EP Walkthru: Bumpy - Morning Sun

Photo credit: Georgia Mein

Naarm/Melbourne based singer-songwriter, and proud Noongar woman Bumpy wrapped us up in her incredible talents last year with singles Leave It All Behind, Return Home, and Hide & Seek, releases which not only received lot’s of love from us but from the likes of triple J and Double J, to Coles Radio, and Frankie Magazine. Today those singles join two additional tracks on a delightful debut titled; Morning Sun EP.

Rooted in Bumpy’s smooth and commanding voice delivering moving soulful melodies, Morning Sun EP draws pop, folk, and jazz influences into its 5-track listing to create a beautifully warm and soothing release. With relatable narratives that detail uncertainty, friendship, and desire, as well as personal connections to land and her natural environment, the EP showcases an ability to effortlessly articulate experiences and emotions into a collection of compositions that not only give insight into her life, but her range as an artist.

As the release enters the world today, we took the opportunity to hear more about what went into the making of each track on Morning Sun EP, asking Bumpy to share an EP Walkthrough - so be sure to hit play on this captivating new release, as you take a read of what she had to say on it below.

Waiting Game

This track was written about the undefined moments of knowing whether or not things are worth the wait. Dancing around the line and wondering if you’re extending yourself too far to make it work or if that’s what it requires to grasp your desired outcome. Sonically, we wanted it to feel like you were swimming in this space for the majority of the track, like you’re waiting for something to happen. Then ultimately, reach a point musically that feels like you are swamped in this world before the bass and guitar riff drive you into a shift. I wanted to capture the feelings of tough decisions - moving through the push and pull.

Return Home

Return Home articulates a lot of feelings that I wouldn't usually vocalise in general conversation. It really allowed me to heal and re-find music as a channel to access deep emotional safely. Written just with guitar and voice, I wanted to honour the songs story. Collaborating with the incredible Aaron Wyatt, Allara Pattison and ensemble Dutala, we added strings into the arrangement, further bringing Blak strength to the track. It really opened my eyes to seeing how something so vulnerable can be shifted and put into a light of power. This was the first single from the EP and was full of community collaboration, connection and family.

Leave It All Behind

It had been months and months of intense lockdowns in Naarm. After the km radius was lifted my brother, partner and I jetted straight down to the 90 mile beach on Gunai Kurnai country to go camping. It was like we hadn’t taken a deep breath in months, I hadn't seen the stars in full glory in ages and the beauty of the landscape really hit how much we missed this connection. We woke up every day with food on the fire, a morning swim, a sing-a-long and friends coming and going. It felt soooo good to be there. Once we returned back to Naarm my mind and body was still lingering in the trip - and that's when this song came to life. Daydreaming about stillness, staying there and leaving everything else all behind.

Morning Sun

The title track of the album, Morning Sun honours the beginnings of this project - stripped back and live. This song was written as a warm embrace for a dear friend. A reminder that you are loved, held and always enough. This was tracked live in the studio without any overdubs or drop-ins. We felt it honestly captured the intent best when it was presented in its rawness and realness. I always adore singing this song live with my bandmates Emma and Issy, I love the way our voices weave between each other, attempting to express a big cuddle of care.

Hide & Seek

Hide & Seeks follows the playfulness of desire and the feelings of getting caught up in temptation. This song has lived in many different forms in this project. From playing it solo to full band and an endless amount of arrangement shifts, I feel super excited that it has been tracked. I really wanted to showcase the incredible band and just lean into a playful nature in music. It was a lot of fun sitting with the mixing engineer, Theo Carbo and figuring out how all of the parts come together to strengthen the track. His ability to form a feeling and draw out moments within a mix was super inspiring. It was such an incredible journey into hearing the song transform over time and understand how powerful the mixing process is.

Bumpy's debut EP Morning Sun EP is out now via Astral People Recordings / [PIAS]

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