Premiere: WA's James Abberley brings waves of folk in new single, You're The One

There's a real beauty in music that's able to transport you to another world, especially at a time like now. Someone that understands that - and has the skill set to do that, no less - is West Australian musician James Abberley, who over the last two years, has blossomed into one-to-watch on the west coast. It comes following a string of singles since his debut back in 2018; tracks that pluck you from your surroundings and transport you to a place bordered by crashing waves and subtle relaxation - a place where you can feel in comfort, without a care in the world.

This is the central core to a lot of his work (at least on a surface level) and it's been quick to take off, even in a year so full of hardship as 2020. At the start of the year, he performed a near-sell-out run of shows in New Zealand just prior to coronavirus restrictions taking effect. When the rest of his plans were cancelled from that point, he doubled down in the studio, teasing forthcoming material with five sold-out shows following venue re-openings in June/July, before putting out an enchanting new single Drifting back in August, preluding more material to come in the year ahead.

Today, we premiere the second taste of his new music and the quick successor to Drifting at the tail-end of August, with You're The One being another song laden with James Abberley's rich sense of charm. It's a warm and wind-swept display of electronic-backed folk music, with gentle guitar melodies and breezing percussion underlying a crooning vocal which takes centre stage on You're The One, wrapping around you with warmth and comfort that seems to arise from its intimacy and vulnerability - a balance that Abberley teeters amongst for much of the song.

There's also an underlying sense of romanticism that adds to its depth and comforting embrace, which as Abberley explains, stems from the single's longing lyricism. "You're The One is about that moment when you are trying to fall asleep, but no matter what you do, you just can't get that person that you love or want out of your head," he says on the single, which premieres on Pilerats today ahead of its greater release this Friday, October 30th. "It's amazing to me that you can feel like a slave to your own thoughts."

Somehow, James Abberley is able to bring that to the limelight without it appearing too over-indulgent, with a minimalist folk backing - pushed forward by a subtle electronic pace - being the perfect thing to elevate every ounce of emotion that's present.

As mentioned, the single is officially out on October 30th, but you can take a dive into it below alongside his forthcoming tour dates, which takes him throughout West Australia this November.

Tour Dates (tickets via Eventbrite):