Premiere: Kelso return with special new single, Oh God There Is So Much Love In Me

28 January 2019 | 8:00 pm | Hayden Davies
Originally Appeared In

The Melbourne trio, composed of Camp Cope's Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich, Japanese Wallpaper and Self Talk's Xavier Rubetzki Noonan, return in fine, fine form..

There's a lot of special music coming out of Australia at the moment, and all three members of Melbourne trio Kelso are well familiar with this fact. The band's namesake, Kelly-Dawn "Kelso" Hellmrich is the bassist for Camp Cope – one of Australia's best and most essential groups around at the moment, doing heavy lifting almost unmatched by anyone else in Australian music – while the other two members, Japanese Wallpaper brainchild Gab Strum and Xavier Rubetzki Noonan of Max Quinn/Self Talk fame, barely need an introduction themselves; the former marching towards a debut album later in the year and the latter seriously impressing with Max Quinn on last year's Serotonin. Together they form Kelso, a band that focuses on a more down-tempo and acoustic-esque feel through soft melodies and subtle vocals, often touching on familiar themes including anxiety and inadequacy.

After debuting with last year's Gotta Go, the three-piece have continually grown and evolved, with their previous single Glitter among the year's most over-looked with its bright melodies and warm glow, creating something a little more upbeat and joyful despite the tinge of vulnerability that haunts Kelly's vocal and the more low-key moments that swirl behind it. Their newest single, however, Oh God There Is So Much Love In Me, really fleshes out this haunting vulnerability, with the single's instrumental pulled right back to its bare minimum in order to spotlight Kelly's emotive vocal over the top. "This song is a real intimate one for me," she says on the track. "It came from a session in Gab's studio where we were just sort of messing around with instruments and sounds, recording little bits and pieces, doing little covers - but mostly talking a lot about travelling, feelings, and songs that make us curl up into the foetal position and sob (our favourite genre). It's a true story that takes place half on King St in Sydney, and half in a toilet stall in Austin, Texas."

It's a local masterclass at drawing emotion out of minimalism and letting intimate vocals take the lead, something that really stops you in your tracks and forces you to listen, think and reflect. It's a really special single, so be sure to listen to it below:

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter