A haunting yet hopeful exploration of love, loss and growth, the stirring new single Marie Antoinette out now from Sydney singer songwriter The Nomadic offers a sweeping glance into the artist’s upcoming sophomore album, with New Horizons imminently beckoning for release on December 14.
Helmed by singer-songwriter Rob Gaylard, The Nomadic sweeps in today with a glimmering and oscillating bundle of melancholy and optimism, with Marie Antoinette stylistically nodding to the likes of early Coldplay, Radiohead, Phosphorescent, The War On Drugs, The 1975 and The National, while also fostering The Nomadic’s introspective and immersive unique flair.
Ahead of the album release, we sat down for a quick Q + A
Hi, thanks for taking the time to chat with Hear 2 Zen, what have you been up to today?
Enjoying a beautiful Sydney day and celebrating the release of new single Marie Antoinette!
Tell us about yourself, how long have you been performing/creating music for?
I grew up as a bit of a nomad in Australia, Burma, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and the UK. I lived and worked with the United Nations, national governments, and NGOs in Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Israel/ Palestine.
I have played guitar and written songs since high school and used my international experience/ exposure to draw inspiration for my songwriting. I would say my experiences in Sudan, Afghanistan and the Middle East were particularly inspiring in terms of songwriting themes.
I then moved to New York in 2012 and started the Nomadic in 2014/15. Our first album “My Mind is Racing” was released in January 2022. I then moved back to Australia in February 2022 and teamed up with producer Dan Frizza to record “New Horizons” between September and December 2022.
The Nomadic is now the best of Aussie rock talent, with Miles Thomas (Lior, Ronan Keating, Montaigne) on drums, Oliver Thorpe (The Whitlams, Matt Corby, Meg Mac) on guitar, and Brendan Clark (Meg Mac, Montaigne, Jack River) on bass. Dan Frizza as producer lends the kind of magic touch that has seen him enrich the work of the likes of Tones & I, King Princess, and Gurrumul.
Who are your greatest inspirations? Why?
I have always loved Britpop! Oasis, Radiohead, Blur, etc.. early Coldplay, the 1975, London Grammar, and Americana rock bands like The National, Phosphorescent, Bruce Springsteen, the War on Drugs. Basically any acts with good tunes and introspective/ thought provoking lyrics!
How do you create music? Are you lyrics/story driven, or does the music/melody come first? Explain your process.
My best songs are where it all comes together at once! So I am messing around on the guitar or piano, and a mood takes hold and the lyrics follow! Sometimes I will pre-write lyrics and fit them to a melody. Occasionally I will ‘stitch’ multiple songs together which is how “Revolution” was written and conceived.
What has been your greatest challenge so far in performing/creating music?
Overcoming the negative inner voice and ignoring the societal naysayers who say it cannot (or should not) be done!
Tell us about your new release, how did it come about?
Marie Antoinette is about being in a relationship with someone where things are so close to working but it’s not quite there…You both have work to do on yourselves, you both have hidden trauma, there’s a revolution coming for both of you! You just don’t know it yet! But over time you will come to see the silver lining in the current (painful!) cloud and realise that you grew from pain, suffering, hardship and crisis. The song is not about anyone in particular, just really inspired by the stage of life I was at and the observations of the world around me and the struggles friends and family were going through!
What advice do you have to artists who are just starting out?
Work out your ‘why’! Everything flows from there! Work on 3-5 things every day to take you to your goals; take ‘small bites of the elephant!’ surround yourself with supportive people who will challenge you; enjoy the journey; keep working on your craft….only you get to define ‘success’; never give up!
It is important to learn the business side of music in addition to creative! But make sure you keep having fun during the whole process!
Tell us your favourite Zen practice.
Mindfulness, meditation and box breathing!
