Melbourne duo Armlock have returned with their new single ‘Half Time’, released today via new Australian label radius and Run For Cover internationally. The release marks Armlock’s signing as the first artist on radius.
Armlock is the project of multi-instrumentalists and producers Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell. The pair have been friends for more than a decade and met while studying jazz at Monash University in Melbourne, before developing a shared interest in electronic music.
Their musical backgrounds include work across electronic and dance projects, with Armlock emerging as the pair began incorporating guitar and live instrumentation into their music. Lam and Mitchell record and engineer the project themselves, working from their home studios and developing songs through experimentation and layered ideas.
‘Half Time’ has already been part of Armlock’s live set and continues the restrained approach that has become central to their music. The track features syncopated guitar strumming, backing vocals and electronic sampling, with the release describing it as sitting within the duo’s slowcore sphere.
According to Armlock, the song explores “the gap between existing and feeling”. The lyric “Tell me how to hear it” became central to the track, with the duo describing emotion as an elusive frequency they are trying to access. They say the song is less about sadness and more about the frustration of trying to get more from passing moments and feel what exists beneath the surface.
The accompanying music video was made by Tom Dunphy and Bridgette Winten and takes a colourful approach inspired by the lyric “Just another rainbow”. Armlock explain that the footage was shot in double time with a high level of energy before being played back in half time, creating the subdued visual effect that accompanies the track.
The release also introduces radius, a new label venture from Rad Music Management’s Daniel Radburn and Virgin Music Australia. Armlock are the label’s first signing. According to Radburn, radius extends the work Rad Music has developed across management, touring and events into the label space, with a focus on community and sustainable artist careers.
Armlock’s first album, Trust, earned fbi.radio’s Album of the Week, while their second album, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, received support from outlets including NME, Bandcamp, Paste, Northern Transmissions, triple j Unearthed and community radio.
The duo’s previous single ‘Strobe’ focused on moments of joy and slowing down, while tracks including ‘Ice Cold’ and ‘Fear’ have contributed to the intimate and sparse character of their catalogue.
Armlock have previously toured the UK, Europe and the US, including headline performances and support slots with Wisp, Mannequin Pussy, Snail Mail, Momma, Slow Pulp, Horse Jumper of Love, Cloud Nothings, Farmer’s Wife and Fiddlehead. Their performance history also includes Laneway Festival, The Great Escape, Outbreak and Pitchfork Festival London, as well as sessions for Audiotree and Phoenix Central Park.
The duo will head to North America in September supporting The Belair Lip Bombs, with dates scheduled in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Amherst, Montreal, Detroit and Chicago. They will then return to Australia in November and December to support Spacey Jane, including performances at Brisbane’s Riverstage, The Drive in Adelaide and the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
The Sydney Opera House Forecourt performances on December 10 and 11 are listed as sold out.
‘Half Time’ is out now via radius in Australia and Run For Cover internationally.
‘Half Time‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.
TOUR DATES
Wed 9 Sep – Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA^
Mon 14 Sep – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA^
Wed 16 Sep – Elsewhere Rooftop – Brooklyn, NY^
Fri 18 Sep – The Drake – Amherst, MA^
Sat 19 Sep – Cabaret Fouf – Montreal, QC^
Tue 22 Sep – Lager House – Detroit, MI^
Wed 23 Sep – Subterranean – Chicago, IL^
Thu 26 Nov – Riverstage – Magadjin / Brisbane*
Fri 27 Nov – Riverstage – Magadjin / Brisbane*
Sun 6 Dec – The Drive – Kaurna Land / Adelaide*
Thu 10 Dec – Sydney Opera House Forecourt – Eora / Sydney* (SOLD OUT)
Fri 11 Dec – Sydney Opera House Forecourt – Eora / Sydney* (SOLD OUT)
^ supporting The Belair Lip Bombs
* supporting Spacey Jane
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