Sydney finally experienced an earful of Melbourne musician Fractures last week at his sold out show in Newtown. He has just released his much anticipated debut LP Still Here and is taking his unique brand of melancholy electro pop on a brief tour around the country, wrapping up in Melbourne this Friday night. The guy broods over themes of conflict and heartbreak in his songwriting but his on-stage banter is a different story. Harnessing that combination of powerful guitar driven pop, where the live band element certainly kicks in, and his almost-stand-up-routine between songs, Fractures had the crowd coasting along, thoroughly enjoying every minute.
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
It’s not often that an artist suffers a debilitating neck injury and comes back with the force that Fractures has. The guy (aka Mark Zito) started making waves back in 2013 after his highly successful debut single release, when he (very unironically) fractured his vertebrae just days before his first round of gigs. He fittingly followed that up by releasing new music and announcing tour dates merely months afterwards. Since then, we’ve seen his sound grow larger and his live performances more refined. He’s been muzzing around at festivals like Beyond the Valley, Splendour in the Grass and BIGSOUND, taking on support duties for Emma Louise, Holy Holy, and Daughter, and he’s collaborated with Sydney electronic producers Set Mo to boot.
More recently, he’s released some fresh tunes in the lead up to his latest project Still Here. In the past, he has described his own style as “dark, moody and eclectic” and, likewise, we pitched his self-titled EP as “an atmospheric and melancholic work of electronic pop”. His latest work from the upcoming LP, singles Alchemy and Fall Harder perhaps feature a less foreboding atmosphere; they keep with the dark lyrical tones but pair with airy vocals, and feature much more of a driving instrumental feel, pushing ceremonious drums on the former and layered guitar and contrasting textures on the latter. The third single Lowcast is warmly reminiscent of a Rogue Wave ditty you would add to your roadtrip playlist; nostalgic and welcoming. Safe to say that the sound feels like an entirely natural progression within Zito’s ongoing evolution as a producer and musician.
While the LP is slated for release Feb 10, Fractures will be playing some live shows shortly after, hitting up Brisbane, Sydney and his hometown Melbourne. You can find more details below. When he’s not gigging or writing of course, he’s oft galavanting around the back streets of Newtown, as one does in the middle of summer. This is where we caught up with him recently.
Fractures Still Here tour dates:
Fri, Feb 17 | Brightside, Brisbane
Sat, Feb 18 | Newtown Social Club, Sydney
Fri, Feb 24 | Howler, Melbourne
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
2017 is already off to a huge bang, with new music, new videos, new tour dates and album announcements coming out of our ears. Here’s some of our favourite Australian news and new releases from the past week!
New video: Cloves, Better Now
Cloves has one of the most stunning voices I’ve heard in a long time, and I highly encourage everyone to take notice. This week, she released the video for recent single (and the first taste of her upcoming debut album) Better Now, adding a gorgeous visual accompaniment to the melodically captivating track.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mepUaXoo8wc]
New video: Cameron Avery, Wasted on Fidelity
The Tame Impala and POND luminary has been busy promoting his new solo album, Pipe Dreams, out March 10. Sandwiched in between a solo tour and Tame’s headlining slot at Laneway, Cameron has somehow found the time to also release this lovely new video.
Oh, and you can check out our exclusive photo shoot with the Perth-bred artist right here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdN7bhUIOQw]
New album & single: Methyl Ethel, Ubu
What is it with all the references to cutting hair in songs right now? (We’re looking at you, Camp Cope). Methyl Ethel have a new album out – Everything is Forgotten, out March 3, and lead single Ubu is honestly my personal favourite that they’ve released in their career so far, so here’s hoping that the album follows suit.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P56OpE_qDo8]
New EP & single: Rolling Blackouts C.F, French Press
Everyone who has had a friend who has travelled the world will identify with the words of French Press, which tells the story of a Skype call between two brothers in wildly different circumstances. Rolling Blackouts C.F. are set to release their sophomore EP The French Press on March 10 through Ivy League Records.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEZm7BGvryg]
New single: Winston Surfshirt, Be About You
Blending delightful dream-pop with Aussie Hip-Hop, Winston Surfshirt is a new name on the scene, and one we’re really keen to keep an eye on. Don’t miss the Be About You single launch at Newtown Social Club on March 25.
New single: Vincent Sole, The Game
Setting up a huge 2017, Vincent Sole has blasted out of the gates with new single The Game. Another new artist with quite a unique and exciting sound, 2017 is looking pretty damn promising already in terms of upcoming talent. Keep an eye on him too, he’s sure to be working his way into your ears over the coming year.
https://soundcloud.com/vincent-sole/the-game-1
New single: Fractures, Lowcast
The third single we’ve heard from his upcoming debut album, Lowcast is a mellow but engaging offering from Melbourne-based Fractures. His sound has certainly progressed and expanded in the years since his formative early releases releases, and he’s clearly spent a great deal of time moulding and crafting the sound that we’ll be hearing on Still Here come February 10.
Image: Fractures, Supplied
Melbourne producer/songwriter Mark Zito – better known as Fractures – has returned with a gorgeous new single.
Since releasing his self-titled EP in July 2014, Fractures has spent the last year or so playing to capacity crowds both in Australia and overseas. It’s fair to say, then, that his new single has been keenly anticipated by many. It doesn’t disappoint. When we reviewed the EP we said that Zito “bares vulnerabilities and draws on your own in an exploration of heart and soul.”
Reactor is the first taste of Fractures’ debut album, which is slated for release in early 2016. Focusing on themes of lust, temptation and guilt, it’s reminiscent of acts like SOHN, with ethereal electronica offering a backdrop to vocals fraught with emotion.
It is a night swathed in velvet. At the Vanguard in Newtown, the ceilings are high, the lights are low and the mood is distinctly enticing. It’s an intimate space, with couples feeding each other with long spoons upstairs and cheeky winking bartenders downstairs. The Vanguard’s New Orleans styling, strong whiskeys and warm surroundings wants you blushing and stripping off layers of clothing, and with a voice that purrs and a sound that sends shivers all the way down your spine, Fractures wants you doing the same.
Bringing in the early crowd and coaxing them to the front of the stage, Northern Beaches Mammals cruise with confidence across guitar rock and electronic tracks. A spread of instruments covers the stage, demonstrating the intricacies of their music as they dip a toe across the lines of guitar rock, glitch pop and electronica with a surfer sensitivity. Mammals are crisp, chirpy and visibly excited to be back together again after travels spread them apart. They are keen to live up to the standard of Fractures and relish the stage together. Guy Brown, the mythical surfer third brother of Angus Stone and Vance Joy, calls out to the audience and dances about on their upbeat tracks, committing to the set entirely. By the end of it he is buzzing and the crowd is ready to take the plunge into Fractures.
Mark Zito aka Fractures brings a more cool, calm and collected taste as he slides into Coral and introduces the crowd to brand new tracks, as well as those from his recently released eponymous EP. On stage his confidence oozes into every song, the hushed harmonies of Embers washing over the crowd and lulling us into each other’s arms. This is bedroom music, no doubt about it. Zito is thrilled to sell out a venue away from his home state, introducing the crowd to the band which includes his brother as part of the five-piece. Fractures’ voice is rich as caramel, the vulnerable tone of some of his songs replaced with seductive allure through swelling vocals and accompaniment that swallows you whole.
His gorgeous EP has received widespread airplay on independent radio and live (read our review here), Fractures is even more powerful. His new music has the same breathy quality that makes you lean in until you catch yourself swooning, and while some songs had the crowd grinding and writhing there is always the element that flutters your eyelids and wins you over with a whisper. Zito didn’t play an encore – Twisted, the song that brought him into the spotlight and onto new stages, was a fitting climax. That said, everyone in the Vanguard was left breathless for more.
As Fractures, Melbourne artist Mark Zito has released an eight track self-titled EP that builds and breathes with effortless elegance. A slow burn that improves with each listening, Fractures is an atmospheric and melancholic work of electronic pop. With layers of warm tones and soupy vocals, Fractures bares vulnerabilities and draws on your own in an exploration of heart and soul.
This is the first release for Zito, a Melbourne singer-producer who built the EP out of experimentation and minimalism. The standout single Twisted has seen enormous airplay across independent radio, displaying heartfelt vocals with sparse accompaniment. Twisted is filled with the ebb and flow of Zito’s atmospheric production that draws comparisons to artists like Chet Faker and James Blake.
The EP is also one of contrasts, with Zito drawing on a breadth of artists and styles for inspiration to create eight very different tracks. The opener, Embers, mixes vocal harmonies with spare accompaniment that builds to a driving chorus that envelopes you in the world of Fractures. The lashing guitar of Embers is then replaced by a Wurlitzer for the heartfelt and moody Cadence, the latest single from the EP that pulls you into infatuation with heartfelt lyrics telling you “just breathe, breath you in, just breathe.” It is a track that pulls you in with a sigh and leaves you with a gasp.
Fractures is a softly spoken heart-melter, with breathy falsettos, minimalist edging and electronic underlay that creates an ambience of introspection. Zito was forced to cancel his first live show following injury, but is planning on taking the release to the stage as soon as possible. Expansive tracks like his need space to swell and slide, and it would be interesting to see how his sound changes and adapts to a live music space. Hopefully, we will be seeing Fractures soon.
Fractures will be performing this weekend at Splendour in the Grass, as well as the following dates:
August 8: The Vanguard, Sydney
August 9: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne