DANIEL TRAKELL RETURNS
WITH DELICATE
INDIE-FOLK SINGLE
‘WAVES’
Dynamic indie-folk artist Daniel Trakell has today released the latest cut from his forthcoming sophomore album ‘Into The Blue’, with the beautifully crafted single ‘Waves’.
Wrapped in rich metaphor and featuring a truly breathtaking vocal performance from Trakell; ‘Waves’ feels like it could easily fit in the songbook of one of the great songwriters of yesteryear, drawing sonic comparisons to the likes of Neil Young, Nick Drake or Elliot Smith, as well as modern contemporaries such as Kurt Vile or Father John Misty.
The instrumental backing on the track immerses the listener into Trakell’s performance immediately, with reverb-kissed pedal steel weaving in and out of the mix, harmonising with Trakells soaring vocals perfectly. Subtle horns reinforce the emotive chorus melodies in the back half of the track, creating a sense of atmosphere that feels equally ethereal and firmly grounded.
Lyrically the song focuses on the feeling of alleviation when one can move past a seemingly impossible hurdle – finding comfort in the acceptance of fate in order to move forward.
“Waves is a song about what comes after reaching a point where you can’t go on anymore, that feeling of completely surrendering, giving in and letting go. One of the last songs written for the album, the demo was very basic guitar and vocals. When we got into the studio we ran through it a couple of times live as a band with drums, pedal steel, guitar and upright bass, piano and horns added in a later session.”
Daniel Trakell
Artwork: Gabrielle Lederwasch
The soothing, textured production on ‘Waves’ is no surprise, considering the track was recorded between an old church hall that sits in Mollongghip – a farming community 20 Minutes from Ballarat and Aviary studios in Abbotsford with a full band. Recorded, produced and mixed by the talented Josh Barber (Gretta Ray, Gotye, and Archie Roach), it was then mastered by multi-Grammy, Libera, Fryderyk, & JUNO nominated, ADISQ & SOCAN winning engineer, Shawn Hatfield of AudibleOddities.
In October 2020, Trakell released his debut album, “Warning Bell,” via Swedish based record label Dumont Dumont. The album features popular singles such as ‘Turnaround’, ‘Come To’ and the hit single, “Wisdom/Boredom” (780k+ streams). Today his total streams stand at a staggering 4.6 million across all DSPs, and He’s been supported by numerous outlets such as Happy Mag, Tone Deaf, Rolling Stone (Australia and France), as well as radio stations such as FBi Radio, triple j, SYN, PBS, 3RRR, 2SER, FIP, Radio Eins, and ByteFM.
He was also lucky enough to win an exclusive music video competition with triple j for his 2017 track ‘Paradise’, and has had several songs from his debut album used in hit American TV shows like Locke and Key (Netflix), The Walker (The CW), A Million Little Things (ABC) and Better Things (FX). On the touring side of things Daniel has been equally as busy, opening up for the likes of Didirri, WILSN, Ruby Gill, Kyle Lionhart and Harrison Storm.
If ‘Waves’ is anything to go by, Trakell’s sophomore album ‘Into The Blue’ is certain to captivate his loyal fanbase when it drops on the 24th of November.
ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
Sunday, December 3rd – Lulie Tavern, Melbourne VIC, supports tba
PRAISE FOR DANIEL TRAKELL
“Most often accompanied by his guitar and little else, a Daniel Trakell song is something worth drinking in deeply; the arrangements are gorgeous as are the stories you’ll find within.”
Happy Mag
“haunting, melancholic isolation and just off-centre obscurity”
Rolling Stone Australia
“So many sweet little delicacies to unpack in this one. The sneaky-emotional string arrangement, the delicate glockenspiel, your faultless falsetto. I am charmed.”
Triple J, Max Quinn (about ‘All We Do’)
“Oasis meets Tobias Jesso Jr.”
GBH Music Magazine
“Daniel Trakellis a name that I’m starring in my notes for the years to come.”
Ear To The Ground Music
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