“‘Hi Gene!’ is the song the world never knew it needed to help get through these current times.” – Tyler Jenke, Rolling Stone Australia
If you’re still not around the basic precautionary measures currently in place to tackle this “Rona” situation, sit down, pour yourself a bath-brewed bev and let Glenn Richards spell it out for you. The beloved Augie March frontman has captured the quirky idiosyncrasies of the lived, imagined and projected iso-experience in his first ever solo release, ‘Hi Gene!’ out today. Timely though it is, this instant classic harks back to spelling lessons from Van Morrison with a neurotic nod to Neu and a salty salute to Sparks. As catchy as the global P-word it so cleverly dances around, ‘Hi Gene!’ is the hilarious, danceable mantra to this weird moment in time and one to look back on as the soundtrack of the “lost year/s”, and is out today.
“Augie had a big year planned and we’re hoping to be able to reschedule our Sunset Studies shows for November, but the virus has meant that a planned album will now take a back seat to something entirely new and, so far, really bloody good. I’m confident we’ll see an excellent GR album this year followed by an extraordinary AM album next year. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this half cut home brew, it harks a little to my early years when I had more brain cells but there were far less chords in music. The gist is we need to be clean with our bodies but our culture, in general, could use a little more dirt beneath its fingernails. Also, dogs are the best people. Stay safe and spread this ludicrous clip like it’s a vaccine. Xg2020.” – Glenn Richards
A widely accomplished singer, songwriter, composer, engineer and producer, Glenn Richards has written and released some of Australia’s most cherished music for over 20 years, touring the world extensively in its wake. Glenn has released several albums and EPs with Augie March including one platinum and two gold albums and has served as arranger and mixer on many notable releases including albums from Toni Collette, Christopher Coleman, Frederik Kinbom, The Beautiful Few among others. He is the winner of APRA Songwriter and Song of the Year Awards, and in 2010 he released a stand alone LP under his eponymous side project with Chris Richards (Dust), Dan Luscombe (The Drones, The Blackeyed Susans), Ben Bourke (Ned Collette & Wirewalker) and Mike Noga (The Drones), assuring us this was not a solo record.
Fast forward to 2020, add a little isolation with a hint of cabin fever, and fans of Glimjack can finally revel in the official new sounds of Glenn Richards’ solo material, with a new record set to be released later in the year. Until then, take comfort in the remedial satire of ‘Hi Gene!’ and remember to wash your hands.
‘Hi Gene!’ is out Friday 29 May via Believe
Stream via Spotify
