Newcastle-based indie pop and rock duo The Tryouts are back with their latest single; a stunning synth-lined track titled ‘Ray Christ’. Simultaneously pensive and almost gloomy in its vulnerability, all the while feeling uplifting and hopeful through its sonic qualities, ‘Ray Christ’ is a masterclass in balancing light and shade within the realms of a pop song. On the track, one half of The Tryouts, Dave, has said:
“Ray Christ is about a weird experiment they conducted in my hometown of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where the city planted palm trees to see how they would fare against the miserable climate. Except it's not really about that at all...” DAVID MACMICHAEL
While they may not have fared well in the harsh Canadian climate, these palm trees would impressively go on to inspire the marvellous track we have before us now; one which explores the sentiments and the experience of a narrator who feels out of place in their environment, and who longs for something more, something brighter, something warmer; ‘Give me something I want to believe in / Because I can’t stay another season / You know I wasn’t made for freezing.’
Expanding on the song’s inspiration, meanings and origin, the second half of The Tryouts, Chelsea, expressed:
“[Ray Christ] started off with the palm trees line. Dave was singing it at home one day, and I really liked it but it wasn’t until we took a little holiday/songwriting trip up the coast that we finished the majority of the song. Most Tryouts songs come together in a similar way - they often start with one of Dave’s ideas, which we then flesh out together and arrange for guitar, drums and vocals. Lyrically, the song is about a few things: nostalgia, being a kid, wanting to escape your hometown/school/life, and also palm trees (haha).”
CHELSEA REED
‘Ray Christ’ was tracked at Damien Gerard Studios (Divinyls, INXS, Grinspoon, Silverchair, Hoodoo Gurus) on the Central Coast with Paul McKercher (Ball Park Music, You Am I, Augie March, Spiderbait), with additional production and mixing with Dave Jenkins Jr (Bec Sandridge, Gordi, Vera Blue) at Golden Retriever Studios (Cate Le Bon, Courtney Barnett, Lime Cordiale) in Sydney.
The Tryouts have previously been invited to support the likes of Ben Lee and Smudge live in concert, have accumulated over 10.3Kstreams for their last single ‘Wolf at the Door’ on Spotify alone, and have sold out shows at West Best Bloc Fest across both 2022 and 2023.
In celebration of the release, The Tryouts will be launching the single with a free show in their hometown of Newcastle later this month! With exciting new plans on the horizon and a gorgeous new single to bring them into the second half of 2024, The Tryouts are back and better than ever before.
‘RAY CHRIST’ LAUNCH SHOW
EVENT LINK
Sunday October 27th Royal Oak Hotel Newcastle
with support from Good Pash and Darcy Piltz