Georgia June has returned with a warming new single titled ‘Winter’, marking “the end of an era” as the Sydney indie-pop artist pivots her eponymous project from a five-piece band to a solo effort.
In a statement shared on Instagram, June explained that ‘Winter’ explores themes of “unrequited and lost love”, and serves as a metaphorical “open door to a realm of newness after leaving something behind”. She also noted that former bandmates – guitarists Jack Johnston and Lewis Mosley, bassist Joe Plunkett and drummer James Spittaler – all “contributed greatly” to the song.
June went on to thank the quartet “for the unforgettable memories and friendships that I will always cherish”, assuring fans that their split was amicable as she “feel[s] very fortunate to have spent so much time around incredibly talented people”. She confirmed, though, that her future releases would not feature the band, continuing: “I hope you will stick around for the journey and be by my side while I explore a new direction.”
Have a listen to ‘Winter’ below:
‘Winter’ comes as June’s first release in more than two years, following the ‘Baby Blue’ EP in December of 2020. Being the first longform effort released under the Georgia June banner, that record – which featured singles like ‘Prove Myself’, ‘Try Again’ and the title track – stands as the only one she released with her former band. Prior to it, they dropped the standalone single ‘Pressure’ in 2018.
‘Winter’ also marks somewhat of comeback for June, who last year opened up about her turbulent relationship with music after being diagnosed with a condition that forced her to have vocal surgery. She explained at the time: “The consensus was that my voice is not built to be used as often as I would like, let alone sing for a career.
“I played a show at the Vanguard in July of 2020, terrified it would be my last, and scheduled my surgery for three days later. This was followed by six weeks of silence, absolutely no sound was to be made during recovery. It was emotional, confronting and utterly terrifying.”
In that statement, shared last April, June conceded that she “needed to relearn how to love music” following her recovery. She continued: “I grew apathetic, distant and spiralled into someone I didn’t recognise. I had to find love in other aspects of my life to try and piece together who I was. I wrote a lot of new music, which left me at a fragile crossroads with my identity because I had never known myself without music as my touchstone.
“I still adore music and performing, and since surgery have recovered well and slowly rebuilt my confidence with some of the incredible shows I have played post surgery. At the end of the day, I just enjoy making people smile, which is simultaneously selfless and selfish. Selfish because the satisfaction I get from seeing a room full of smiling faces and knowing I caused it, fuels me entirely.”