Body Of Work Releases 'Secondhand Blues', Track 4 & Title Track From The Secondhand Blues EP

16 February 2025

Body of Work has released its fourth single from a collaboration with Manchester artist Dan B. Hill. 'Secondhand Blues' is the title track from a small collection of break-up songs, Secondhand Blues.

A summery bop, it plays with themes of time and distance, eliciting both the bittersweet pang of letting go – and Berlin day club vibes. There shall be remixes!

The musical project of Sarah Illingworth, Body of Work has released three earlier singles – 'Remember My Decision For One Day', a reminder that the cloud will always lift; 'Maudlin To None', a reflection on the pull between places a person can feel; and 'Bottle To Go', which communicates the pursuit of connection within the context of loneliness.

Birthed in 2019 by the Birmingham-born, West Yorkshire-based Hill, who asked Illingworth to write lyrics for some pop tracks he'd banged out on Logic, the songs have finally been finished – several years after she moved back to Aotearoa c/o Covid.

With initial support from Cam Ballantyne (We Were Dangerous, Nude Tuesday), the songs were rearranged as live entities, mostly performed and entirely produced by Shannon Fowler (Tom Lark, Shannon Matthew Vanya, The Fuzzy Robes). Fowler engineered the tracks, assisted by Maude Morris (Lexxa, LIPS) on 'Bottle To Go' and 'Thinking Of You'. Julien Dyne (himself, The Circling Sun, Half Hexagon) plays drums on all but 'Secondhand Blues'. Jeremy Toy (Leonard Charles, She's So Rad, Leonard Simpson Duo) mastered them. Thanks also to Big Pop and Big Fan for being supportive and generous, and providing studio space.

"I've been a band girlfriend a few times, and this was meant as a cheeky tap at that, in a way that's intended to give myself – and other women that have done that dance – a little dignity and agency in the situation," says Illingworth.

"You're not a stereotype following someone else around, you're navigating you're own life, career, hopes and dreams – while someone else is hell bent on theirs. It may still be a man's world, but women should always fight for theirs in whatever way feels right to them."

Secondhand Blues will be released in full later this year.

The cost of making these recordings was covered in part by Irirangi Te Motu | NZ On Air's New Music Development fund.

ARTIST BIO – SARAH ILLINGWORTH

Sarah Illingworth is a writer and communications practitioner from Tāmaki Makaurau. She has a background in music journalism and academic communications, as well as writing to exorcise her feelings. Her musicianship's limited, but she's been working on it in her own time – particularly since she moved to Manchester in 2014. Now based back in Aotearoa, she's releasing the first of a number of songs she's been working on.

SONGWRITER BIO – Dan B. Hill

Dan B. Hill is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Birmingham, UK. Currently based in West Yorkshire, he did much time in Manchester, playing with an unlikely variety of acts, including Irma Vep, NASDAQ, and – gently – as himself. Happy to slide between worlds, he tried his hand at writing these pop tracks in 2019, and now they're finally emerging, under the influence of others.

PRODUCER BIO – SHANNON FOWLER

Shannon Fowler is an artist and producer from Ōtautahi. As well as making other people sound good, he makes music as Tom Lark, Shannon Matthew Vanya and The Fuzzy Robes. His 2023 Tom Lark album Brave Star saw him nominated for the 2023 APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka, the 2024 Taite Music Prize, and Te Manu Taki Ahurea o te Tau | Best Folk Artist at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards.

© Scoop Media