PREMIERE: Colin Lillie - Give Thanks

Scottish-born, Alice Springs-based musician Colin Lillie is a man with a wealth of experiences and the talent to spin them into musical stories, the latest example of which comes in the form of intense new single Give Thanks, the clip for which is proudly being premiered by The Music today.

Lillie has overcome much in his time on Earth, having overcome a battle with alcohol abuse and ultimately resettling in the Alice, where he turned his energies to making music and assisting remote Indigenous communities. It should come as little surprise, armed with that backstory, that Give Thanks is an accomplished, honest and revealing composition that marks a move into slightly rockier territory than the folk-country luminary is known for — but it's a move that works in a big way.

Speaking of the song's stunning accompanying clip — shot and directed by fellow troubadour Eden Mulholland — Lillie explains that, in "using abstract imagery to depict the idea of slowly revealing truths, of pain sustained and wisdom earned, the song reflects how the journey of yesterday can help us to rebuild stronger and better".

"Through this, can we discover our true north and surround ourselves with truth so to shine as an example for those locked away in their own past, too afraid to live today and discover a greater tomorrow?" he mused in a statement.

"The pupil of an eye slowly pulls back to reveal the face it belongs to — telling the story of someone's life in millimetre increments. Played against this relative stillness are natural landscapes rushing by, strangely meditative/mesmerising, and we are drawn along inexorably. A runaway horse across a paddock, the wild violence and surety of its footfall — statuesque and untamed, a metaphor for desire.

"It shows that change may happen but 'giving thanks' is a doing word and each day we must work to be grateful for what we have, and it's from our past that we gain the greatest gift if we are willing to let go of what was for what could be."

Give Thanks is taken from Lillie's forthcoming studio album, due for release later this year.

To keep on top of his movements as he ramps up to its release, head to his Facebook page.