Melbourne’s Spectres & Machines makes us sing with his new punk rock bop, ‘Lost and Found’
Since debuting last year, Spectres & Machines – the moniker of Melbourne-based singer-songwriter-guitarist, independent producer and filmmaker Timothy Shaw – has made a name for himself through songs that blend a cinematic style of songwriting with immersive instrumentation and hypnotic melodies.
The songs are equal parts dynamic, easy-listening and all-encompassing, and nowhere is this better felt than on his latest single, ‘Lost and Found’, released on September 22, 2022.
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Following 2021’s releases ‘We Will Rebuild’, ‘Love Like A Supernova’ and the most recent in November’s ‘The End With You’, ‘Lost and Found’ sees Shaw reflect on human consciousness with cool, calm confidence, some swirling synthesizers, and a steady, driving punk-rock beat.
Inspired by 80s power anthems like ‘Leave A Light On’ by Belinda Carlisle and ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ by U2, ‘Lost and Found’ hits the ears with a captivating, cathartic effervescence and blend of nostalgic 80s vibes.
The song hits the ground running, set on a bed of synths that would not be out of place on a Tears for Fears record, and as soon as these synths have laid their framework, the song unexpectedly transports you 30 years into the future with big rocky hooks, a wall of guitars and catchy anthemic vocals that punch you in the face.
The chorus continues to pull the punk rock energy through with lyrics as simple as they are powerful. Shaw sings:
‘Sometimes we gotta get a little lost to find ourselves; sometimes we gotta give a little trust and ask for help; doesn’t mean the times aren’t going to be tough, they don’t last forever, all you need to know is you’re not alone, we are all in this world as one.’
These words are as real and as simple as they are relatable, which makes this an entirely powerful chorus that you can sing along with at the top of your lungs because you know you feel them too.
With a rush of radiant energy and raw verve, there’s a fire in Shaw’s belly and a charge in his vocals, shining with charming punk-rock passion and soaring with a captivating warmth and undeterred drive.
Reminiscent of the works of Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World and Sum 41, Shaw expertly returns to his roots with this release, having started his music career in the electrifying four-piece punk-rock band Our Best Laid Plans straight after high school and performing with the likes of MEST (USA), The Wonder Years (USA) The Getaway Plan, and 28 Days.
“Punk rock is in my DNA and I think that will always shine through in one form or another in anything I do. I’ve played in a lot of punk rock bands and as a teenager, I listened to a lot of punk and rap music and it was a vehicle for me to express my emotions and fight back against the system.
“For me though, punk rock isn’t just about music, it’s life, it’s about questioning things and making up your own mind rather than just accepting what you’re told.”
While the release expands on familiar punk rock territory, Shaw hones in on his skill for cinematic songwriting, candid lyrical honesty and an ability to spill visceral passion into his music, breaking new ground with his latest release. Recorded in his home studio and then woven together nearly with smooth and wildly atmospheric production from across the world in Canada,’Lost and Found’ stands as a powerful, uplifting anthem, penned in response to a post-Covid-19 pandemic and the way we as humans are all still adapting and trying our best.
“I think a lot of people are tired and burnt out but at the same time, still finding a way to make their lives amazing the best way they can out of a terrible situation, which as a songwriter is really inspiring because it’s all about being human and overcoming the odds when they are stacked up against you.
“The fundamental message in the song is that it’s okay to ask for help if you need it, and we’re all the same people on the same planet regardless of race, religion or gender so as long as we all look out for one another and show kindness and love instead of hatred or animosity then I personally think that we will advance so far forward as a society.
“We all have something to offer the world.”
Melbourne artist Spectres and Machines releases cinematic new single ‘Love Like A Supernova’
Having drawn us in with experimental flare and the atmospheric voyages filled with textured sonics and dreamy melodies of Shaw’s 2021 releases, ‘Lost and Found’ sees Shaw experiment with different sounds and ideas, signalling a natural progression of Spectre & Machines sound.
“With Spectres, since its conception, I’ve always had a grand plan of the direction that it’s headed, but I’ve been mindful of my limitation at the same time. When I first started this time last year, I knew that the production quality wasn’t going to be great, but it was at least a starting point,” Shaw explains.
“This time around, I already had a foundation with the last three singles, so I gave myself a good year and recorded a lot of different tracks until I was happy with one to be released and focused on that one for a solid week. The change in sound is definitely an organic one; if anything I feel it’s something that the previous singles would have sounded like if I had waited until now to release them.”
With more tracks still to come, Shaw, a creator at heart, has also released a 51-page novella titled ‘Return To The Stars’ to coincide with the new track.
“The novella ‘Return To The Stars’ is the companion piece to the single “Lost and Found” and it tells the story of John Atlas who ventures into space in search of his missing father,” Shaw explains.
“On his journey in the isolation of space, he has a lot of time for self-reflection, and a lot of time to reminisce and he ends up learning more about himself than he ever thought possible. It is a commentary on human consciousness, and being able to, in a state of self-awareness allow oneself to evolve, which ties into the meaning behind the lyrics to the track ‘Lost and Found’.”
Traversing different mediums isn’t a rare occasion for Shaw, with Spectres & Machines created primarily as a rock band, but supported by other mediums, whether that be a script, graphic novel or an animated series, to tell its stories.
A song that you could picture a heaving crowd singing along to at a sun-soaked Californian music festival in the mid-naughties, Timothy Shaw has once again delivered something brilliant with his solo project Spectres & Machines – not just an absolute ripping tune just in time for summer but a vision that carries with it the promise of great things in the not-so-distant future.
Stream ‘Lost and Found’ by Spectres & Machines here or via iHeartRadio and AppleMusic. You can purchase the Return to Stars Novella here.
This article was made in partnership with Timothy Shaw.
