The Preatures Unveil Evocative New Clip For Reconciliation-Driven Single 'Yanada'

The Preatures are continuing the lead-up to their eagerly awaited new album, Girlhood, with arguably their most meaningful single and video to date, the uplifting and collaborative Yanada. 

Written in collaboration with revered Darug songwoman Jacinta Tobin, Yanada and its gorgeously crafted accompanying video carry palpable themes of reconciliation and understanding across cultures, a linking and unification of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike.

This was, frontwoman Isabella Manfredi shares, as much by design as by serendipity.

"Yanada is a song about doing something outside your comfort zone that leads to a discovery of a different world," she reflected in a statement. "It's a song about a connection to the land I call home, Sydney — a mystical place I realised I know very little about -and the role Indigenous language plays in this connection.

"I am so grateful to Darug woman Jacinta Tobin, who shared with me some of her knowledge and helped open my eyes to the importance of our First Peoples' language."

"I feel like the song chose me," she continued. "Once we realised the song needed an Indigenous voice, it became our responsibility to understand what that might mean for the community, and to listen."

Even the song's title is a Dharug word — it means 'moon' — and its B-chorus (i.e. the part of the song that is sure to get absolutely stuck in your brain) is written in the Indigenous language, with consultation from the Darug Tribal Council and reference to Professor Jakelin Troy's now-out-of-print 1994 dictionary, The Sydney Language.

"The Preatures have created a song that reaches out across Australia and beyond that fuses the universal language of song with the original language of the Sydney region," Troy said of the single. "This music ... is a very important step in the reawakening of Dharug, which is gaining huge momentum."

It's unsurprising, then, that the clip should reflect this considered attempt to bridge cultures, and the award-winning team of director Nik Lachajczak and producer Alison Page made sure to encapsulate that in their visual realisation of the song's message.

"Yanada is a song about Australia facing the truth of its history, so creating a narrative that sees two best friends, one Aboriginal and one non-Aboriginal, exploring a world within the dark depths of a river seemed completely appropriate, and a powerful metaphor for reconciliation," Page explained.

The clip took inspiration from both Kate Granville's acclaimed novel The Secret River as well as barrangal dyara (skin and bones), an artwork by Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi man Jonathan Jones, and features some beautiful moments both above and below the surface of the central river around which the narrative unfolds.

The band also sought the expertise of Terri Janke, a renowned specialist in Indigenous cultural and intellectual property, in order to ensure their use of Indigenous cultural expression was respectful and in adherence to protocol.

“This is the first time I have advised an Australian non-Indigenous band on Indigenous cultural protocols for using Indigenous cultural expression," Janke said in a statement. "It was good to see that The Preatures not only ticked the box, but embraced the protocols to form strong connections with language speakers and the Aboriginal community.

"Yanada will promote the importance of Indigenous language but it will also spread the message of consulting with Indigenous people."

Importantly, Tobin says, she hopes the song will "honour my ancestors and strengthen country, and help heal all living things.

"I would like to thank The Preatures for walking with me, meeting family, hearing hard stories, showing respect, learning and appreciating our shared history as Australians."

The Preatures' new album, Girlhood, will be released on Friday 11 August, and is up for preorder now. Yanada is available to stream or download from today.

The band set off for their Girlhood tour with Polish Club and Hair Die from Friday 1 September, with dates lined up in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

See theGuide for more information.