SONG PREMIERE: Lo Carmen Goes For Twangy Country Soul on “Last Thing I’ll Remember”

Lo Carmen identifies as a songwriter, singer, musician and actor among other things. And while she got her start as a successful teenage actress in her native Australia – starring in The Year My Voice Broke, Red Dog and the cult hit Blue Murder – music has always been her passion. Since 2002, she has recorded five solo albums, as well as a collaboration with her father, Australian country-rock pioneer, pianist Peter Head. On November 10th this multi-talented creative presence is set to release her sixth album, Lovers Dreamers Fighters through Chiquita Records.

The album brings together sultry vintage soul and cosmic country sounds for something that is entirely unique. As a singer and songwriter, Carmen is simultaneously reflective and a storyteller. It’s easy to picture her singing the songs on Lovers Dreamers Fighters in a lonely honky tonk or a smokey basement bar in some city. Along with a range of musical talent, the album also features guest appearances from the likes of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy among others.

The album’s first single, “Last Thing I’ll Remember,” is an ode to the moments that make coming home worthwhile – particularly when home is little more than a dream for the always-on-the-move singer, who has lived in more than 12 houses since relocating from Australia a few years back. Today Glide is premiering the tune, which is easily one of the standouts on the album with its gorgeous twangy pedal steel, sensual vocals, haunting guitar and harmonies, and a drumbeat that conveys a quiet loneliness. 

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the song, Carmen has this to say:

“We all know the last thing you’ll ever do, is die. And people talk all the time about exit lines and witty deathbed quotes. But I found something strangely comforting in considering what’ll be the last thing I’ll remember to think about. And its of course the simple stuff, the untouchable feelings that make breathing worthwhile. Moving halfway across the world and starting again with nothing really made that clear to me. I’m not the sentimental type and I’ve never wanted to go backwards but sometimes blindly moving forwards can scare the daylights out of you. However, as Kristofferson says ‘I’d rather be sorry for something I’ve done, than for something that I didn’t do’… Sometimes just the thought of someone is all you need.”

LISTEN:

Lo Carmen releases Lovers Dreamers Fighters on November 10 via Chiquita Records. For more music and info visit locarmenmusic.com.

Photo credit: Katerina Stratos