Singer-songwriter DC Maxwell’s new album, The Singer, is out independently today. The release follows a steady drop of singles and fierce run of shows since first making waves at SXSW Sydney, priming his upcoming August album tour. LISTEN HERE + BUY TIX HERE.

The Singer is a guttural take on the alt-rock tradition, pushing guitar pop to extremes with bellowing vocals and lyricism that cuts through. Deeply inspired by the physical embodiment of song to the 90’s grunge nostalgia of PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, DC’s music stands out for fans of Courtney Barnett to Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo –  a simplistic turn of phrase that stays with you, affected, for days.

Bridging the releases ‘Golden Light’, ‘Jesus’ Son’, ‘Funeral Suit’, ‘Half Real ft. Bonnie Prince Billy’ and title track includes new songs ‘Strength of a Saint’, about the brainwashing involved in conversion therapy, the instrumentally apocalyptic ‘Baby Put The Gun Down’, a call to nonviolence in a threatening situation, and wraithlike ‘In Heaven’, a confrontational assessment on a looming addiction.

DC Maxwell’s is a defiant belief that art can change lives, and throughout the record, he considers the pursuit of that craft – “what does it mean to be a singer in this world, what difference can a song make to a person?” Captured best on closer ‘Right Line’, DC explains, “this song, and album in general, is about returning to a simple hope. The hope that the right song, right words, or right line can actually save someone. That is my reason for doing this insane thing of writing music. I believe in it. I have to.”

In some form, a creative rebirth for Maxwell, bound by his strength as a performer and keen detail as a writer, The Singer possesses multitudes. Both earnest and tongue-in-cheek, where lyrics appear dark, his motivations speak to joy and gratitude. Deep with the complexity of human emotion and the understanding of life’s highs and lows, DC is never shy to hide behind the fear of sincerity – “I wanted to be open and honest with this album, and to say what I mean and to express how I feel directly,” he continues. Confessional and off-kilter. Ghostly, at times intense, and above all, basking in hope.

Alongside DC Maxwell’s considered lyricism is his community of creatives in his new home of Melbourne, produced by Bonnie Knight (Amyl & the Sniffers, Angie McMahon), to vocal contributions by Hatchie and Georgia Maq, Good Morning’s Stefan Blair on piano instrumentation, and a fateful feature from American songwriter and actor Will Oldham, pka Bonnie “Prince” Billy (A Ghost Story, The Bikeriders, I See a Darkness). Evocatively preluded by Maxwell’s live reputation, setting ablaze every venue he steps into with a passionate live show fast becoming the stuff of legend, The Singer is immediate and ever memorable.

Experience DC Maxwell’s The Singer live this August – see all tour routing and ticketing details BELOW.