Tell us about your new single ‘Garden Song’?
Garden Song is about the night my grandfather died. It’s about the pain of losing somebody you love, but also the joy of having had them in your life.
What’s your favourite work at this point in time?
In terms of my own released music, it would be Garden Song. I’m looking to record again in September and have a few tunes that I’m super excited about!
How would you describe your sound in food form and why?
I love this question so much!! This is exactly the type of thing I ask people. Woah, I think maybe it’s like a loaded potato? Seemingly simple, but when you get into it there’s lots of cheese, salsa, tomato, little surprises everywhere! You might even find the odd piece of pineapple (probably not in one of my tunes), but hey! That’s the best bit about loaded potatoes.
Tell us a quick, on the road or studio, anecdote.
Once I played a gig to a crowd of three people in St Kilda at 2am. It was horrible. I quickly learnt that gigs starting after 11pm isn’t really acceptable.
What, or who, inspires you?
Connection and being a good human inspires me.
Which song do you wish you wrote?
So many! Pretty sure most of my friends are sick of me stopping them talking, pointing at the speakers and saying “man, I wish I wrote this song!”. Honestly, all of them… but maybe Come on Eileen the most?
What’s next for you?
Planning on recording mid-Sep if all goes to plan.
What’s your scene?
I’m not sure I really have one? I can get into most things, so, most of them? These have been excellent questions! Thanks for the chat.
INTERSTELLAR TAY ANNOUNCES EXQUISITE NEW SINGLE GARDEN SONG
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Interstellar Tay has today shared her emotive new single Garden Song, a memorable, heartfelt record detailing the shock of grief, out now.
Garden Song is a deeply special track – one that will remain with the listener long after the music ends. With influences such as Paul Kelly, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and First Aid Kit, Garden Song is a true amalgamation of sublime folk songwriting. Comforting and sweet, acoustic guitars gently cushion the layers of vocal harmony and textural percussion. Garden Song has such a precious feel to it – and the story behind it is moving and sacred, as Tay explains, “Garden Song is about the night my grandfather died. I’m not a particularly spiritual person, but we were very close. At 11pm that night I had a dream about somebody stomping on piano keys which woke me up. In the morning I called my grandmother and she told me that he had passed away at 11pm that night. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. However, after his funeral we were all having a chat about the night he died. Both my uncle and grandmother told us that they were also woken up at 11pm. So the song is about how jarring losing the connection of a loved one can be.” But don’t be misled, this exquisite song is upbeat and authentic, a celebration of life and the connection the two shared, with the melancholy of loss intertwined within the joy.
On track to accompany the drop was a supremely fitting video for Garden Song that is reflective of the meaning behind the track, with Brazilian animator Patricki Lucas interpreting the story of grief through his artwork. The clip is full of movement, life and spirit, as Tay describes the process, “Patricki’s storyboard idea was to have a mage and a student. The mage guides the student throughout the film clip. In the end the student is alone, but carries the mage’s teachings. A little more left of field than I was originally imagining! However, I feel that it captures the transfer of my grandfather’s love and knowledge to me, without the heaviness of clearly spelling the literal meaning of the song lyrics.” However, an asthma sufferer, Patricki was awfully struck down by Covid19 lastweek and still remains in hospital in ICU, so there is an understandable delay on the delivery of the video.
A Conservatorium-trained bassist, Tay grew up in a musical household with several generations of her family working as professional musicians. This early influence shaped her work ethic and musical taste throughout the years, as she says, “For me, music was sort of more of a given rather than a choice. There have been a few occasions where I’ve walked away from music, but ultimately there are emotions and stories that I can only seem to voice through playing and writing.”
Set to release a new EP on September 1, Interstellar Tay is fast making a name for herself and winning over fans with her honest, biographical blues folk songs and the EP is no different, where audiences will easily be able to find themselves in her words.
Interstellar Tay is Tay Zastrow.
Garden Song is out now.Grab a copy here https://gyro.lnk.to/GardenSong
