Mihra is the solo project of Chevaunne Keleher, who you may recognise as one third of local cosmic-pop collective My Elephant Ride. Since 2014, she’s been working under the Mihra name to create her own otherworldly pop, dropping her debut album Hoping For Gold in 2016. With her second album Girl and Her Symbols just around the corner, today Mihra has offered up one more taste of what’s to come in the form of ‘Underwater’.

In contrast to her previous single ‘New Horizon’, which hit hard with steady grooves and eclectic sounds, ‘Underwater’ sees Mihra taking a decidedly different route - this time, things are ethereal and expansive, built around a rhythmic slow-burn. The track opens up with a sea of layered vocals as tribal percussion thuds and unearthly sounds shimmer, leaving plenty of space for Mihra’s translucent vocals to steal the limelight as they drift above everything. As the title suggests, there is something immediately immersive about the track, and with the inclusion of bird sounds and running water, it’s easy to let the soundscape wash over you.

However, with a steady bassline chugging along beneath everything, ‘Underwater’ becomes more than just a chilled-out pop song. Despite the relaxed nature of the instrumentation, the driving bass leaves a sense of uncertainty, as if the song is moving yet has nowhere to go. Sure enough, things momentarily strip back to glistening vocals and hand claps, before the track explodes open and we find our destination. With lush guitars, engulfing synths and a glorious melody, ‘Underwater’ expands to reach another level and Mihra rides the song out in style.

With a single launch at The Toff in Town next Friday and the album coming in early November, we caught up with Chevaunne to find out about everything she has going on.

TJ: Hey Mihra, tell us about yourself. What’s the story behind your new single ‘Underwater’?

M: We are four leafy green pot plants from Melbourne. ‘Underwater’ is a contemplation on the crossover between reality and dreams, with an upbeat tropical vibe and some palatable pop melodies! It’s the first track on the album, and is meant as a little food for thought for the ensuing tracks.

'Underwater' is the second taste of your new album Girl and Her Symbols. How much you can give away about the new album?

I can give away lots! There are ten tracks. We used a juno-106 synth sometimes. It’s a concept album about dreams - we were aiming for something somewhat cinematic and kaleidoscopic, describing real dreams but making them rhyme. The tracks have pop sensibilities but tell abstract, evocative narratives taken from a daily dream journal. Subject matter includes heartbreak, childhood nostalgia, flight, and… being in an episode of House MD. Yeah.

You also play in My Elephant Ride - how does Mihra differ from that project?

My Elephant Ride is a lot more collaborative in the writing and recording process. In Mihra, I’ll say “hey can you play this thing I wrote like this” and the guys will say “hmm cool but how about like this”, and it’s better and I’ll say “ok”. Being the main songwriter for Mihra gives me more freedom but it’s challenging to crack the whip on myself sometimes. Nathan (guitar) and I had a pretty good system though – he spent days cooking meals and brewing tea while I was writing so I wouldn’t wander into the kitchen and get distracted. And sometimes he would come in and say “good job, keep it up”.

How’s the end of the year shaping up for Mihra?

It is shaped like a dodecahedron!! Album is coming out November 3rd on our own indie label Wigwam Records! We’ll be playing a bunch of shows and have a couple of other surprises up our sleeves. Whee!! Thanks for having us Trouble Juice!