On his new single Run Free and its forthcoming album, the Maitland folk-rock troubadour has expanded his focus to the world and his place within it.  

“This album taps more into our perspectives on life and society,” Wells said. “I reflected on a lot of things happening in the world.

“Run Free is a track which is about despite the fear and the consequences, have a go at something you believe in and chase those desires.

“The track kind of touches on all that pressure we all have in society and time itself and how limited it can be and what we can do with it. It’s a personal reflection in some ways and a critical reflection on the world around us.”

Run Free was released online this week and the track’s video clip, filmed at Salisbury in the foothills of the Barrington Tops, dropped on Tuesday.

Wells has finished writing his debut long-player, but is it working through the process of recording and mixing the songs with producer Robbie Long at Kotara’s Funky Lizard studio.

“We concentrated on finishing the single to give ourselves a creative aspect on where things are going, but the rest of the tracks are close by,” he said. “It’s just a matter of putting on the finishing touches.”

Wells will officially launch Run Free at Dashville’s Gum Ball on Saturday, before playing at the music festival’s after party at Maitland’s Grand Junction Hotel on Sunday. 

IF Brightness’ debut single Oblivion tugged at our nostalgic heartstrings, his second track Waltz rips them straight out of your chest.

The Newcastle singer-songwriter, whose real name is Alex Knight, debuted his new tune this week and it sounds like it was recorded decades ago. There’s the heavy tape hiss, the gentle acoustic guitar and Brightness’ lullaby vocal.

“Waltz is a song of love and gratitude,” Knight said. “My friend Alex [Crosby] and I experimented using an old Akai ¼ reel to reel for this song. The tape itself had just about had it and you can hear another song bleeding through one of its other tracks.

“It’s made up of one uninterrupted take using a single microphone, along with a mellotron part for the choruses that I overdubbed later.”

NEWCASTLE will host the final night of Grinspoon’s triumphant Guide To Better Living comeback tour after a second show was added through public demand.

Tickets sold out within hours of going on sale last week for 10 shows, including the Cambridge Hotel gig on August 31. The second show will be held in the bigger Wests City auditorium on September 23, the final concert in the 31-date tour.

Grinspoon will perform their debut album Guide To Better Living in its entirety for the first time during the tour to celebrate its 1997 release. The album is considered a classic of the ‘90s alternative rock era and launched the northern NSW band’s career through the singles Just Ace and Repeat.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday.

THE Gum Ball music festival appears almost certain to sell out for the second consecutive year. As of Wednesday there were 100 tickets left and organisers are expecting them to be snapped up before the gates of Dashville open at midday on Friday.

The 2016 edition was the first time in the festival’s 11-year history that the sold-out sign was erected early.

YOU’VE gotta wonder about bands that release songs named after themselves. But if your name is Hobo Magic, then why not?  The Sunshine Coast stoner rockers dropped the track Hobo Magic last week, the second single off their forthcoming sophomore album. To celebrate they’re taking their Black Sabbath-like riffs on the road. Catch Hobo Magic when they play the Wickham Park Hotel on Friday.

DEPENDING on your own perspective, The Pink Tiles are either Melbourne’s sweetest take on Californian garage rock or the city’s dirtiest version of bubblegum pop. Somewhere in the middle you’ll find the unisex six-piece.

Since forming in 2012 at the famous Tote Hotel, The Pink Tiles have released two albums including #1 Fan, out last month. Armed with catchy singles Time For Love and Sammy, The Pink Tiles are branching out from Victoria for their first shows in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle. They headline The Edwards on Thursday.