Meet the australian talent who’s turning sorrow into extraterrestrial pop tunes
For those who are not familiar with unusual desserts, banoffee pie is an english cake with a buttery biscuit base and a soft and creamy topping made from bananas, cream and toffee. I tried it some years ago and I’ll never forget that moment: I’ve never been to heaven, but that is for sure the closest thing to it.
As a consequence, when I accidentally bumped into an australian female artist named Banoffee, I knew I had to listen to her music. So… who is she?
Born in Melbourne and currently living in Los Angeles, her real name is Martha Brown and she has toured with Taylor Swift as a part of Charli XCX troupe. I don’t know how she came up with the stage name, but her work really sounds like the music translation of that dessert: Banoffee is an effective narrator, who puts together angelic vocals and crunchy synths to create smart pop recipes. If you want to get an idea of her approach to music, you should listen to some of her most representative tunes like Ripe and Tennis Fan (ft. Empress Of).
Her debut album, Look at Us Now Dad, will be released on February 21, 2020, via Cascine and Dot Dash. Co-produced by Banoffee and Yves Rothman, her record is a mix of experimental club sounds and ethereal pop that she wrote two years after she moved to the U.S. seeking for a fresh start after a mental breakdown. Look At Us Now Dad creates a scenery of abuse, sadness and loss to tell a story of survival and rebirth.
About her music, the singer-songwriter says: «Each song uses human experience to talk about more complex concepts of addiction, obsession, heartbreak, and resurrection, not to dwell in sadness, but to join hands.»
Banoffee’s latest single is Count On You, a song she wrote at the peek of the #MeToo movement: «This song began as a serenade to a friend and ended up what I see as a bit of a team anthem» she said in a statement. The tune is really good, bitterweet and catchy at the same time.
If you want to see Banoffee live, she has just announced her 2020 tour dates, which include shows in San Francisco (February 4 @Cafe du Nord), Los Angeles (March 4 @Zebulon), Austin (March 16-21at SXSW) and New York (March 26 @TheDance).
