'Everything Is Green' goes to the heart of Matthew Gravolin, aka Agnes Manners uncaged songwriting ability.
Matthew Gravolin is no stranger to the Australian music scene. As the former founder and ex-guitarist of punk rock piece, Hellions, and ARIA-Award nominated artist, Gravolin made his musical chops known in a major way. It was, however, when he formed Agnes Manners that Gravolin became celebrated for his emotive songwriting and introspective lyricism.
Across two albums, the 2020 Fantasia Famish and last year’s Peace and Why I Didn’t Think I Deserved It or Really Needed It Anyway, Agnes Manners marked their stay, with Gravolin exposing his strength through his vulnerability from the get-go. Fantasia Famish centred around his father’s passing, breaking through the binds of grief. It’s a subject he returned to in 2021 on ‘One as Beautiful As You’ addressing the theme of suicide through his experience losing a close friend. Now, fully embracing the act as a solo endeavour, Agnes Manners returns with a rebirth, sharing vulnerable moments in a different format.
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Having parted from his band mates under the Agnes Manners membership due to personal commitments, Gravolin was met with a a conundrum – to start anew or to continue to fill the Agnes Manners mantelpiece – ultimately opting for the latter for good reason.
“My good friend Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive was a big help with deciding whether to keep the Agnes Manners name or start fresh. The project initially started with me and we have such a loyal and dedicated following – it felt like it would be a disservice to start again,” Gravolin explains.
The new tide sweeps in in the form of a new single. Titled ‘Everything Is Green’, unintentionally symbolic of the fresh start and Agnes Manner renewal, the single premieres today Friday 27 September.
“I’m soaring – it feels like a birth,” says Gravolin.
It’s both a fresh start and a full-circle moment for the songwriter, drawing parallels to his first album under Agnes Manners which was littered with symbols of new beginnings in the form of opener track ‘Evergreen’, ‘Lime Light’ and the woodsy world of ‘Forest Swing’.
“I didn’t realise it but one of Agnes Manners first single that I put out was called ‘Evergreen’ – it was a record that I had written and released after my father had passed in 2020. It feels like a full-circle moment now that I’m working solo the first single I’ve put out is titled ‘Everything Is Green’. It does all feel like a fresh beginning in every sense.”
Playing into his well-oiled lyricism, the single speaks to the period of roses and daisies, the birds singing and the rose-coloured glasses phase of a new relationship. ‘Everything Is Green’ is unashamed as it captures the overwhelming feelings of falling in love.
“‘Everything Is Green’ is very much a lovesong when you’re in that sugary honeymoon stage and have a dance in your step,” explains Gravolin. “It’s new territory for me to write about but I’m really proud of the outcome. I’m in my thirties now and I feel free in knowing who I am and being about to embrace all of the sides of me.”
It’s something that is reflected in the accompanying music video. The video sees Gravolin move between smoking and drink red wine in a bathroom to fronting a microphone to dancing – a word and activity not generally within Gravolin’s stratosphere.
“I wanted to embrace my femininity with the dance. I’m not at all comfortable with dancing so it was a challenge. I ended up putting the track on in my living room and just made my body moved to it. That’s ultimately what ended up in the making it into the video.”
The single signals a new chapter in Gravolin’s musical journey as he leans into his indie-punk, pop and R&B influences, a sign for things to come from Anges Manners forthcoming EP The Thrush of G-d. The upcoming EP, expertly mixed and mastered by Shane Edwards (known for his work with Trophy Eyes, Hellions, and You Me at Six) will be on its way by the end of 2024.
Jump in to give ‘Everything Is Green’ by Agnes Manners a listen. You can stream it here.
