Brisbane/Meanjin metalcore outfit Wildheart have solidified their place as one of the East Coast’s most refreshing bands with their latest single Death Is All That’s Left, a powerful and hard-hitting offering that unapologetically sets out to call for an end to discrimination and racial inequality.
Death Is All That’s Left expresses the deep frustration that First Nations voices are not being heard or listened to – particularly after the no vote. Frontman and proud Yugambeh man, Axel Best, explains that “as long as this continues to be an issue, we’re going to keep addressing it. We want to use our platform to discuss issues that matter – someone’s got to do it”.
HEAVY caught up with the band recently for a Q&A session about the new music.
HEAVY: Congratulations on your new release, Death Is All That’s Left. The song covers themes close to home, could you please tell us a little bit about your new single?
WILDHEART: Thank you. Well, the lyrics in this song really came about after the no-vote in The Voice campaign late last year. Frontman and proud Yugambeh man Axel Best jumped into the group chat the week after to share his frustrations with the updated lyrics to this song, really amplifying all of our feelings that First Nations voices were not being heard or listened to. He also wanted to continue the lyrical themes from our 2019 single Rising Tide, raising the alarming number of Black deaths in custody in Australia.
H: The music video echoes the sentiments of the song, who did you work with, and could you tell us about the video?
WH: We had a vision that the accompanying music video should be dark and gritty, with the use of imagery of cemeteries, churches, and a lone figure running fearfully to represent someone feeling unsafe in their community. We worked with James Latter, who also did our previous video for the track Sacred Ground. We shot the live performance footage at VENTspace, a multi-art space located in South Brisbane/Meanjin, and at a local church in Woolloongabba. The actor in the film clip is our friend and live lighting technician Dane Parata.
H: How important is it to you to be able to shed light on topics that matter through music?
WH: Wildheart has always been about raising awareness for a range of issues through our music, including mental health, First Nations rights, discrimination, consumerism, environmentalism, and corruption. Axel explains that “as long as this continues to be an issue, we’re going to keep addressing it. We want to use our platform to discuss issues that matter – someone’s got to do it”. Even if indirectly, the lyrics of this track came to intersect with what’s happening in Gaza and other indigenous peoples fighting for self-determination.
H: What are some ways listeners can support First Nations people?
WH: There are many ways we can support and give back to First Nations communities and creators. A few examples that we direct people to include:
– Pay The Rent at https://paytherent.net.au
– Read and educate – Talking to My Country by Stan Grant could be a good book recommendation if you haven’t read it already.
– Support First Nations artists and creators; Awesome Black Org creative agency, The Blak Out show by Nooky on JJJ, Deadly Beats Spotify playlist curated by Alethea Beetson, and artists like Libby Harward, Chasing Ghosts, and Nerve Damage just to name a few.
– Support Black businesses like Clothing the Gap, Bad Apples Music, Blaklash Creative, Karul Projects, and Bleach Festival.
– Support environmental groups like the Nurrdalinji Aborignal Corporation who have been fighting against fracking in the Beetaloo.
– Attend events in solidarity, and think about ways in which you can promote inclusion and Black voices to be heard in your own spaces.
H: Your previous releases have garnered quite a bit of attention and earned a handful of impressive accolades. What’s a moment or an achievement of Wildheart’s that has meant the most?
WH: Our proudest achievement to date has to be performing at Unify Gathering Festival in Tarwin Lower. During the pandemic, no one was really sure what putting out new music would look like, as we couldn’t really tour our album, but we pushed forward and released our debut full-length album Global Crisis. This record would go on to win Gold Coast Music Awards Release of the Year and received so much love, and I feel that played a big part in our selection to be included in the Unify line-up. It was such an amazing weekend, and everyone was so receptive to our set; we couldn’t have been prouder to have been included in such a fantastic event.
H: Will we be able to catch this new one live in the near future?
WH: Yes you can, we will be announcing our single release show for the Gold Coast/Yugambeh Country in the coming days.
H: What else does Wildheart have in store to look forward to this year?
WH: We will be hitting the road with friends new and old this year, so interstate friends, keep your eyes peeled. We’d love the opportunity to get back to places like Adelaide/Kaurna where we had such a blast at Unify Off the Record last year, as well as new places we’ve never played like Hobart/Nipaluna in Tasmania or even Perth/Boorloo (so if anyone reading has those connections swing us a DM). We have also been back in the studio working on a new record, so it shouldn’t be too long before new material is hitting your ears.
For more information, visit https://www.wearewildheart.com.au/
