New Music: Maxine Gillon – Back In Town

Those awkward moments when our desires collide headlong with reality are at the heart of Back In Town, from the upcoming Girl Songs album.

The latest single from Australian musician Maxine Gillon has a mix of naivety and cold insight on display, one many of us might recognise, as she incorporates real-life events into the lyrics.

Words and emotions tumble out via the smoky vocals, though the song always has a lightness about it. That’s down, in part, to the crisp and clean production, but also the 80s-glancing indie/pop tones of the arrangement and a melody that’ll jangle its way under your skin.

“This is the song I’m most proud of as a songwriter and that best represents what I’ve been trying to do with my music thus far,” says Gillon about Back In Town, a song that fans of Aztec Camera and The Go-Betweens will adore.

“The lyrics are about the fantasy of a then long-distance crush coming back to town and all the bravado and posturing that that would entail; it then speaks to the vulnerable and defeatist reality that neither were game enough to do anything before she left, so why would they now?”

“The lyrics are embarrassingly and explicitly confessional, walking the tightrope of desire over insecurity and vulnerability. Sonically I was trying to make something intrinsically camp and indie-pop but with strings and church organ that elevate this kitchen sink erotic drama to majestic and grandiose proportions.”

Girl Songs is out on the 23rd of October and can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp. Back In Town is streaming on Spotify and YouTube Music – for album news and other listening options, head to Instagram and Facebook.

Header photo by wesley