While Chris Rose may be based in Sydney to pursue his musical career, the singer/songwriter left his heart in Port Macquarie when he departed.
As the title track of his EP released last Friday, Nowhere Land represents an ode to that hometown. The song was written and the video was mostly filmed on the headland of Lighthouse Beach and the bittersweet, coastal nostalgia Rose feels for the slice of paradise is plain.
Shot by George Yonon, storyboarded by Rose and Nowhere Land producer Mark Cipriano, the clip features Rose and fellow Port Macquarie musician Phillip Moore as a homeless harmonica player. A smattering of scenes were also shot outside of the Port in neighbouring town Wauchope and in Sydney.
With Nowhere Land, Chris Rose drops the upbeat witticisms of We’re Here To Party for something much more sombre and all too real.
Rose’s previous releases have echoed a similar reverence for the Aussie landscape and it’s inhabitants, and Nowhere Land continues the trend with graceful ease. An opening shot of the headland sets the scene before revealing Rose, strumming atop it’s summit at twilight.
The instrumentation of the track is much more varied than what you’ll piece together on your first listen. Soft piano melodies litter the whole song, gently raising the emotional brevity from start to finish. Upon the chorus a string section enters the fray, lifting Nowhere Land beyond it’s initial standing with the drama of a film score.
A harmonica rises through the latter half of the song as we’re introduced to Moore’s character, a well-placed variation which strengthens each of Nowhere Land’s other parts.
The storyline is simple but elegant, a heartwarming ballad about finding talent in the dejected and not judging a book by it’s cover. Moore plays a wanderer of the area, a vagrant that, despite his sorrows, finds beauty in his music.
As the track swells, Rose joins Moore for a duet under a bridge, bringing a light into his eyes we hadn’t yet seen. Outside of this clip, Moore has joined Rose for a number of Port Macquarie gigs, and their chemistry is apparent.
Rose has just knocked off a 10 date headline tour supporting his single We Love To Party. Keep an eye out for more tour news to come… a sneaky source has told us an announcement is on it’s way.
Chris Rose’s EP Nowhere Land is available now.
