Art Of Fighting's Peggy Frew Unveils Debut Solo Album, 'Dial-Up'

She’s a musician, novellist, and founding member of Naarm/Melbourne indie-rock outfit Art Of Fighting, and now the ever-prolific Peggy Frew has released her debut album, Dial-Up.

Co-founding Art Of Fighting back in 1995, Frew was a staple of the Australian music scene for many years, with her band taking out the ARIA Award for Best Adult Alternative Album thanks to 2001’s Wires.

While Art Of Fighting were a critically-acclaimed act beloved by their fanbase, it was following their third album that Frew decided to try a new career path.

Having won The Age Short Story award with 'Home Visit' in 2008, she embarked upon a literary career, penning short stories and novels over the ensuing years. Alongside a Barbara Jefferis Award for her novel Hope Farm, she's also been nominated for both the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin Award – the latter on two occasions.

While Art Of Fighting shared their Australian Music Prize-nominated Luna Low album, Frew embarked upon a solo career this year, sharing a handful of tracks as a taster of her debut album, Dial-Up.

A gorgeous mix of tracks as visceral and evocative as her writing, tracks such as Save Your Love prompt nostalgic memories by way of its use of improvised clarinet and metronomic percussion.

"I started writing these songs at the beginning of last year instead of working on a novel,” Frew says of the album’s origins. “It filled that hole in my life, I guess. I imagined the characters for the songs and told their stories. But they’re also deeply personal."

Utilising a myriad sounds to craft a record that is equally intimate and expansive, the album was recorded over just one week by Frew’s Art Of Fighting bandmate Marty Brown’s Standalone Studios in Coburg.

“The beautiful thing was how quickly and intuitively it all came together,” Brown says of the experience. “We’d do one take or two, grab those moments and then build it up. Peggy played bass, she or I might play some guitar or piano, I’d put it through some crazy sound… The stories and the feelings suggested musical ideas without thinking very much at all.”

Frew will be launching her album with an instore performance at Melbourne’s Rocksteady Records on Friday, November 8th, before playing a headline show at The Bergy Bandroom on November 9th, and heading up to Sydney for a gig at the Factory Fusebox on November 15th. Tickets to these shows are on sale now.

Peggy Frew’s Dial-Up is out now.