SINCLAIRE
Debut EP
‘Now I’m Ready To Start’
Curated Playlist
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Support for current single ‘IT’S NOT ENOUGH’
“It’s got a darker energy breaking out of a crisp pop shell”. – 4/5 stars – Declan Byrne – triple j (AUS)
“Filled with a larger than life rhythm section, Sinclaire has perfected synchronicity between uplifting vocals, humming guitars and a driving percussion backbeat”. – Savage Thrills (AUS)
“The song, which is driven by a relentless rhythm section and atmospheric guitars, allows vocalist Michael Cross to soar in ways that we haven’t heard on previous singles and has got us super excited for their debut EP”. – Life Without Andy (AUS)
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Before we began Sinclaire ¾ of us were in a pop punk band. I (Michael) personally never grew up listening to many of the acts that carried the torch for genre through its golden years. So, when it came to writing I felt very uninspired and found it difficult to truly express myself musically. As our last band was ending, on one of the very last demos we wrote I began using my voice in different ways and embracing its lower register. And from that point it instantly felt… right. Like creating music was finally making sense to me. From there, the flood gates opened, we were writing songs better than we ever had and with the help of Stevie & Dave at Electric Sun we pieced together 5 songs that ultimately made us change band names and welcome a fresh start as Sinclaire.
Michael – Vocals
1. What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out? – Gang of Youths
This was THE band for me. Hearing Dave’s voice was one of the biggest influences for me to begin using my lower register. So often throughout my previous musical endeavours I felt like I had to sing higher than I needed to. Then Gang of Youths came along and became one of Australia’s most loved bands with most of their songs sung in a bass – tenor range. It really opened my eyes to just how accessible that style could be.
2. Loving Is Easy – Rex Orange County
Where do I start with this song… I may have listened to this track over 200 times last year. It is so infectious. I think the true beauty of this song lies in its unique structure. There isn’t a single verse! It’s just chorus, pre-chorus & bridge. Now, you may not hear a lot of influence from this song in anything on our EP but it was one of the songs I practised the most to stop myself from straining before we went into tracking. Plus, Alexander O’Connor pulls out some incredibly interesting chord progressions throughout all his work and he was like 18 or something when he wrote this…
Aiden – Guitar
3. buttercup – Hippo Campus
I first discovered Hippo Campus when we were about to start recording our EP. If nothing else, the guitar work alone had me convinced. The way the instrumentation works with the vocals is just great in my opinion. Growing up listening to mostly punk music, falsetto vocals was pretty alien to me. I think I started liking the style of singing more and more after listening to this album.
4. Don’t Take The Money – Bleachers
I went to see Paramore in 2018 and I walked into the stadium to this song. I never heard a Bleachers song before that and I was blown away. The next day I went searching for this song on Spotify because I couldn’t get it out of my head. Watching Jack Antonoff’s production videos and just his song writing in general is really inspirational.
Jake – Synth
5. Border on Control – City Calm Down
This band is an important inspiration for us. But, especially for me. This song merges elements from pop and post punk to create a driving, dreamy, swirling feeling of bliss and sadness. This wild combination is something that we truly aspire to as a band. The airy synths float the song to the chorus where they morph into a huge cutting melody that complements Jack’s vocals. It’s such an emotionally hard hitting yet, fun song. The combination of big introspection combined with the swagger of pop, that this song delivers, is something we attempted to capture in our upcoming EP.
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SINCLAIRE
reveal stunning debut EP
‘Now I’m Ready To Start’
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Following on from the release of their critically praised new single ‘It’s Not Enough’, Sydney-based indie-rock quartet Sinclaire have just unveiled their emotively-driven debut EP ‘Now I’m Ready To Start’ – produced by Stevie Knight (The Dead Love, Yours Truly, Stand Atlantic) and mixed by Adrian Breakspear (Gang of Youths, Boy & Bear, Triple One).
‘Now I’m Ready To Start’ is five fervent tracks that give a solid nod to modern indie-rock heroes Gang of Youths and City Calm Down, while also drawing inspiration from the 90’s and 00’s era, reminiscent of panjandrums The National, Phoenix and Frightened Rabbit. The record boasts slick production and an impressive level of song writing maturity rarely seen in bands in their infancy.
Front man Michael Cross describes the creative process behind ‘Now I’m Ready To Start’: “The EP is almost like an open book of my mistakes, insecurities and negative personality traits. I’ve always been one to hide my emotions and carry my own burdens rather than share them with my friends & family. Eventually, it came to a point where I knew I was becoming overwhelmed but, rather than talk about my problems I chose to jump in the deep-end and bare my reality to everyone. Each song talks about a different part of my life. From relationships to my self-destructive tendencies – nothing was held back. To feel pleasure from such a painful process was almost masochistic. I think writing this EP marked a turning point in my life and I really hope that others who struggle to be open with their emotions can see how showing feeling is not a form of weakness but rather an essential part of being human”.
The two already released tracks ‘Headspace’, ‘Torn In Two’ and current single ‘It’s Not Enough’ have been strongly supported by the likes of Australian radio stations triple j Unearthed, FBi, 3RRR, 4ZZZ and Radio Adelaide. The tracks were also featured via blogs and tastemakers Pilerats, Don’t Bore Us, Wall of Sound, Savage Thrills, Life Without Andy and Little Indie Blogs.
‘Now I’m Ready To Start’ is available worldwide now.
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“Torn In Two”
is available on all digital platforms now!
PURCHASE/STREAM “TORN IN TWO” HERE
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SINCLAIRE
‘NOW I’M READY TO START’ TOUR
THU AUG 1 | GREASER, BRISBANE QLD
SAT AUG 3 | THE CHIPPO HOTEL, SYDNEY NSW
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Sinclaire is made up of four musicians, vocalist Michael Cross, drummer Lachlan McDonald, guitarist Aiden Turner & keyboardist Jake Sheath. The group formed in mid-2018, following years of touring, writing and recording together in various other projects.
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AMNPLIFY – DB
My nickname is “The Amnplifier”. Why? Because around here my focus is on being a conduit for providing greater outcomes that people come here for. My day to day “work” is living in the moment, and I love helping others concentrate on finding their connection to themselves through their experiences.
Why start a music environment? The truth is I love music, I love writing, and I love life. I work with musicians every day, and I feel certain that I will be until they put me in the ground. I have been managing people in businesses of some sort for over thirty five years so along the way I have developed some “wisdom” from my regular and constant “observations”.
Amnplify your experience. That is what we want you to do here, and if you want to let me know why you do, or don’t, shoot me a message on Facebook.
Hope you enjoy yourself here and find something that hits you somewhere.
