Scottish-born, Melbourne-based artist Quinny weaves warmth into wistful, driving indie folk via his brand new single Settlers out in the world today. Previously renowned for his tongue-in-cheek Christmas sonic creations, as well as strangers frequently mistaking him for Ed Sheeran in public, Quinny’s brand new single showcases his absorbing creative flair, as does the accompanying video for Settlers also out today.
Penned in rural Maine in America during 2022 alongside friends Marie Collins (The Vegan Leather) and Hannah Daman, Settlers was given its finishing touches courtesy of Graham McCusker, a composer for BBC’s His Dark Materials and lead artist in Glasgow/Manchester bands KAZE and Marouli. Recording in Scotland with Robin Evans (Dodgy & The View), Settlers embraced many of Quinny’s musical muses while also capturing the poignant heartache that accompanies disappointment, as Quinny elaborates, “This song is about confronting those you rely on most when they have let you down. There’s a sort of stadium-folk feel to it. I wanted to have big chords, but also some delicate verses. If you listen to the piano, you’ll hear a bit of Sigur Rós influence, and I like to think I go a bit Billy Corgan at the end too.”
Featuring Quinny himself, aka Peter Quinn, on vocals, guitar and bass, Settlers also incorporates Graham McCusker on piano and vocals, Martin Tormey on drums and vocals, Marie Collins on vocals, Hannah Daman on vocals, Martin Quinn on vocals, and additional production by Nathan Cable. Also amplifying the track’s compelling subject matter and instrumentation, the visual accompaniment for Settlers features a relatable narrative, with director and filmmaker Conor Reilly working alongside Quinny and the clip’s actors Martin Quinn and Stephan Buchanan to bring the Settlers creative vision to life, along with some stunning landscape visuals shot in Quinny’s home country. “The video is about anxiety,” shares Quinny. “It features a young man going about his daily business, constantly being interrupted by someone else – a manifestation of his woes. He tries to just ignore it, until finally starting to take some action and getting out and about in the Scottish Highlands. Because of the nature of the sound, I thought some wide shots of Scottish mountains would be quite fitting, and it’s worked really well. Martin and I workshopped the concept and story with a few people before landing where it did. After a point, I left Martin to it as he was on a roll! Originally, the video was set to a different song from the album, No Place to Die, but after a few edits, it was clear Settlers was the right choice.”
A talented singer and songwriter hailing from Scotland, Quinny’s musical endeavours has seen him fuse his burgeoning flair alongside his four influential B’s, namely Biffy Clyro, Blink-182, The Beatles and Bombay Bicycle driving behind Quinny’s ultimate trademark sound. With tours in the UK and North America under his belt, the multifaceted creative shifted to Melbourne in early 2020, with his newfound hometown sparking creative excitement in true rock’n’roll fashion. “I love it, honestly,” says Quinny of the Melbourne music scene. “Compared to Glasgow and London, Melbourne has remained rock’n’roll through and through. Less bands with backing tracks and more bass players jumping into the crowd at a packed out 100 cap show.”
Alongside performances headlining shows at The Gaso, Last Chance, Retreat and Fitzroy Pinnacle in Melbourne, Quinny also won the 2020 Darebin Songwriters’ People’s Choice Award shortly after moving down under for his single Found & Lost. Described by Tenement TV as “an enthralling mix of the raucous and sentimental with witty lyricism and poppy charm”, Quinny had spent the past few years releasing older material and flippant Christmas songs, with One Foot In The Grave’s Richard Wilson making an appearance in one of Quinny’s Christmas videos.
Set to perform next week at Fitzroy Pinnacle armed with his latest track, the brand new Quinny chapter is already shaping up to be one to remember. “Generally, at my live shows I talk too much! I saw Georgia Knight at the Forum supporting Blonde Redhead recently and she hardly talks…I aspire to be that cool,” Quinny concludes. “No one can understand what I’m saying anyway. This will be the first outing for a few of the songs of my upcoming album, so I’m looking forward to starting to get them on their feet with the full band. If nothing else, the backing vocals will be amazing, Estelle and Naomi always do such a great job.”
Settlers is out now.
QUINNY – UPCOMING SHOW:
THU 18 JUL | FITZROY PINNACLE, FITZROY NORTH VIC | 18+
Tickets available from Oztix