Pete Murray Shares Single, Announces December Tour

Pete Murray: photo credit Ian Laidlaw

Loading up the good vibes, today beloved Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray returns with his new single and music video, Wouldn’t It Be Good. Soaked in grooves, sunny melodics and Murray’s powerfully soothing vocals, Wouldn’t It Be Good is a charismatic addition to 2024, as well as a perfect accompaniment to the summer months ahead; a fitting fact with Murray also set to embark on an extensive tour kicking off late December and closing out in January 2025.

Starting life with nothing but its opening riff percolating, Wouldn’t It Be Good not only evolved into slightly new sonic territory for Pete Murray; it also marked a shift in Murray’s creative process, with producer Luke Palmer (Dead Letter Circus) ultimately helping to solidify the radiant end result. “It just started with the opening riff then went to the two-chord verse,” shares Murray of Wouldn’t It Be Good’s origins. “I was really just searching for the chorus lyrics, and the music just seemed to fit in with the lyrics. It’s normally the other way around. I produced this song with the help of Luke Palmer, and it’s funny with this song because when I first wrote it and played it for some friends, it wasn’t getting a great reaction. But I still really liked the song and never gave up on it. Then I had my nephew Dylan Cattanach (aka Katanak) help me out on an early demo, and it was here that I really started to hear the potential of the song – but people still weren’t getting it. During the recording of the album, I even played it to Luke and he wasn’t that into it, so I left it until the very end of the album recording and I brought it up again and got Luke to help me with it. There is a really great drum groove with congas paying and I got Luke to play a bass line on it too. As soon as I heard the bass, acoustic and drums, I knew this was going to work and the whole song just fell into place after that. Even at this stage when the song started to fall into place, I think I had lost a bit of confidence with it and I said to Luke: “I’ll keep this song for the next record, but let’s just finish it anyway”. Instead, he was like: “No way this is one of my faves and should go on this album”, so we finished it off and now it’s the first single. Funny how things work.”

Coated in positivity, bustling with acoustic magic and sparkling percussion, Wouldn’t It Be Good channels the essence of three iconic artists alongside Murray’s affable yet gripping trademark charm, as Murray himself puts it: “It’s John Lennon meets Jack Johnson and Rodriguez”. Mixed by Callam Howell, Wouldn’t It Be Good also saw Murray connect with OneHouse to conjure the accompanying visuals, featuring Murray and his accompanying band in full swing. “I’m keeping this video clip pretty simple and just filming the band play it in the studio – but I do have a funny video idea that involves a well-known tennis player but I can’t talk about this yet!” Murray reveals. “For this video, we worked with the talented OneHouse who are one of the most exciting up-and-coming production teams in the country. They’ve worked on a bunch of great short films that have been screened at festivals around the world recently as well as created some compelling music videos for acts including Boy & Bear and Steph Strings.”

One of Australia’s most enduring and endearing singer-songwriters, Pete Murray has gone on to sell over 1.2 million albums, amassed hundreds of millions of streams, release three ARIA chart-topping albums, and boasts 17 ARIA Award nominations amongst multiple other wins and nominations over the years. Emerging with his debut full length album The Game in 2001, Murray’s breakout sophomore album Feeler in 2003 cemented his status as one of the all-time greats. With ongoing hits along the way, including Better Days, Feeler, Opportunity and So Beautiful, Murray’s stirring blend of positivity with acoustic, rock and folk elements has flourished across decades, including with his most recent full length album Camacho in 2017. Now dominantly splitting his time in the studio and spending time with his family, Murray has also cultivated a stalwart reputation for his live show, from his own headline shows at home and abroad, as well as performances with the likes of Missy Higgins, Icehouse, Rob Thomas, Darryl Braithwaite and James Blunt to name a mere few. And in 2024, Murray has also returned to releasing music as an entirely independent artist. I’m now 100% back to being an independent artist, which I’m really excited about,” shares Murray. “Being independent again, the workload is a lot greater, but I’m enjoying being a part of every step, and hopefully the rewards will also be greater.”

With performances lined up to close out 2024 and heading into early 2025, fans can definitely expect to hear Wouldn’t It Be Good live when Pete Murray takes the stage, kicking off on Friday December 20 in Miranda before heading around the country, with stops in regional New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. But fret not if the Pete Murray live experience doesn’t head to a town near you; the man himself has also just launched the Play At Your Place competition, offering fans a chance to go in the running to have Pete Murray play an intimate, private performance at their own home; just by signing up to his mailing list, one lucky winner will score the ultimate bragging rights and an unforgettable experience, head to petemurray.com.

And regardless of where you catch Pete Murray live in action this summer, one thing is guaranteed: he couldn’t be happier to celebrate the brand new track Wouldn’t It Be Good onstage as 2024 draws to a close and we welcome 2025, with the latest single set to shine alongside many other favourites. “You will definitely be hearing Wouldn’t It Be Good that’s for sure,” reveals Murray of his upcoming performances. “It is a great summer song and will blend in to all my other songs. I’m hoping it will be a fan favourite by the end of the tour. It’s always exciting growing as an artist and writing and recording new songs. I’m loving the groove on this track, so it’s going to be a fun one to play live.”

Wouldn’t It Be Good is out today.