Blending nostalgic, melancholic melodies with 60’s inspired bluesy guitars, Racing Birds have released their debut EP ‘Lonesome Blue’. Leaning into visions of yesteryear, including shining '70s sunsets, Southern California mystic, and fading tail lights, Racing Birds effortlessly blend the sentimentality of a bygone era, with modern tones and inspired hooks.
Recorded in the heat and steam of their garage studio, ‘Lonesome Blue’ is as authentic as it is electrifying, an honest reflection of the esteemed pedigree of both songwriters, alongside their contrast push to evolve and grow. Combining forces to blend their unique outlooks on storytelling and drawing on passionate vocals and bluesy rhythms. Reminiscent of late night drives through Southern California in the ‘70s, the band capture an authentic and evocative sound that is on show throughout ‘Lonesome Blue’.
Speaking about the new EP, Jeremy Strother of the band explained, "The first song we wrote for The EP was 'Vampires & LSD'. It’s a story about two lovers on the run, good at being bad. It’s Midwestern motels & desert highways. ‘She likes old cars & graveyards, distorted guitars... but I want you all to myself, start a family, made of vampires & LSD.’ The way it came together gave us a really clear vision of how we wanted the EP to feel and sound; the lyrics, the screams, the guitars, the rhythm and the colors. It was new territory for Bob and me. I think if we hadn’t written that song, and if it hadn’t come out the way it did, Racing Birds would probably not have become a band. So we started with ‘Vampires,’ which set the tone, then I think it was ‘Rarely Never Loaded.’ At that point we knew how to grab hold of the moment, we wrote ‘Silver Sun Bohemian,’ which definitely leans into the southern California mystique - fading tail lights, 70’s sunsets."
Having plied their trade for years separately, individually the Racing Birds members have a pedigree that lands them amongst the top songwriters and session players in the southern-hemisphere. Jeremy has contributed to acts across all scopes, including I Am Apollo and Stellar Perry (The Voice Australia), alongside a publishing deal with New York agency Frisbee. Whilst the USA originating Bobbie cut his teeth as a guitarist for Jon McLaughlin, sharing stages with Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, and Bon Jovi. Closer to home, he’s performed with Australia’s finest, including Guy Sebastian, Human Nature and Matt Corby to name a few.
Bobbie L Stamper further added, “Everything was done with just the two of us, a couple guitars, a laptop and whatever we could find around the garage to bang on. I didn’t have a proper studio at the time so we set up in the front half of my garage, and there was a sheet hung up to hide the lawnmower... you could see daylight coming in through cracks in the walls, there were possums walking around in the rafters at night, and it was either boiling hot or freezing cold depending on the weather. But we used that DIY feeling to give the record a bit of edge and energy. I tried not to use many samples or edit the takes much.”
Forgoing the familiarity and comfort of a high-end recording studio, Bobbie and Jeremy hunkered down in their backyard garage in Sydney, capturing the authentic, homegrown essence of the songs that would become their debut EP ‘Lonesome Blue’. With the energy of their own blood & sweat grafted into the songs, it was only right that the duo self-produced the EP to capture the honesty and evocative nature weaved throughout ‘Lonesome Blue’.
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