New York, NY (Top40 Charts) After premiering via triple j's Good Nights last night, Australian rock favorites HANDS LIKE HOUSES are officially lifting the lid on their new single and video "
Space" today.
Vocalist Trenton Woodley explains that "
Space" captures a particularly mentally and spatially suffocating time for the band experience while recording. Trenton personally found himself going through the motions, grappling with exhaustion, trying to push ahead ahead and ultimately feeling as though he was coming up short of others' expectations. Lyrically and sonically, the track captures a literal cry for the breathing space he needed.
"I think the song really captures that pressure we felt having to refine our raw ideas and work through our differences in taste and personality while recording," he says.
"It's strange that that sense of emotional claustrophobia has fast-forwarded to this literal one with COVID-19. Since we tracked it, I haven't actually read the lyrics written down until now and there's a strange sense of deja vu, like I wrote them yesterday, with full knowledge of everything that's happened in the last few months."
He finishes by noting: "I wanted it to feel tired, not hopeless, worn out but not ready to give up just yet. I didn't want it to sound like I'd stopped trying. I wanted it to feel like coming out of a long silence, to say 'please be patient. I can get this right. I just need a little faith, a little trust, and a little bit of space to get myself back together.'"
Directed by Rhys Graham and produced by Jensen Cope, the "
Space" music video draws on the single's artwork and the lyrical themes of isolation and communication. The clip paints a cinematic portrait of a young woman's meandering journey as she seeks to take her life in a new direction.
"Our character stops off at a couple of isolated motels which lead us into the world of the band... it all very much reflects the idea of the isolation that we've all just experienced," Rhys explains.
"We also used a deaf actor to reflect the ways that separation or a different way of communicating is not necessarily a lack of freedom, it's just a different way of doing things that we are used to. That very much ties in with the emotional space in the song."
"
Space" by Hands Like
Houses is out now on all services.
