Listen to captivating indie artist Nick Griffith’s sophomore album Something I Once Heard,
out now via Dinosaur City Records and Kingfisher Bluez digitally and on limited-edition 12'
vinyl.
The new record features singles 'Island', 'Porto Song', 'Darling' and title track 'Something I
Once Heard', which were met with praise and support from NME Australia, Sydney Morning
Herald, Mindies and more, rotation on FBi Radio and 2SER, and placement on a string of
hugely influential Spotify playlists including New Music Friday, Indie Arrivals, Local Noise,
Fresh Finds: Aus and NZ and Fresh Finds: Indie.
Joining the album's sunny singles is focus track ‘Waking in the Dead of Night’, a song Nick
wrote while living with a life-threatening illness.'I reflect on receiving the first diagnosis and
the emotional spiral it sent me into. It felt strange, it didn’t seem to fit with my seemingly
regular life. All of a sudden everything was uncertain and there was this new priority. From
panic to sadness, to reassurance to obsession, there was a whole range of feelings inside of
me. This song is me trying to summon some sort of inner strength to pull myself through.'
Griffith says.
Written, recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Nick Griffith at his home studio,
Something I Once Heard is the follow-up to Griffith’s infectious debut solo record ‘7am’
(2020), which picked up feature album on FBi Radio and 2SER, was nominated for the
prestigious Australian Music Prize (AMP), topped the AMRAP community radio charts and
saw praise from the likes of Fader, The Music, and Happy.
Where 7am saw Nick Griffith explore left-field electro and lo-fi pop, on Something I Once
Heard, Nick abandons his drum machines and synthesisers in favour of live drums and
acoustic guitar, taking nods from the likes of Pavement and Stereolab.
Griffith’s most sincere body of work to date, Something I Once Heard speaks honestly and
unashamedly about a range of significant life events experienced over the course of five
years, from overcoming a serious diagnosis to new relationships and personal growth.
Griffith elaborates, 'The lyrics are not intricate nor are they deliberately profound, but they
are honest and speak unashamedly about the range of significant life events I was
experiencing throughout the period in which I wrote it. I had no choice but to write this
album and I think that’s what makes it special. I began writing the record on a holiday in
Europe back in 2019. The nucleus of a lot of these songs and ideas were conceived in the
hotel rooms and city streets of Spain and Portugal. I returned home with my head full of
ideas and began writing what would become my second album. The album was coming
together smoothly, and the demos represented the songs in their embryonic stage, but
something else was growing inside me at that time that I wasn’t aware of. Something that
would soon unpin the taught corners of my wellbeing to reveal a vortex of confusion.
Throughout the turbulence, I reached for a pen as nothing more than a coping mechanism.
I’d been cracked open, and I couldn’t help but write about it. These worried ramblings would
complete the lyrics for Something I Once Heard.'
'I built the recordings up from the original demos, constantly working on them and
retracking to get the right sound with the limited quality recording gear I had. I eventually
called on the help of some good friends, recording acoustic guitar with Bowen Shakallis (Big
White, Stranded Recording Studio), nylon string with Jordan Ireland (The Middle East) and
backing vocals with Sophie McComish (Body Type), Ashley Bundang (Classic) and Annabel
Blackman (Solo Career). I finished the record in my current home studio in Port Kembla,
signifying the end of one damned chapter.' Nick continues.
Nick Griffith is a household name on the Sydney indie music circuit, known for his
contributions to Big White, Bored Shorts and High-tails. With Big White, Griffith has thrice
tour Europe and the States supporting acts like Ty Segal, Gang of Four and Black Lips, while
High-tails single 'Bending Over Backwards’ saw full rotation on triple j and was the ninthmost
played song on the station in the year it was released.
