Beloved Australian singer songwriter, Bob Evans has released his anticipated sixth studio album Tomorrowland, a glorious record written about the passage of time, and the mystery of the past and the future.
The album is being followed by a national Tomorrowland tour set with 14 shows around Australia, making its way to play Noosaville at The V Room (Villa Noosa Hotel) on Saturday 17 July.
The tour will be supported by Siobhan Cotchin (excluding Frost and Fire and Castlemaine).For those that are out of the loop, Bob Evans is the ARIA-winning alter ego of Jebediah frontman Kevin Mitchell who has graced the Australian music scene for more than two decades and has written some of the country’s most adored songs.
With an extensive back catalogue of well-crafted songs full of meaningful, considered lyrics buoyed by that familiar voice, it’s safe to say the latest Bob Evans offering is in sync.
Mitchell poignantly explains, “I found that many of the songs and the lyrics I was writing were tied up in and wrapped around time.”
“The album starts with a song called ‘Born Yesterday’, which is about feeling nostalgic for my early adulthood and ends with a song called ‘End of the Day’, which is about the troubling uncertainty I feel about the future and how I reconcile that with being a parent of young children.”So I found that most of the songs are dealing with the mystery of the past and the future in some kind of way. In many ways the past is as much a mystery as the unknown future. Memories are funny things and our perspective on the past is constantly changing with time and as we age.”
Over five albums, Bob Evans has cemented his place in Australia as being the acoustic melody king, the folk/rock alternative whose songs became favourites, then beloved and finally classics.
Tomorrowland was born during the Covid19 global pandemic, a turbulent time full of great uncertainty for every human the world over, but the result is euphoric, sparkling – a luminescent rock record from an unstoppable songsmith. “Every time an album is released it feels special, a small but significant accomplishment,” Mitchell said.
“This one feels a little extra than normal though, having been born out of such tumultuous times.
“I’ve never waited so long between the studio and release day before which was hard because I knew I was sitting on something good and I’m just so glad people are finally hearing it.”I went into recording this album feeling refreshed, as if I was beginning a whole new chapter for Bob Evans, one with more electric guitars, a live band actually playing live in a room together and not fussing over perfection but striving for feel.”There are influences and production aesthetics that I have never brought in to my world before and the end result is one that I’m immensely proud of as being a record unlike any I’ve made before.”
And Kevin Mitchell is thrilled at the idea of getting back on stages to play for fans around the country, performing a bunch of tracks from the new record and of course all the longstanding fan faves too.
“I didn’t want this record to be released without any shows to back it up, so we waited and waited and now finally the coast looks at least clear enough to be able to announce a ‘Tomorrowland’ tour that is COVID safe and gets to visit a bunch of cities in different states of Australia,” Mitchell said.“I feel like this tour is going to be celebrating not just ‘Tomorrowland’ but also the joy of being able to go to shows again and experience that strange undying love we all have for a sticky carpet, perhaps a drink or two and someone on stage singing songs and telling tall stories.”
Tomorrowland is out now via Dew Process.
Tickets to the Tomorrowland tour are on sale now from www.bobevans.com/tour
For your chance to win a double pass to see Bob Evans in Noosaville head to noosatoday.com.au/competitions
