Recorded between Melbourne's lockdowns, Into the Great Unknown is the first 100% independent body of work from Pierce Brothers.
Go on a journey across the Australian countryside with the captivating folk tunes of Into The Great Unknown – the latest offering from Melbourne duo Pierce Brothers.
Showcasing their unique brand of folk music, Pierce Brothers show they have come a long way from busking on the streets of Melbourne by creating a rich and full album that takes listeners across the desert and into the ocean.
Comprising of twin brothers Jack and Pat Pierce, the multi-instrumentalists have been playing to sell-out crowds across UK, Europe, Canada and the USA, along with their native Australia.
Having released a 2017 EP ‘The Records Were Ours’, which came in at number nine on the ARIA chart, and a full-length album ATLAS SHOULDERS which was recorded over a week in Byron Bay in 2018, Pierce Brothers have already formed a strong fan base, with credit to their irresistible energy and world-class live show.
The brothers also embarked on a huge North American tour in support of Tash Sultana, followed by their first North America/Canada headline tour.
The latest album looks to follow suit with its delicious flavours of folk, alternative country and blues. Recorded at Jan Skubizeski’s Red Moon Studios in Gisborne from April to June 2020, between the two Victorian lockdowns, Jack and Pat spent most days recording in the studio and most evenings on-site in the guest cottage working on new material.
Opening with the uplifting rhythms of ‘White Caps’, the album grabs listeners attention straight up before easing back into the lazy folk melody of ‘Dentist’.
Hope you have a box of tissues handy for all that so-called dust that will get in your eyes after listening to the emotional, fingerpicking anthem called ‘Brother’.
Prepare for a change of pace with the toe-tapping, banjo strumming, hillbilly pop fest of ‘It’s Alright’ while track five ‘La Montagne’ is definitely a top pick for your next road trip with its uplifting melody and reflective lyrics.
The piano is a highlight in the slow and emotional ‘Lights of London’, while the violin takes centre stage in the beautiful ‘Reflecteur’. The strings and horns arrangements, put together by Ross Iwrin (The Cat Empire, Angus and Julia Stone, Passenger) lift the album to a new level, with Pat noting, “The string arrangements realised a whole avenue that we’d always wanted to explore, inspired a lot by Gang Of Youths’ brilliant 2017 album Go Farther In Lightness, and expanded the depth of the album in ways that we’d never tried.”
One of my favourites of the album is a track called ‘Trouble’, a raw yet rich cowboy tribute along with the track ‘Petty’, which features alternative country elements and influences of Paul Kelly shining through.
The album is beautifully concluded with the catchy track ‘One’ – a song about acceptance after a long search for peace.
Full of flavour and personality, Pierce Brothers know how to create an album to remember.
Check it out on Spotify.
