Telenova Sign To EMI, Drop New Single ‘Teardrop’

Melbourne (Naarm) indie-pop band Telenova have announced their signing to EMI, and to celebrate released their first single for the year – a glittering and meditative number called Teardrop.

Frontwoman Angeline Armstrong said in a press release that the band “wanted to capture the volatile nature of our ever-changing human emotions in this song”, explaining that she feels “this innate longing and hope for stability and joy, but in tension to that, often find myself doing and saying things I don’t mean to say or feel”.

She went on to say of the song’s genesis: “Josh and I were interested in exploring that tension in the lyrics, how sometimes even the journey towards happiness and light can be tinged with a sadness or darkness, ‘a teardrop on the sunshine’.

Teardrop arrives alongside a mind-bending video envisioned and co-directed by Armstrong herself, minted in tandem with ARIA-winning filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore (whose catalogue also includes work with the likes of Courtney Barnett and Hiatus Kaiyote).

Touching on her vision for the clip, Armstrong said: “As a filmmaker I tend to see the colours and imagery of all our songs quite vividly in the songwriting process. I wanted the Teardrop video to have a mythical feel to it, establishing a bit of a mythology as the first part in a triptych of Telenova videos exploring this tension of light and dark within us...

“Drawn to the transcendent nature of light in romantic era paintings, like John Martin and J.M.W Turner, I wanted to capture this divine longing through the interplay of chasing after an elusive light. The set was inspired by still life paintings to contrast this ‘transcendence’ with representations of the ephemeral and temporal nature of human life. Bringing on Claudia to co-direct resulted in a flurry of beautiful chaos on set as we tried to make every frame feel like a romantic painting in and of itself.”

Have a look at the video for Teardrop below:

The release of Teardrop follows the standalone single Lost In The Rush, which arrived last March. Prior to their signing to EMI, Telenova were linked up with Pointer Recordings; the latter label also issued their first two EPs, 2021’s Tranquilize and 2022’s Stained Glass Love.

Telenova’s partnership EMI comes in tandem with their signing to Fiction Records, who will release the band’s music in Europe and the UK. They’ve also linked up with Liam Keightley at ITB for their European tour bookings.

In a statement of his own, Mark Holland – managing director of EMI Australia – said he and his team “are thrilled to be working alongside team Telenova on their new single Teardrop and beyond”. He expounded: “Championed into the fold by [EMI Australia’s director of A&R] Heather O’Brien, we are truly aligned in Telenova’s global vision on the project – phenomenal music, exceptional creative and a well-rounded music industry cohort surrounding with Fiction Records, Calibre and No Quarter Management onboard.”

Calibre’s Weez shared the excitement, adding: “Closely witnessing Telenova’s rise over the past three years has been a very personal career highlight for myself, Nathan and the Calibre team. It goes without saying we are psyched to be partnering with EMI and Fiction for the band’s exciting next phase and we thank Mark, Heather, Jim and the respective teams for their enthusiasm and trust in Telenova’s vision.”

Also weighing in was Jim Chancellor – managing director for Fiction Records, and joint managing director for Virgin Label Services International (which handles dealings for EMI) – who said, “Fiction and everyone at Virgin Music Group are delighted to be partnering with EMI Australia and Weez & Nathan at Calibre management to share the exceptional Telenova’s music with fans everywhere outside of Australia.

“From the first listen, we were bowled over by the superb tunes and greatness behind them in Angeline, Ed, and Josh. We are beyond excited to help nurture and grow them into the successful global group they deserve to be.”

To celebrate the release of Teardrop, Telenova will embark on a five-date headline tour, kicking off on Saturday May 4 at the Howler in Naarm. They’ll play the Crowbar in Sydney (Eora) on the following Friday (May 10), followed by The Zoo in Brisbane (Meanjin) the next day (May 11), then the Lion Arts Factory in Adelaide (Kaurna) on Friday May 24, and finally the Amplifier Bar in Perth (Boorloo) on Saturday May 25. Tickets are on sale now – find them here.

Reviewing a hometown show for TheMusic.com.au last March, Michael Prebeg said Telenova “instantly draw[s] us into their cinematic and haunting universe with an enigmatic soundtrack”.

TELENOVA

‘TEARDROP’ AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Saturday May 5 – Naarm/Melbourne, Howler
Friday May 10 – Eora/Sydney, Crowbar
Saturday May 11 – Meanjin/Brisbane, The Zoo
Friday May 24 – Kaurna/Adelaide, Lion Arts Factory
Saturday May 25 – Boorloo/Perth, Amplifier Bar

Tickets: telenovamusic.com.au