30 January 2025 - 0 Comments

Today, Te Whanganui a Tara-based songwriter Michael Llewellyn has released Down By The Packs - the second single from his upcoming sophomore album, I’m Gorgeous.

Listen to Down By The Packs HERE

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A gentle song carried by meditative drums reminiscent of a heartbeat, Down By The Packs is both melancholic and hopeful.

“I wrote the song one evening nearly five years ago. My mother was very sick at the time, and for me the song embodies her quiet, determined tranquility. She passed away nearly two years later so I hold this song close.”

Recorded live at Roundhead studios in Tāmaki Makaurau alongside producer Paddy Hill, Michael and his band“played it over and over and over again without stopping the recording. I felt that with each rotation we were sinking down into something. Down into a swirling pool of longing and grief, the kind that draws you closer to the nature of loss and its potentiality for something new and beautiful. Like the way in which the moon sheds her shadow only to begin the climb anew.”

The beautiful juxtaposition of Down By The Packs is brought to life in an equally beautiful video, made by Kerry Pulham and Mason Rudd. Like the song, the outside world falls away in this meditative black and white video capturing Michael alone in a dark basement with a single source of light.

Known for his raw storytelling and evocative poetics, the world of the upcoming album I’m Gorgeous calls the heart into question: mining its infinite layers to confront grief, lust, greed, longing, and ultimately, hope.

‘Explorative and dreamlike, the songs wrap themselves around one another – ushering us down into the shadows whilst drawing us back, outwards and upwards in the direction of the light.’

From the opening crank of the guitar, listeners are thrust into an alternate dimension, whose mountainous and vast landscapes are painted by resounding drums, lilting keys, vertiginous guitar riffs and, of course, Llewellyn’s resonant, intimate voice.

The awaited album comes four years after the success of Llewellyn’s debut record Oh My Darling, which carried a more innocent, sun-drenched quality, dealing with themes of love lost and forgiveness. Through nationwide tours and festival slots, he has since carved out a small grassroots following.

Photo Credit: Mason Rudd

Art Credit: Isabella Smit

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