Pierce Brothers‘ new single ‘High & Unsteady’ first started coming together in 2021 when the duo’s longtime friend Tash Sultana – award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and engineer – reached out to them to suggest a collaboration.
Today, Music Feeds is premiering the resulting song and its accompanying video, directed by Patrick Pierce himself. ‘High & Unsteady’ has the brothers – Patrick and Jack – at its core; rollicking acoustic guitar chords and propulsive drums behind it. But Sultana’s distinctive mark shines throughout, their unmistakable, percussive electric guitar above the warm, highly textural soundscapes beneath.
Pierce Brothers & Tash Sultana – ‘High & Unsteady’
After Sultana reached out to the brothers, ‘High & Unsteady’ was recorded and produced at Sultana‘s studio in Melbourne. “We’ve loved everything that Tash has done over the years, and when they had the idea to collaborate, we jumped at the opportunity,” Jack Pierce says of the collaboration.
“Pat and I put together the bones of the track so when we got into Tash’s studio we had a base from which to create and explore new sounds. Tash is one of the most talented producers we’ve had the pleasure of working with, they brought so many new sounds to mix that we would never have even thought of. I didn’t know what a mellotron was before that day!”
‘High & Unsteady’ marks the first collaboration between Sultana and the Pierce Brothers, despite being friends for more than a decade and having toured together. “I really enjoyed working with the guys,” Sultana says. “We’ve been working together for years on the road, so I had a great idea on how to capture their sound.” Additional engineering was carried out by Richard Stolz and Skubiszewski, while the track was mixed by producer Dann Hume.
The ‘High & Unsteady’ video combines 35mm analogue and digital footage for a visually arresting, collage-like accompaniment to the song. “About 12 months ago I found a video featuring this rare Japanese film camera from the 90s,” he explains. “It has 16 separate frames across two rows on it, and was used for things like shooting a golf swing. I was searching for about eight months before I could find one and start testing it out.”
The meticulous editing process was done in-house, presenting the biggest undertaking for the video, as Pierce had to develop, scan, separate and animate over 3,000 individual images. “It took months, and I’m certain that the response from the general public will be ‘huh… nice filter,’” he says. “That said, I’ve had this idea for ages now, so I’m really happy I’m finally getting it out of my head and onto a screen.”
Further Reading
PREMIERE: Listen To Pierce Brothers’ Lush, Gorgeous Album ‘Into The Great Unknown’
PREMIERE: Pierce Brothers Dive Into Pop On ‘When It All Goes Away’
Gang of Youths, Tash Sultana Lead Lineup for Adelaide’s Vintage Vibes Festival
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