The new piano version of Oxygen is out now!
Image: Rosie Fitzgerald
Australian musician, visual artist and fashion designer Annie Hamilton has spent the better part of 2020 working on a new version of her debut self-titled EP. After being forced to cancel her touring commitments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the musician focused on creating new renditions of the EP to reflect the solitude she now inhabited.
Taking a stripped back approach to the release, the reimagined songs have been slowed down and features piano versions of Oxygen and Kitchen, while Californian Carpark Concrete welcomes Jenny McCullagh (I Know Leopard) on violin. The release also includes a live version of ‘Fade’ recorded by Sydney radio station FBi Radio.
On the rework Hamilton explains “When I was approaching this song for the reimagined EP, piano felt like the perfect answer. I asked Mark Harding to arrange a piano part - we have a shared love of Sufjan Stevens so I just told him to imagine it was a Sufjan song and he immediately worked out an arrangement that I loved. Our friend Nic Johnston engineered it - we recorded it live in his lounge room, in one take with a mic set up next to the piano. Mark also added some trumpet and some twinkly high piano parts in the build, I added some harmonies and it all just fell into place.”
Hamilton will finally be able to showcase her debut release, when she returns to the stage this November to perform two shows at The Lansdowne Hotel as part of ARIA’s Great Southern Nights series. The intimate performances will see the musician perform with a full band, playing her new songs in both their original and their newly reimagined formats. Matt Mason from DMA’s will be joining the live band, with Jenny McCullagh on violin. Tickets are on sale now.
Oxygen (Piano Version) is out now! Listen to the track below. Annie Hamilton EP (Reimagined) is out November 18