In the lead up to the release of his debut solo album, Thomas Powers – one part of the award-winning New Zealand band The Naked And Famous – has released ‘Empty Voices’ featuring Julien Baker.

Exquisitely delicate, with an air of fragility yet packed with potency, ‘Empty Voices’ delves into the futility of online conflicts.

“It’s an expression of fatigue and indignation, being on the receiving end of a heated, anonymous digital altercation. At the same time, it’s easy to act hypocritically and become a participant in an exchange that leaves everyone feeling despondent,” explains Thomas.

“Social media encourages impulsivity and rewards volatility: if it enrages, it engages. But often, the voices worth listening to are not the loudest – they are careful, measured, and contemplative,” he adds.

Mutual fans of each other’s work, Thomas first made contact with Julien Baker – whose career spans critically acclaimed albums such as LITTLE OBLIVIONS and, most recently, countless accolades, including three Grammy Awards with boygenius – back in 2017 over Twitter. During the quiet of the 2020 lockdown, Thomas reached out again to see if she was interested in collaborating. She was!

“I’m incredibly honored to have Julien’s vocals and writing contributions on ‘Empty Voices,’” says Thomas, who explains that they wrapped up the song at his home studio in Los Angeles. “We blasted through the recording and spent most of our studio time hanging out, watching the sunset up on a hill in Echo Park.”

The essence of ‘Empty Voices’ is captured visually in a stunning video shot by Thomas’ friend and long-time collaborator with The Naked And Famous, the award-winning NZ director Joel Kefali, who has worked with the likes of Lorde, Tame Impala, and Katy Perry.

“Joel has been creating artwork and videos for TNAF since 2007. Back then, we were emerging artists, developing our respective crafts in tandem. I shared the song’s meaning and asked Joel to visually interpret the concept. Filmed entirely in New Zealand, it was important for me to reconnect to my roots,” says Thomas.

For the video, Joel imagined a liminal space that felt like anywhere or nowhere, with two anonymous characters caught in a push-pull dynamic of attraction and rejection, embracing and fighting. “It almost plays out like a life cycle of a relationship. We collaborated with Dance Plant Collective (NZ) to bring the movement to light. I wanted the characters to feel synthetic – made from cheap dollar store detritus with nothing organic in the frame,” he says.

‘Empty Voices’ makes way for the upcoming release of Thomas’ first-ever solo LP, A TYRANT CRYING IN PRIVATE, which also contains the already released tracks ‘Sleep and/or Rest’, ‘Best For You’, ‘Falling Down The Stairs’, ‘Li’ (featuring fellow NZ artist Chelsea Jade) and ‘Permanent Holiday’ (featuring Now, Now).

Thomas is a founding member of The Naked and Famous, which shot to success with indie-pop bangers such as ‘Young Blood’ and ‘Punching In A Dream’. While Thomas describes The Naked And Famous’ music as very much “an authentic artistic endeavour,” it’s his forthcoming debut album that he describes as “unapologetically me.”

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