Australian artists Orange Orange and Sydney Miller team up on ‘Granny Lands’ to question political practices and build up swirling Indie Pop soundscapes with touch of delectable psychedelia.
Talking about the new track, Orange Orange shares: “I wrote the song back in 2020 during the second lockdown, which necessitated that all production and recording be undertaken at home. I took heavy inspiration for the sound of the synth in the chorus from the soundtrack of Donkey Kong Country, which uses a prominent gliding synth sound and other sounds very creatively.
The song and lyrics were born from this idea I found in a YouTube documentary around this time in 2020. The video was arguing that certain electorates of country areas in New South Wales were corrupt and mishandling funds – essentially siphoning all the money out of budgets for country towns. The knock-on effect from this is that these country towns became awful places to live in, with children and families needing to move to other areas to prosper and live while the older folk who lived there in their childhoods stayed back and suffered.
The idea of “Granny Lands” came from this, because I perceive them as these decaying and dying lands that only older people reside in.
These “Granny Lands” are also old and withering, with no hint of youth and no signs of improvement. Worst of all, it’s entirely at fault from greed. This idea got me thinking about the relationship of greed and society and the effect they both have on our climate and future. My upcoming album really follows these themes closely but this song takes a very pessimistic view towards fixing such an issue, as the issue of climate and corruption is not an easy fix. Asking those older than you in power to change, especially people like your parents takes a lot of guts and it’s very common just to give up in the face of it.”
Talking about collaborating with Sydney Miller, Orange Orange shares: “I was sending Sydney a demo of Granny Lands to seek some feedback regarding the production. She told me the vocal didn’t sound very full and insisted that a higher harmony was needed for certain parts, which I vehemently disagreed with. Looking back to that demo, she was very right, and I am very glad she featured her vocal to provide some very powerful and haunting harmonies. I very much look forward to working with Sydney in the future… possibly working with her strengths as a very progressive producer. She creates some very interesting sounds.”
A dreamy collaboration that you’ll be itching to get more of, ‘Granny Lands’ is sure to put both Orange Orange and Sydney Miller firmly on your radar.
