on sale now from https://jennymitchell.co.nz/tour

Jenny Mitchell – TUG OF WAR – New Zealand tour 2022

Friday August 26 - LOONS, Christchurch
Friday September 2 - The Boathouse, Nelson * Sister trio only
Friday September 9 - The Tuning Fork, Auckland
Sunday September 11 - Meow, Wellington
Friday September 16 - Rep Theatre, Invercargill
Saturday September 17 - Grainstore Gallery, Oamaru
Wednesday October 19 - Knox Church. Dunedin (Dunedin Arts Festival)
Thursday October 20 - T&C Stadium, Gore

Tickets for all shows on sale now here
Gore tickets on sale here

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