Naarm’s Butternut Sweetheart are meticulous when it comes to releasing their music. If a tune isn’t quite perfect, then they will let it sit by, until they come up with the magical missing ingredient that will give it the ‘wow’ factor. We are feeling blessed today to be premiering a song that has taken them seven years to bring to fruition, the beautiful and enchanting “Cold Modern Life”. We’ve also got the video for the single as well. It’s beautifully shot, and as I write this from north-west England, it has saddled me with a major case of homesickness.
If you’ve ever felt connected on the socials, but suffering due to physical isolation, then this song has a potent message for you. Frontman, Luke Moseley speaks to the track: “I often feel overwhelmed by potential connection but also connected to nothing. Cold modern life is a mantra and an anthem – a pep talk made to sing to yourself in the mirror, cool runnings style, as a protest against the heartlessness of the modern world.
I tried recording this song four separate times, but it was always missing something intangible. The answer came in the form of a tiny synthesiser that I bought in LA after working for Yeasayer at Coachella. The pocket piano (Critter and Guitarri) brought the wildness I was craving; obnoxious square wave arpeggios for the song’s depressingly epic outro”
Luke’s vocals are captivating. With Jazz Johnstone and Lawrence Folvig rounding out the trio, “Cold Modern Life” builds into a driving wall of sound, with the repeating refrain of “I don’t want to be alone in this cold modern life”. With sweet backing vocals, some lovely keys sitting side by side with the popping synths, and a relentless driving beat, “Cold Modern Life” is a riveting journey. It feels like a love-child of recent Bon Iver, H3000 and Dirty Projectors. Each subsequent listen unearths new gems.
This is the first track from their upcoming EP, I’ve Got My Problems, You’ve Got Your Dreams, due to be released on the 10th of July. “Cold Modern Life” was mixed by Ball Park Music’s Sam Cromack.
The video is stunning. Shot by the sea, the trio really didn’t hold back. I hope the water was warm, but I suspect it wasn’t. It showcases physical isolation and daredevil jumps into the ocean, and will have you pressing the replay button as soon as it gets to the end. It was directed and shot by Marcus Coblyn.
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