Escape is a spine-tingling, emotive ballad that details wide open roads, stormy ocean landscapes and the heart-wrenching end of Fields’ marriage. Building to a pinnacle of rich, lush guitar chords and a soaring, richly orchestrated chorus, this is the musical manifestation of heartbreak: grieving, homesick, and nowhere to go but into song.

NEW ALBUM WATER OUT NOW

Recorded in three days, beside the ocean, under the light of the full moon. What could be more soulful or intriguing?

So it is that award-winning songwriter, broadcaster and widely adored live performer, Kerryn Fields offers to the world her new LP, Water - a timeless, fearless, and deeply captivating homage to the full spectrum of human emotion. 

Fuelled by humility, integrity and a raw clarity of vision, Kerryn Fields paints enduring musical portraits that detail the colour and feeling of everything that keeps us alive. Drawing comparisons with the likes of Cat Stevens, Townes Van Zandt, Joan Baez, Neil Young, and more, Fields’ trademark warmth of character - evident in both life and music - depicts a creative offering that’s equal parts stirring, refined and heartrendingly beautiful.

As one would expect, new album Water is just as breathtaking. Opening track and November 2020 single, Atlantis has Fields’ extraordinary vibrato front-and-centre, the instrumentation lush and thoughtful but satisfyingly spacious and seasoned with Jen Anderson’s sophisticated fiddle playing (Archie Roach, Weddings Parties Anything, Alyce Platt). 

Queenie, on the other hand (released in March 2021) is a rolling, hope-filled ballad offering delightful, uncomplicated aural comparisons with the likes of Dylan and his contemporaries. It showcases Fields’ stunning lyrical genius and effortless vocals, her lightheartedness and warmth of character shining through the dark.

“The album all started with the end of my marriage. I found myself along the Great Ocean Road, grieving and homesick with nowhere to go.”

“It was only a matter of time before I started metabolising the grief, sending demos to Fraser (Montgomery). We decided to return to where these songs were born - but this time, to record.”

“Starting at the end of a relationship. Recording something joyous where I once found myself hopeless and lost. This is a record of beautiful, circular processes,” Kerryn says.

Recorded live to tape with vocals, guitars, drums and upright bass all in one room and take, listeners will love the sense of authenticity and freedom embodied by the record’s production. There’s a richness and warmth to the sound, almost as if Fields’ exemplary collective of musicians can be heard smiling to - and eyeing off - one another.

And that’s just it. This record? Just like Fields herself, it’s joy and human nature exemplified. 

Water is produced by Kerryn Fields and Fraser  Montgomery (Ash Grunwald, Tracy McNeil, Dan Parsons), engineered by Fraser Montgomery and mixed/mastered by Adam Dempsey (Courtney Barnett, Didirri, Angie McMahon). The album features Joshusa Barber (drums) Ben Franz (upright bass, pedal steel), Jen Anderson (fiddle), Harley Stewart (electric  guitar), Ryan Brewer (piano, hammond, rhodes) and additional vocals by Sam Lohs, Rosie Burgess, Mitch Finglas and Jarryn Phegan.

Escape

'Nowhere Faster' from debut album Rascal 
Available via iTunes / Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud / Website
www.kerrynfields.com 

Written by Kerryn Fields 
Kerryn Fields - Guitars, vocals 
Jane Hole - Guitars, bass, backing vocals
Cat Leahy - Drums & percussion 

Mixed & Mastered by Michael Gonthier / Shredd Studios 


Nowhere Faster

“A joyous presence.” 
TheMusic.com

“An incredible voice. Pure magic.”
Radio13 NZ

“An unexpected surprise.”
13th Floor

Fuelled by humility, integrity and a raw clarity of vision, Kerryn Fields paints enduring musical portraits that detail the colour and feeling of everything that makes us human. 

Drawing comparisons with the likes of timeless creators, Cat Stevens, Townes Van Zandt, Joan Baez, Neil Young, and more, Fields’ trademark warmth of character - evident in both life and music - fuels a creative offering that’s equal parts captivating, refined and heartrendingly insightful. 

It’s for good reason too, because life is something this artist has lived. Fields grew up in Te Kūiti, NZ, a farming community in which both her family and others’ work hard to make ends meet. With Mum on guitar and Dad fuelling an obsession with radio, cassettes and vinyl LPs by all of music’s greats, there was a life lesson in every song of Fields’ childhood. 

With one hand on guitar and the other firmly upon heart, music moved Fields through a time when chronic illness, family separations and the weight of life changes presented this artist with her biggest challenges yet. It would be her relocation to Melbourne during which Fields would settle into her most significant relationship to date: that with her newfound network of fellow career singers, songwriters and performers. Life as she’d known it would change forever. 

Newstead Live Music Festival’s Troubadour Artist of the Year (2019), winner of the MLT Songwriting Award (NZ Country Music Awards 2019) and New Zealand’s Best New Broadcaster (at age 19), Kerryn Fields has released a range of celebrated records including debut LP, Rascal (2015) and award-winning, critically acclaimed single, Mamma (2019).

Sure, her music speaks volumes. But it’s the captivating warmth and courage of this artist that really leaves the audience shining from the inside-out.

Escape

Kerryn Fields

Recent comments

Miaow McDonald

Related tracks