PREMIERE: Mickey Cooper - John Curtin Hotel Freakout

The upcoming release of his debut album Hit The Ceiling this August has already made 2016 a very special year for Melbourne artist Mickey Cooper and it's only getting bigger on the back of the brand new video for his latest single, John Curtin Hotel Freakout, which we're chuffed to be premiering on theMusic.com.au.

Named after the hugely popular Carlton music venue, the clip features a number of notable locations in town (anyone else notice the route 86 tram?). 

Not only is it a brilliantly-shot clip, but the song also holds great importance for Cooper — it was the first song he played for anyone in over a year following the sudden chasm of an estranged mother.

"One night, when everything was still very raw, my friends convinced me to go out to the Curtin hotel in Carlton for a jazz party," Cooper said of the song.

"Pretty quickly I found myself completely overwhelmed by the crowded room, the level of noise and vibrant energy. Feeling the beginnings of a full-on panic attack, which I was experiencing every other day, I went to a table in the corner to try and ride it out. A friend, who I hadn’t known very long, came over to talk to me. Seeing the state I was in, she took me back to my house in a taxi. There, she listened with genuine care as I poured out my racing mind and sat with me as I eventually calmed down.

"The next day I finished the song John Curtin Hotel Freakout, with the last section written as a kind of blithe and impulsive dedication to her. We eventually got together, and still are, which gives the song extra significance."

Melbourne fans can catch Cooper live next week as he supports Alexander Briggs at Some Velvet Morning, followed by two shows at 303 next month.

Head to theGuide for more details.