Music / Premieres
Premiere:
Gimmy Flowens - Don't Be Afraid
Gimmy Flowens - Don't Be Afraid
Twelve months on from the release of her debut single, today we have the pleasure of sharing a sneak peak at Gimmy Flowens’ new track ‘Don’t Be Afraid’, her debut release through Third Eye Stimuli that finds the Northern Rivers artist serving up a gloriously technicolour reimagining of her previous sound.
Recognisable as the vocalist and guitarist of Sydney psych-pop outfit The Oogars, Gimmy Flowens (or Gemma Owens rather) has been crafting music under her own name in the background for the past couple of years. Last year she quietly unveiled her debut single ‘Away For A While’, an ebbing dose of 60’s tinged indie-folk, but today, nearly 12 months later, she’s re-emerged with ‘Don’t Be Afraid’, a radiant burst of charismatic garage-pop that seems to have reimagined her sound, playing like a true invitation into Gimmy’s kaleidoscopic sonic world.
After opening with some warm garage-rock chords, ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ expands with an assertive pulse as Gimmy’s enigmatic vocals cut down the middle, delivered somewhere between commanding and playful as she asks “is anybody dancing?”. There’s an instantly likeable sense of irreverence about the track as it begins to unravel - from each of the left-of-centre one-liners Gimmy spits out across the verses or the off-kilter guitar leads that tangle restlessly around the track’s edges but don’t fail to hook us in. However, this lighthearted mood shifts slightly as we move into each dazzling chorus, which trades out the tongue-in-cheek smirk to showcase Gimmy’s effortless power as a songwriting and performer, her vocals soaring as the chords swell emotively around her.
Speaking about the track, Gimmy shares “the song was born from a restless self-analysing moment in my music room, it's about empowering yourself when being doubtful and to not be afraid of taking risks." It’s fitting then, that ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ manages to come across as a chameleon of sorts, masking any of these insecurities as it shapeshifts between sounding carefree and overwhelmingly evocative. And in the same way, points out the endless avenues that Gimmy’s music may opt to take, leaving us all the more curious to hear what’s next, especially so as whispers swirl of a forthcoming debut EP to be released through Third Eye Stimuli.
After opening with some warm garage-rock chords, ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ expands with an assertive pulse as Gimmy’s enigmatic vocals cut down the middle, delivered somewhere between commanding and playful as she asks “is anybody dancing?”. There’s an instantly likeable sense of irreverence about the track as it begins to unravel - from each of the left-of-centre one-liners Gimmy spits out across the verses or the off-kilter guitar leads that tangle restlessly around the track’s edges but don’t fail to hook us in. However, this lighthearted mood shifts slightly as we move into each dazzling chorus, which trades out the tongue-in-cheek smirk to showcase Gimmy’s effortless power as a songwriting and performer, her vocals soaring as the chords swell emotively around her.
Speaking about the track, Gimmy shares “the song was born from a restless self-analysing moment in my music room, it's about empowering yourself when being doubtful and to not be afraid of taking risks." It’s fitting then, that ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ manages to come across as a chameleon of sorts, masking any of these insecurities as it shapeshifts between sounding carefree and overwhelmingly evocative. And in the same way, points out the endless avenues that Gimmy’s music may opt to take, leaving us all the more curious to hear what’s next, especially so as whispers swirl of a forthcoming debut EP to be released through Third Eye Stimuli.
'Don't Be Afraid' is officially out this Thursday through Third Eye Stimuli.
