Watch: Alex the Astronaut - Octopus

An effortless glide through surging waves of life’s complexities to a calm expansive horizon of self-discovery

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(Photo by Jamie Heath)

With the announcement of a sophomore album on it’s way, singer, songwriter and acclaimed storyteller Alex the Astronaut shares a personal and heart-felt new single Octopus, a track that is metaphoric but also true to a deep appreciation of the sea creature.

With inspiration drawing from the artists snorkeling expeditions whilst in the midsts of Sydney lockdowns, Octopus is driven by guitar plucks, succinct drums, quirky and fun bubble noises and synthy accents, allowing Alex’s melodies to glide effortlessly through surging waves of life’s complexities to a calm expansive horizon of self-discovery. On the track, Alex shares “A group of octopus can be called octopuses, octopi, or octopods. I like octopods the best. Octopods can change colour to blend in with their surroundings, regrow limbs, and decorate their houses with shells. They are amazing geniuses that live amongst us. Growing up we learn that only people that show a certain set of skills can be called clever, or valuable to society. When I was diagnosed with ASD last year I was worried people would look at me funny and think that I don’t fit when they found out, which they do sometimes but I learnt that we all have a different set of superpowers, like our friends the octopods. All of us need a little help from our friends sometimes and all of us have a superpower that could help the world grow. If we stopped worrying about how much everyone does or doesn’t fit I think we’d all be braver, more curious and much kinder.”

Known for an ability to combine the playful with the profound, the forthcoming album How to Grow A Sunflower Underwater promises to be more vulnerable than ever before, Alex expressing that “I started to see that I needed to keep being that vulnerable if I wanted to make something that contributed to the world.”

With the album out July 22, dip your toe in with Octopus and it’s cute but meaningful animated video below.