Emma Russack & Lachlan Denton have announced the return of their celebrated collaborative project with details of a new album, ‘Take The Reigns’, to be released October 18 via Spunk Records / Osborne Again. To coincide with the news, the pair have unveiled the album’s lead single “Love For Myself“, alongside a heartwarming music video.
Written over a tumultuous 6-month period for the two artists, Take The Reigns is a stunning showcase of Russack and Denton’s singular songwriting abilities, masterfully melding the prolific artists’ signature sounds for a compelling listen that spans earnest pop, melodic indie rock and melancholic balladry.
“My songs from “Take the Reigns” stretch over a polar period in my life,” says Denton. “The earlier were written in the midst of a new relationship. I was excited, over emotional and insecure. The others were written after the loss of my brother. The record for me is full of light and shade. I see Emma’s songs on this record as covering a similar spectrum.”
Russack says she finds writing for the project liberating: “I feel like I am able to be free. I can be a bit cheesy or sappy or pop-y and that’s totally ok.”
The album was recorded in just a few sessions with friends. Dylan Young (Way Dynamic) recorded and produced the record and mixed half of it. The other half was mixed by Liam ‘Snowy’ Halliwell (Denton’s bandmate in The Ocean Party), who also mastered it. Dainis Lacey from Cool Sounds played guitar and bass on some tracks. Russack says, “I feel like it was good for us both to do something really fun and positive together because it had been a difficult 6 months.”
Both Denton and Russack have released respective solo albums this year. Denton shared ‘A Brother’ in July, a deeply affecting album on the love and loss of a brother. Russack also unveiled her latest album ‘Winter Blues’ to critical praise the same month.
Russack and Denton collaborated last year on the sublime ‘When It Ends’ and ‘Keep On Trying’ (released as a double album late last year via Spunk – LISTEN). On this new album, the pair have captured an incredible friendship that has had profound ups and downs over the past year, yet has only grown stronger. “Lachlan and I have always been really open with one another and we just listen and accept each other’s work in a really natural way,” Russack says. “It’s a beautiful and rare thing.”