The Nyoongar songwriter takes us deep into the stories of home, heritage, and heartache that define his powerful debut.
Hailing from Fremantle, Lachy John and The Red Bellies craft a potent blend of Australian rock and blues, anchored by raw storytelling and Lachy’s Indigenous heritage.
Their debut EP, ‘Since I Was Around’, is a profound journey through themes of home, grief, and resilience.
Here, Lachy John provides an intimate, track-by-track guide to the collection, from the anthemic psych-rock of ‘Magic’ to the spontaneous voice memo of ‘Daisy’, offering a deep dive into the soul and stories behind each song on this powerful debut.
‘Magic (Band Version)’
We wanted to open the EP with a bang, and for me, the band version of ‘Magic’ is probably the crown jewel of this body of work. I want to leave this one as a bit of a surprise for listeners so I’ll try not to give too much away, but…
Anthemic, atmospheric and vibey, the track starts modest and slow, building tension… then it takes off. Expect a huge sound, combining blues and roots with rock n roll and 70s psych rock.
We surprised ourselves majorly with this track and certainly didn’t expect the revised version to come out the way it did. Needless to say, we’re bloody stoked with it. More on the writing of this song later.
‘The Pessimist’
Really leaning into our darker, rockier side, ‘The Pessimist’ is an evocative tune about a person whose cup is always half empty. I wrote it about all the worst traits of certain people in my world to try to remedy some healing and forgiveness.
I guess writing this song helped me to understand how different people become the way they are and find compassion for them.
With ‘The Pessimist’, we tried to replicate the intense subject matter in the music. It’s got spooky organ, soaring guitar solos and a punchy vocal track. It’s heavily layered and deeply rooted in 80s rock and blues, and even has a little psychedelic-grunge flavour.
It’s dark, gritty and raw, and represents a change in our sound.
‘Dreaming’
‘Dreaming’ is the second single from the EP and the second song I ever wrote. It’s also the first track we’ve released with the full band. I wrote ‘Dreaming’ at 16 while living in the Pilbara desert town of Newman.
It’s inspired by my deep connection to the ocean and feelings of longing for home. Co-written with my old mate, Luke, the song captures our shared love for the coastal towns we grew up in—Luke being from Kalbarri and me from Esperance.
It’s about missing the sense of belonging we felt by the sea and dreaming of being back on the coast. At its heart, it’s about finding our place in the world.
Musically, this song has grown immensely from its beginnings. It’s upbeat and energetic, with driving percussion, groovy bass-lines and catchy guitar and piano riffs that intertwine vibrantly.
The harmonica adds a punchy, bluesy flare, while the Yidaki (Didgeridoo) brings a grounding, earthy resonance that ties the song to the Australian landscape and my proud Nyoongar heritage. Smooth harmonies add depth to the track and seamlessly support the raw, emotive lead vocals.
‘Since I Was Around’
The title track of the EP, ‘Since I Was Around’ is a song about ‘home’ and the nostalgic connections we have to places.
It tells the story of a man who goes back to the place he grew up after years of being away and the familiar experiences and comforts that come along with that. Not long after I wrote the song, I made a trip down to Esperance, where I spent most of my childhood.
It had been a fair while since I was last there and, as the days went by, I started to realise that the lyrics to this song were coming to life right in front of me. Familiar smells, sounds, faces, places. Catching up with old friends.
All things I wrote about in ‘Since I Was Around’ mere weeks beforehand. It was a completely cathartic and nostalgic experience.
The track itself has a distinct Aussie folk rock sound with a bit of country twang in the mix, a sound reminiscent of the early days of this project. It’s driven by a pulsing, flowing rhythm section, with folky harmonica and bluesy slide guitar adding soul to the sound.
There’s layered harmonies, which beautifully support the storytelling of the lead vocal. The Yidaki once again grounds the song, rounding it out with a bit of my heritage.
‘Since I Was Around’ is like a warm hug to me, I hope listeners feel the same way.
‘Magic (Solo Version)’
‘Magic’ was the first single from the EP and the first single from me in almost three years. It’s the fruit of a partnership with the Perth Symphony Orchestra and Sculpture By The Sea to write a piece to accompany one of the artworks at Sculpture By The Sea Cottesloe 2024.
I was paired up with the installation artwork ‘Balga Boola – Bigsmob Balga’ by local Nyoongar artist, Sharyn Egan – a collection of handmade Balga (grass-trees) made from hay, wire and twine.
I was inspired by these beautiful, whimsical motifs and how Egan had created her own version of something from country. It got me thinking about the special connection to country we have as Indigenous people and thus, the concept of ‘Magic’ was born.
The magic in our connection to country and each other. I was also influenced by the creation process of the artwork.
Multiple people helped out to create the motifs and, as the exhibition progressed, more motifs were added and the artwork grew in size – by the end, there was a whole forest of Balga on the beach at Cottesloe.
This inspired much of the second part of the song – how we, as Indigenous Australians, have to come together as one in the face of adversity and hardship. Working from an Indigenous artwork also inspired me to incorporate lyrics in language for the first time in my career.
“Ngalang boodja, ngalang koort, ngalang wirin,” which means, ‘Our country, our heart, our spirit’ in Nyoongar language.
‘Daisy (Voice Memo)’
‘Daisy’ is an improvised instrumental I recorded on my phone during a period of major change and loss. I work a fairly demanding job and I’m pretty busy with my music as well.
This song reflects the stress and chaos of managing these changes whilst still showing up for my students at work and staying focused on my music career.
The song is named after a close friend of mine who inspires me because of the way she takes on the world. On the day I recorded this piece, I was struggling. Daisy told me I needed to just go and play my guitar, and this piece just poured out.
I never intended to release this song, not in this form at least, but I found myself listening to it a lot on my big solo tour back in April/May and fell in love with its rawness and imperfections. We thought this would be the perfect way to end the EP.
