New Zealand’s French for Rabbits have established themselves as a world-class act with seven international tours under their belt and festival appearances from Iceland to Austin. Fronted by the delicately voiced Brooke Singer, their emotionally intelligent music is evocative of land and sea, awash with glistening layers, and propelled along by the intricate instrumentation of guitarist John Fitzgerald, drummer Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa, and multi-instrumentalists Ben Lemi and Penelope Esplin.
They have toured in Europe several times, performed alongside Agnes Obel, and New Zealand luminaries including Lorde, Marlon Williams, Tiny Ruins and Nadia Reid. Their music has featured on TV series’ including The Vampire Diaries, and Being Human.
In 2019, they embarked on their first USA tour with 21 shows around the country and appearances at SXSW following the international release of their second album The Weight of Melted Snow on Muscle Beach Records.
Despite creating some of New Zealand’s most hauntingly beautiful music, their live shows are often interspersed with humour, sideways charm and unexpected tangents, being described as ‘able to make a concert hall feel like a living room’.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the band’s new single “Middle of the House”. Written during a writing camp at Grove Studios in Sydney, it features backing vocals by Australian artist Alexander Biggs and production by Jol Mulholland. Beginning with a solemn yet strangely euphoric piano, the song follows what some might consider to be an unconventional song structure, showcasing Singer’s crisp vocals and minimal yet powerful instrumentation. If you listen closely to the beginning of the song, you can hear the creak of wooden floorboards and a low rumble reminiscent of the nor-west wind before the piano solo comes in. This all sets the scene for a song that hits deep with claustrophobic memories, childhood violence and moving on. The band emphasizes both the emotion of the song and Singer’s powerful vocals with dramatic, pounding drums and wavering synths. While the subject matter focuses on sad memories, there is a sense of revelation that transpires into a compelling piece of pop music.
Singer Brooke Singer describes the inspiration behind the song in her own words:
“I was in Australia this year on my first international songwriting camp. It was at this beautiful place called Grove Studios surrounded by bush, and the place also has a ghost story attached. I was up late one night and they have a creaky old piano in one of the rooms. I started playing this chord progression – it felt introverted and haunting. I thought I might keep it as a special something for myself to finish later but the next morning I played it to Alexander Biggs who I’d just met, and Jol Mulholland and we ended up writing this very tender song. Alexander also just released a couple of his own new songs and they’re very beautiful, I’d recommend!”
LISTEN:
PRE-ORDER the band’s new single and check out their upcoming U.S. tour dates:
November 5th // San Diego, CA // Space Bar
November 6th // Los Angeles, CA // Junior High
November 7th // San Francisco, CA // Hotel Utah
November 8th // Eugene, OR // Spectrum
November 9th // Wenatchee, WA // Radar Station
November 10th // Vancouver, BC // The Avant-Garden
November 12th // Seattle, WA // Sunset Tavern
November 13th // Tacoma, WA // Aiport Tavern
November 14th // Portland, OR // Kelly’s Olympian
November 15th // Oakland, CA // Starry Plough
November 16th // Sacramento, CA // The Starlet Room at Harlows
Photo credit: Ebony Lamb
