Willaris. K shares his new double A-side single ‘5 O’CLOCK / PAST LIGHT’ and announces his recent international label signings to Astralwerks/Capitol Records in the US (The Chemical Brothers, Alison Wonderland and more), partnering with Virgin EMI Records in the UK/Europe (Banks, Logic, Duke Dumont), as well as Soothsayer for Australia and NZ (Kucka, Dro Carey, Love Deluxe) who first signed the act for ANZ in January 2018. Listen HERE.

Toby Andrews, general manager of Astralwerks says of the signing, “We’re thrilled to welcome Willaris. K to Astralwerks! Working with a talent like Jack I think exemplifies what we stand for as a label, to be promoting & supporting the best that the electronic music scene has to offer. His rare ability to travel between underground dance, ambient and everything in between makes us so excited for the future with him.”

His first new music of 2019, ‘5 O’CLOCK / PAST LIGHT’ reflects the euphoria and freedom Jack McAllister found in the wake of his breakout 2018, which saw the release of his debut EP Alchemy and play to sold-out audiences around the world. Having settled into his new life as a full-time musician, songwriter and producer, a deliberately freer Willaris. K emerges on these tracks, released from the rigid structures, introspection and solitary angst that defined the Alchemy era, recorded while McAllister worked as an electrical and instrument technician at substations along the Queensland and New South Wales border, moonlighting as a bedroom producer, pianist and club DJ.

As Willaris. K moves into this next phase of his career, what connects his music is his ability to capture the intensity of feeling, the extremities of sound and emotion, from fractured devastation to delirious release, from crunching techno to moments of sparse emotional reprieve. It’s an approach that imbues Willaris. K’s music with a sense of scale reminiscent of the melodic, cinematic soundscapes of Jon Hopkins, Floating Points and Seekae while drawing a line to the physicality of McAllister’s adolescent punk influences.

Inspired by his background in piano, McAllister adopted a back-to-basics philosophy for ‘5 O’CLOCK / PAST LIGHT’, melding piano and electronics by playing around with melody and dynamics, stripping tracks to their most foundational elements and building them up through a deconstructionist approach to songwriting. Lead single ’5 O’CLOCK’ contrasts celestial climaxes driven by an insistent Prophet ‘08 synth against poignant, empty sonic spaces that inspires a vast, ominous awe, while the ambient-leaning ‘PAST LIGHT’, which began life during McAllister’s weekly piano lessons, is a masterclass in crafting tension and release, a club track resonant with emotionality.

‘5 O’CLOCK / PAST LIGHT’ is out now via Soothsayer (ANZ) / Astralwerks (ROW) / Virgin EMI (UK/EU).
Buy/stream it here.

WILLARIS. K TOUR DATES
Wed 9 Oct 2019 – Madrid, Spain – Sala But w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Thu 10 Oct 2019 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Mon 14 Oct 2019 – Paris, FR – YOYO w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Tue 15 Oct – Paris, FRA session w/ Pote
Wed 16 Oct 2019 – Amsterdam, NL – TBC Astralwerks party
Thu 17 Oct 2019 – Amsterdam, NL – NDSM w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Fri 18 Oct 2019 – Berlin, DE – Columbiahalle w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Sat 19 Oct 2019 – Cologne, DE – Live Music Hall w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Mon 21 Oct 2019 – Hamburg, DE – Docks w/ RRÜFÜS DU SOL
Tue 22 Oct 2019 – Frankfurt, DE – Batschkapp w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL
Fri 25 Oct 2019 – London, UK – Alexandra Palace w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL, TOURIST
Sat 26 Oct 2019 – San Bernadino, CA, Escape Festival
Sun 27 Oct 2019 – New Orleans, LA – Voodoo Festival
Wed 30 Oct 2019 – LA, Peppermint Club
23 Nov 2019 – Melbourne – City Loop Festival
21 Dec 2019 – Sydney – Output
21 Dec 2019 – Wollongong – Output AFTER
28 Dec 2019 – Brisbane – Origin Festival
1 Jan 2020 – Perth – Origin Festival
3 Jan 2020 – Adelaide – Castaway Festival
4 Jan 2020 – Hobart – Regatta Grounds w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL

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