Ethereal harmonies and synchronicity with an alluring vulnerability define the dreamy Australian indie/folk duo Born in October.
City boy Matt Thomson (vocals, guitar) and country girl Rachel Webster (vocals, guitar, ukulele), have paired up to release their debut EP 'Running in Bare Feet'. 'Free of Heart', the first song off the EP, has just been announced as a semi-finalist in the prestigious ISC (International Songwriting Competition) in the Folk/Singer-songwriter category.
The duo have turned the challenges of living 5 hours apart into an advantage, fusing their country hick and city hip, by playing gigs and festivals in both of these worlds.
Track one of the EP, 'Free of Heart' describes the young child demanding answers of life. Whilst the song reflects a recurrent theme found on the EP, nostalgia for the innocence of youth, the voice of the child is very literal with the lyrics in the 3rd verse coming directly from a song written by a lonely 10-year-old Rachel. "And in the call and response of the chorus, the adult Rachel and Matt alternately challenge each other to keep alive the essence, struggles and dreams of their inner child: “Are you still a child? I don’t know what you mean? Are you still a child? I still have my dreams”.
Stringed instruments play a key role in this song, giving it a hillbilly mountain folk sound. The brush of leaves is captured by airy violin, whilst the roots of the song are grounded by the age-old banjo. Matt’s skills on guitar can be heard throughout, accompanied by the cheery and childlike ukulele played by Rachel.
ARIA nominated producer Mark Myers is to be given credit for his ability to capture the rawness of this song whilst keeping a clean sound.
Links to Born In October
Website: https://www.borninoctoberband.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/borninoctoberband/