Skyscraper Stan Announces His New Album 'Those Were Days', Out Feb 14th

Aotearoa/New Zealand-born and Australia-based Skyscraper Stan and his longtime touring band and collaborators the Commission Flats have generated a body of work that has attracted a loyal, and more recently global fanbase drawn to Stan’s easy lyrical style, inventive arrangements and deft genre twists and turns - from folk and country to indie rock and consummate soul - all key elements across the diverse new album.

Written through the pandemic, and between the cities of Ballarat and Naarm Melbourne, Stan found himself reminiscing a lot about places, people and the state of the world as he put pen to paper. The song 'Those Were Days', that gives the album its name, is a lament for the lost hedonism of one's early 20s living in share houses in Fitzroy and Collingwood, and as such, it ties-in perfectly with the general nostalgic feel of much of the album.

In tandem with the exploration of past experiences, Stan also poetically threads some cautionary messages about the state of our biosphere through the album. As he explains, "the closing track '21st Century Lullaby' is, in a way, a preemptive reminiscing about the world today. I wrote the song for my niece. When I learned my little sister was having a baby I sat down and wrote her a lullaby. Typically for me, it came out morbid. I mean every word of it."

Across the album's singles, Stan displays both the world class quality and versatility of his songwriting. On the alt-country meets indie rock first single 'Let Me Be Frank With You' he discusses the phenomenon of working-class people voting for conservative politicians, through the metaphor of small town gossip.

'Strange Things Happen' and its brilliant zombified video clip is a hooky heart-ache song, with a bouncing feel somewhere between soul and 60s rock, while on 'Down The M8' Stan details the lengths that he and his partner are willing to travel for love, over a soundtrack of rollicking electric guitar and a fascinating blend of impassioned soul and rolling country rock.

Most recently, on 'Talk To Me' Stan digs deep into what one might imagine as a kind of Antipodean, Stax or Motown revue. On the infectious track, complete with a funky organ groove and saxophone solo, Stan delivers a stellar vocal performance as he sings about conversations in the age of conspiracy. "I've had friends fall down the rabbit hole and it can be alarming. This tune is for anyone out there trying to save a loved one from the loonysphere. Don't turn your back on them. Have a chat. That might be all they need!"

Elsewhere on the album, Stan pays tribute to his partner and spirit guide in life on 'Anjali', addresses nepo-babies in positions of power on 'Run The Game' and on 'The Plainest I Can Say It' he recalls having beef with someone. "I'm pretty peaceful really, so it's not something I do a lot. The bloke who inspired this song was a prick though!" he emphasises.

A true group effort, the album has been a collaborative labour of love between Stan and the Commission Flats. "We did the whole thing in-house. We arranged the songs together, we produced it ourselves and our drummer Andy mixed it," says Stan. "It has been a long process, but certainly the most enjoyable music making experience of my career so far."

SKYSCRAPER STAN

For more than a decade, Stan has toured extensively across Australia and New Zealand, performing his own headline shows and at major music festivals.

With the Sydney Morning Herald calling him “a revelation” and Spill Magazine comparing him to Stan Ridgeway, Daniel Romano, Nick Cave and Otis Redding, Stan has released two studio albums – 2015’s Last Year’s Tune and 2019’s Golden Boy, plus a live solo album in 2017 Live at Some Velvet Morning. All shone a light on Stan’s ability to write concise and accessible narratives in a timeless style, suggesting a writer steeped in the traditions of the classics but looking to refresh that sound for the modern era. His global reach has been extended by the songs 'I Fell Over' and 'Always Thinking of You' featuring on the first season of the TV series Colin From Accounts, with a further tune '21st Century Lullaby' featuring on season two of the hit show.

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