VIDEO PREMIERE: Tom Lee-Richards - Madness

Kiwi expat Tom Lee-Richards is readying himself for a run of live shows this September and October in support of his utterly stunning new single, Madness, the video for which is proudly premiering on The Music today.

Featuring the guest-vocal talents of fellow New Zealand-bred performer Monique Shelford, Lee-Richards has delivered a striking and evocative tune that ruminates on themes of beauty and introspection as it explores the shifting tensions and power dynamics that exist in almost every relationship.

Despite the personal themes, the song is so much more than simple navel-gazing; the track is accompanied by its gorgeously shot, deeply moving — and rather harrowing — clip, directed by Tim Brade, which captures a remarkable degree of wordless emotion from its protagonist couple before taking a sudden turn for the gut-wrenching as we're made aware of their wider circumstances — that they are in fact homeless and contending with the increased obstacles and heightened danger that experience entails.

The issue is clearly one close to Lee-Richards' heart, with the track arriving just in time to shine a spotlight on the efforts of this year's Homelessness Week, recognised this year from 1-7 August and co-ordinated by Homelessness Australia.

As the Madness video explains, more than 140,000 people are homeless across Australia and New Zealand. "Anyone can become homeless," a title card at the clip's end reads. "When it happens, you are incredibly vulnerable. Many experience violence and neglect."

For more information on how you can help, see Street Smart Australia's website.

Tom Lee-Richards will be touring in support of Madness from Sunday 4 September, when he kicks off his 12-date tour at The Gasometer, Melbourne. The tour also takes in showings in Ulverstone, Burnie, Hobart, Canberra, Bendigo, Sydney, Port Macquarie, Byron Bay, Bellingen and Brisbane before closing out on Saturday 1 October at the Mandela Organic Arts Cafe in Mermaid Beach.

For a full rundown of dates, venues and other tour information, see theGuide. Otherwise, to keep up with Lee-Richards' upcoming projects and movements, head to his Facebook page.