21 April 2023 - 0 Comments

Perth-based New Zealand singer-songwriter Damien Binder has been releasing a string of stirring, well-received indie pop/rock singles in the lead-up to the release today of his new album Bright Side.

Since Damien's self-titled debut in the early 2000’s, the APRA Silver Scroll nominated artist has released four acclaimed solo albums, the last of which was A New World in 2016. On stage he has supported some of the world's leading international acts including David Gray, Marianne Faithfull and Ani Di Franco.

Damien's latest album continues his open-minded and heartfelt exploration of new sounds and styles within his songwriting. Two decades into his solo career he's taken his proven credentials as a consummate songwriter and married them with Matt Gio's (Katy Steele, Birds of Tokyo, Abbe May, Rudimental) acclaimed production nous. The melodies sound even sweeter, the songs more poetic and the overall sound is one that defies categorisation by way of its universality.

Damien’s heart and soul permeates his refined and elegantly economical songwriting across the ten tracks that comprise Bright Side. It's an album that addresses themes of self-discovery, re-discovery resolve and self-determination, often in the face of external opposition. There's a real sense of honesty and humanity in the things Damien sings about yet he's not preaching from the pulpit, it's more gentle advice from a life of experience and reflection.

"In the past few years, like a lot of people I've been trying to make sense of things we've had no control over. A common thread in my work seems to be an overriding optimism. I still have faith in people and the power of human connection to overcome obstacles. So personally looking on the bright side or looking for what is good tends to be something I try and do."

The blend of traditional pop-rock instrumentation and electronic textures creates a throughly contemporary sound that draws a line back through emotive rock, acoustic singer-songwriter and indie guitar sounds of both the commercial and independent kinds. Gio's production, drums, bass and keyboards adding an exciting palette of stylistic moods, rhythms and atmospheres to Damien's songs.

The five singles from the album are a great snapshot of the range and depth of the songs on Bright Side. Dig deeper and the listener will also encounter the widescreen heartland rock meets atmospheric synth approach of bands such as The War on Drugs running through the title track and the single Everything But, while Connected has a New Order meets Underground Lovers sound and There For The Taking takes a darker, more angular twist akin to the recent work by Radiohead alumni in The Smile.

"We managed to get a few different feels going rhythmically and it's made for a record where each song is quite unique from the next but it all hangs together seamlessly," explains Damien. "Matt is a drummer among other things and came up with some offbeat approaches to what might have been more traditional straight ahead guitar songs. He also created some really interesting harmonic ideas for keys & strings too. I played more electric guitar on this album and did all the harmonies rather than leave it to others."

Damien's collaborative instincts shine through on Bright Side, whether it's working with Matt Gio, bouncing video ideas off director Jonathan King or drawing on the songwriting and guitar playing of Bob Shepheard. At the heart of the album though are Damien's world class songs of melodic and optimistic modern rock.

"Over the years I’ve developed a sense of melody and harmony, and an approach to lyrics that are quite distinct and recognisable as me.”

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