Today, Wellington songwriter and Aotearoa Music Award Best Folk Artist 2022 finalist Miles Calder unveils his new single ‘Pushing & Pulling’ and accompanying acoustic video session. It follows the release of bonus track ‘Workman Song‘ from his celebrated 2021 solo debut album Autopilot Life, and the announcement of the acoustic tour this May to July. Full tour details are below.
On the summery guitar pop ‘Pushing & Pulling’, catchy chorus melodies are punctuated by juicy, electric guitar riffs as the lyrics tangle over a burgeoning romance. Newly working with Samuel Flynn Scott (The Phoenix Foundation) as a producer, Calder and his band spent time building the song’s dreamy arrangement, complimenting the chewy rhythm with vintage keys and percussion, along with Sam’s addition of chilling synths and ethereal backing vocals.
Calder says, “Pushing & Pulling was written within the rollercoaster of burgeoning love, and for me, it marks the point of accepting what you don’t control and deciding to go along for the ride… whether that’s up or down, or both. Working with Sam Flynn Scott as a producer was a dream. He brought fresh ears to what the band and I already had together, and gave us licence to push the sound to something bolder and more punchy.”
Teasing the forthcoming acoustic tour is the accompanying live acoustic session of ‘Pushing & Pulling’, showcasing Calder’s dazzling vocals, atop the skillful guitar work of bandmate Chris Armour. Kicking off May 19th and running till July 2nd, the duo will perform intimate, acoustic sets across the country (rounded out with a full band show in hometown Wellington), re-imagining songs from Calder’s previous record Autopilot Life along with brand new material.
Stay tuned for the official ‘Pushing & Pulling’ music video produced and edited by Martin Sagadin (Aldous Harding, Marlon Williams, Tiny Ruins) and directed by Matilda Boese-Wong (Belladonna, RadioActive Film Review!) out later this month.
Listen and download ‘Pushing & Pulling’ here: https://bfan.link/
Pushing & Pulling Single Release Tour
Thursday 19 May – The Boathouse, Nelson
Friday 20 May – Le Cafe, Picton
Saturday 21 May – Mussel Inn, Golden Bay
Thursday 26 May – Ahuahu Villas, New Plymouth
Friday 27 May – The Globe Theatre, Palmerston North
Saturday 28 May – Vogelmorn Hall, Wellington
Friday 3 June – Paisley Stage, Napier
Saturday 4 June – St. Peters Hall, Paekakariki
Sunday 5 June – Secret Show, Lincoln, Selwyn
Saturday 11 June – San Fran, Wellington (FULL BAND)
Saturday July 2nd – The Wine Cellar, Auckland (Miles solo)
Tickets at Milescalder.com
Praise for Miles Calder
“If you like Kurt Vile, or Father John Misty, or The Phoenix Foundation, you might quite like this.” – Charlotte Ryan, Radio New Zealand
“Autopilot Life serves up ten accomplished new songs from Calder — finding his own cosy space somewhere between lush psych-tinted 60s balladry, stately piano driven pop and heart-tugging cinematic rock reflections, spiced up with an occasional dash of Stonesy boogie.” – Under The Radar
Miles Calder is an indie-folk songwriter from P?neke / Wellington. The former frontman of The Rumours, Miles released his debut solo album Autopilot Life in 2021, a self-reflective delve dressed in a psychedelic folk-rock palette that evoked late-era Beatles as much as contemporaries like Kevin Morby and Father John Misty. The album won over new fans and critics alike and led to a nomination for Best Folk Artist at this year’s 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards. Miles is now moving into an exciting new period of creativity, working with Samuel Flynn Scott (The Phoenix Foundation) as a producer. The new work continues to build on the indie-folk and psychedelia that defined Autopilot Life, finding deeper atmospheres and rich arrangements that elevate Miles’ superb songwriting.
Miles Calder Online:
