Auckland producer, engineer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mulholland (Jol Mulholland) shares his new single and video ‘Asleep In The Nowhere‘ (which you can view below), the first track off an as-yet untitled album, due out later this year. An anthemic synth-pop track, ‘Asleep In The Nowhere’ references the landscape of Bethell’s Beach on the west coast of Mulholland’s adopted hometown Auckland, and the desire to escape from reality.
“It’s the story of a fictional girl on a beach who’d like to be transported to another dimension, to say goodbye to the world, to avoid having to face real life. It’s the desire for escapism we can all relate to.”
“The video takes the story into the realms of science-fiction, you’ll have to watch it to see what happens.”
It’s close to three years since the release of his last album Stop & Start Again, but Mulholland hasn’t been taking time out – he’s just been working on everyone else’s projects in his studio at The Lab (Anika Moa, Andrew Keoghan, Racing, Head Like a Hole). He’s also been on stages across the country – from playing low key classical guitar with Elroy Finn in their duo Pablo Vasquez, to performing with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for their Bowie Starman concerts.
The album has been made whenever Mulholland has found time over the past eighteen months. He says the sound is reminiscent of his first album with band The Mots, almost a decade ago.
“Thematically it’s a little more uplifting than Stop & Start Again,”
“Instrumentally it’s more electronic sounding, it’s full of drum machines, double speed drums, synthesizers and wobbly effected classical guitars.”
Mulholland plans to release the album and announce a tour in late 2017.
‘Asleep In The Nowhere’ is out today via all the usual digital platforms.