Nakatomi
Nostaligic indietronic duo Nakatomi have today announced their dark new single, Wooden Castle, set for release on October 11. The alluring futurepop track is accompanied by a Gondry-inspired clip, featuring the pair in a parable-like narrative complemented by the song. Wooden Castle lands ahead of the duo’s highly anticipated new EP set to drop in the new year. Nakatomi, who are Emily Smart and Hamish Cox, are hitting the road to celebrate the release, playing Hybrid World Adelaide at the Tonsley Innovation District on October 6 and jumping on as headliners for Sad Grrrls Fest which kicks off in Brisbane on November 4, then moves through Melbourne on November 11 and finishes up in Sydney on Nov 18.
Wooden Castle is a great example of Nakatomi’s ability to encapsulate retro pop vibes with impressively current production values. The track is driven by clear percussion, vocal samples and a huge, conquering chorus. Produced and mixed by JP Fung (Client Liaison, Phebe Starr, Silverchair), Wooden Castle demands to be heard and will refuse to leave your head. Describing the inspiration behind the track, Emily says, “Wooden Castle evolved, using a red woods forest as the inspiration, and explores themes of feeling stuck and stifled whilst striving towards goals that seem out of reach. It’s a balance of mounting pressure, contrasted by a strength in acceptance of who you are, and not giving up on yourself even when people try to cut you down.”
The clip for Wooden Castle is a bit of a surprise; with such an 80s vibe musically most would expect a similar video – but Nakatomi go for the unexpected. Taking inspiration from 1920’s cinema and directed by Tim Lucas, the clip incorporates projectors, puppets, and full-body costumes to tell the fantastical story. Emily describes, “It’s kind of a humourous backwards fairytale. Hamish wanted to do a clip where he didn't have to do anything so we went with this idea so he had to spend the entire day dressed as a tree as payback. Hopefully spite makes for an excellent clip. There’s three characters, a woodsman, a bear and a tree, and they find friendship, battle fear and find strength.”
And this all is just the first taste of the upcoming EP from Nakatomi, a collection of songs that are as yet shrouded in mystery – but one thing is for sure, its set for release in early 2018 and it is going to be massive. Working away for the last six months in both Australia and Los Angeles, the pair have collaborated with some huge names for this release, including JP Fung, Tony Buchen (Montaigne, ASTA, East) Mario Spate (Tkay Maidza) and Luke Godson (Luke Million).
Giving fans a taste of what to expect from the live show, Emily teases, “People can definitely expect to hear unreleased songs off the upcoming EP. We've also just redone our live show with a new drummer, so new set up and new tunes! Our shows have never been bigger and we're looking forward to bringing out some epic energy reserves for the Sad Grrrls tour.”
UPCOMING GIGS/TOUR DATES:
FRI 6 OCT | TONSLEY INNOVATION DISTRICT, CLOVELLY PARK SA | 18+
HWA
SAT 04 NOV | THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE QLD | 18+
SAD GRRRLS FEST
SAT 11 NOV | THE REVERENCE HOTEL, FOOTSCRAY VIC | 18+
SAD GRRRLS FEST
SAT 18 NOV | THE RED RATTLER, MARRICKVILLE SYD | ALL AGES
SAD GRRRLS FEST
