Following her well-deserved win for Best Pop Act at last night’s 2021 Music Victoria Awards, Naarm-based Wergaia / Wemba Wemba artist Alice Skye releases reinvented songs from her latest album on Company. The four-track EP features remixes of songs from I Feel Better But I Don’t Feel Good, her second album released in July. Company showcases collaborations with fellow Naarm based artists including singer-songwriters and producers June Jones and Lonelyspeck, rapper Teether, and violinist, DJ and producer Elle Shimada.
The brutal effects of the past few months of restrictions and lockdowns have had immeasurable effects on musicians the country over. Yet, instead of yielding to limitations and pivoting to making music alone at home, Skye has fought against the tide and reached out to collaborate with fellow isolated artists. “[The EP is] called Company even though it was all done remotely and over email, like a lot of artists have had to adjust to.”
It’s an ironic name perhaps, but Company is an incredibly timely moment of musicians coming together. “There’s so much power in collaboration and creation. [It] made me feel excited about music in a way I needed… Lockdown wasn’t fun. Working with these Naarm based artists saw us celebrate each other’s work and generated fresh energy and love for music. I really enjoyed seeing how each artist put their spin on my tracks.”
Just as her recent second LP evolved her rich, intimate songwriting with the more indie rock and grunge-tinged production of Jen Cloher, Company’s remixed tracks bring Alice’s favourite tracks from the record to a myriad of new sonic directions. This new lease of life on these tracks is in full flight on focus track, ‘Party Tricks (June Jones Remix)’.
2021 has seen Alice Skye’s formidable career blossom further; supporting The Avalanches’ return to the stage, an appearance on the returning season of ABC’s Spicks N Specks, and having coveted support slots performing with and alongside Midnight Oil on their Makarrata Live tour, where her performance was singled out with wild acclaim and followed her feature on the band’s 2020 mini-album with ‘Terror Australia’. Alice too featured on US superstar Moby’s latest album Reprise, and performed along regional Victorian touring festival, STBS. The release of her sophomore album I Feel Better But I Don’t Feel Goodfollows on from Alice being a finalist in the triple j Unearthed NIMA competition, and receiving a nomination for the Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent, to retain her role as one of Australia’s brightest voices and most honest lyricists. This week, I Feel Better But I Don’t Feel Good was given the nod by Judges of the 17th Australian Music Prize as one of Australia’s best albums of 2021, making the long-list for the prestigious award.
After wrapping up a prolific year that now features two bold releases, Alice Skye will kick off 2022 with live appearances at Blak Day Out at The Tivoli, Brisbane on Friday 28 January and The Push All Ages Tour across Victoria in February and March.