Setting out with a computer folder filled with tracks that didn’t fit the mold of his former project Hellions, Matthew Gravolin has scattered love and light throughout a year that has often delivered quite the contrary with his new project Agnes Manners. Joined by bandmates Lachlan Monty, Alexander Trail, and CJ James, today brings the release of the Melbourne-based band’s highly anticipated debut record, ‘Fantasia Famish’.
The debut effort is varied in its tone, moving between light and shade with each track, but its distinctive theatrical elements combined with Gravolin’s recognisably sweet vocals have allowed it to carve out a place of its own. Fans of pop, folk, punk and rock will all find a home within ‘Fantasia Famish’.
“The writing and recording of Fantasia Famish was a rite of passage in every way,” says Gravolin. “It’s the sound of me falling in love while grieving the loss of my father, it’s the airing of long-hoarded grievances with pompous people and trends, it’s a celebration of my femininity and the realisation of its power. It is an admission of addiction and of guilt, it is the changing of a name and a catalyst for change.”
The record features some familiar voices, with Charlotte “CJ” Gilpin of Welsh post-hardcore outfit Dream State lending her powerhouse vocals on the romantic ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ as well as upbeat final single ‘Forest Swing’, which was originally written for Hellions. Trophy Eyes’ own John Floreani made an appearance on early single ‘Sydney’, which the two collaborated on throughout the record’s writing process.