Radio Free Alice have shared a new single featuring Water From Your Eyes‘ Rachel Brown – listen to ‘Big Ideas’ below.
The collaborative song is the latest preview of the Australian band and NME 100 alumni‘s debut studio album, ‘What’s In Between’, which is released on October 30 via Atlantic.
“From early on, we felt that a second vocal would work well with the song, a kind of call and response,” explained frontman Noah Learmonth of the team-up.
“We’ve loved Water From Your Eyes for years, and had gone to their show when they came to Melbourne. We felt like Rachel would be perfect; they have such an interesting, distinctive voice.”
In the contemplative track’s first verse, Learmonth sings: “Try not to go too berserk/ But she’s been sleeping with the guy from work/ At what point do you admit your life’s not going to plan one bit.”
Later, he tells the listener he’d “rather be stuck in hell than stuck in Melbourne with reports to sell” before Brown joins in and trades vocals: “Honey won’t you rescue me/ I got a barb in my eye/ I got a thorn in my side/ Don’t get any big ideas (Pick it up and pack it in)/ She only let you in to get your things/ (Pick it up and pack it in)...”
‘Big Ideas’ is accompanied by a ’90s-looking official music video, directed and edited by Owen Schatz. The song follows previous singles ‘Kick In The Shins’ and ‘Crying For You’.
Speaking to NME at Reading Festival this summer, Radio Free Alice discussed what to expect from their debut LP. “Looking back, I’ve always been a sucker for anything ‘coming of age’,” said Learmonth of the LP’s lyrics. “A lot of my favourite movies growing up were that. There is a theme of ‘dispossessed young person’, amongst others.”
Elsewhere in the chat, they recalled opening for Geese in Australia. “It was crazy to see Geese in person,” Learmonth told NME. “Cameron Winter and Geese have been on my phone incessantly, so to see him in person and be talking to him backstage was so strange, so topical. That was sick. It was amazing to share a stage with the most talked-about band in the world.”
Radio Free Alice are set to embark on a UK and European headline tour next month – find any remaining tickets here. See the full schedule below.
NOVEMBER
04 — Copenhagen, DK — Ideal Bar at Vega
06 — Berlin, DE — Frannz Club
07 — Hamburg, DE — Turmzimmer
08 — Cologne, DE — Helios37
10 — Amsterdam, NL — Tolhuistuin
11 — Brussels, BE — Botanique Rotonde
12 — Paris, FR — Point Ephémère
14 — Bristol, UK — Thekla
15 — Birmingham, UK — O2 Institute2
17 — London, UK — Electric Ballroom
18 — Leeds, UK — Brudenell Social Club
20 — Manchester, UK — Academy 2
21 — Glasgow, UK — Art School
22 — Belfast, UK — Ulster Sports Club
24 — Dublin, IE — Button Factory
27 – Barcelona, ES — Sidecar
29 – Paris, FR — Point Ephémère
