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Blackchords have been chosen to support Jet and Powderf… Read Full Bio ↴LATEST NEWS:

Blackchords have been chosen to support Jet and Powderfinger on Oct 29th at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. This is Powderfinger's last ever tour and their last ever show in Melbourne.

Check out our new single 'As Night Falls' right here on Last.FM 'As Night Falls' was written specifically for new Australian suspense drama ‘BLAME’ directed by Michael Henry. 'These Lights' taken from the debut album also features in the film's trailer.

Blackchords released their self-titled debut album on October 5 through Dust Devil Music/Stomp. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Blackchords, fronted by songwriter Nick Milwright, have been widely acclaimed on their native turf (“One of the best Australian debut releases”, Reverb Magazine) with critics raving that their darkly majestic collection of understated songs recalls the best bits of Ryan Adams, Elbow and Jeff Buckley. “So far the response has been really positive, especially from the fans,” says Nick. “We strive to write music that moves and connects with people. It’s the reason we want to play professionally.”

Highlights include opening track ‘At World’s End’, which leaks a despair that defies its upbeat arrangement. Richly-scored ballads, ‘22’, and ‘These Lights,’ capture the quietness of intimacy, whilst ‘Broken Bones’ sees Milwright ponder existential matters: “This endless ride has got me I know/I’ve been holding on by a thread/falling towards the end, but I have been held by a thousand hands/we can scream out loud ’cause we’re all on this ride I know”. In ‘Raise My Hands,’ Milwright mourns “the thread coming undone/love it comes and goes” accompanied by a sympathetic string section; and ‘Disappear’ offers an introspective, ambivalent close to the album: “just give me a minute to gather my thoughts/disappear now”.

From an early age, and a childhood spent with, as Nick puts it, "the usual suspects" (The Beatles, Cat Stevens, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell & Van Morrison) Nick knew that there was something drawing him to music, but it wasn't until his early twenties that he was to pursue it full time. In the meantime he tried following in the footsteps of his family – and joined the military. Soon realizing that this wasn't for him, he left to begin training full time in Ballet and contemporary dance at one of Australia’s top dance schools, the VCA. Finally, forced to rest for 6 months after an injury, he decided to open his mouth. "It was something like taking a plunge off this huge cliff, and I'd been too scared to confront it for so long,” he says. “In the end I had to accept that the desire would never leave, and the real regret would be to grow old and to have never given it a shot.”

After collectively finishing uni or working in badly paid jobs, Blackchords began to take shape in 2005, their name originating, says Nick, “down in the belly of a bluestone basement”. In 2006 they created quite a stir when, as an unsigned band, their video for ‘Broken Bones’ won first place at Melbourne’s prestigious St Kilda Film Festival. In 2008 the same song went on to become a double finalist in the ISC (International Songwriting Competition, for best rock song & video). “I really love working with filmmakers and artists to help create the Blackchords landscape,” says Nick.

In 2008 the band were signed to Dust Devil Music, and began work on their debut full-length album. "In the beginning we were almost an alt country band. Then we found ourselves trying to resemble instrumental rock bands like Explosions In The Sky. Now I feel like we've found our own feet and sound like Blackchords. I knew we were walking the right path after hearing the first notes of the cello on ‘Raise My Hands.’ The whole time when the string quartet was recording I just sat there. I had goose bumps down my spine.”

So, now that ‘Blackchords’ is complete and ready to be set free, what does the future hold for the band? "We're just eager to get out there and push it as far as it can go. Blackchords want to make music for the rest of our lives and get better and better as musicians. If we can do that we’ll be very happy."

A Thin Line
Blackchords Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

To walk
Through this life
From the unknown
To see the days
I left behind

My body
is asleep

but my mind
runs wild

And the words like water
and the skin is smoke
You show me
what I failed
to find

My body is asleep,
and my mind runs wild
My body is asleep,
and my mind runs wild
To walk
through this life
Into the unknown

To see the days
I left behind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Blackchords's song A Thin Line suggests a sense of reflection and contemplation. The first verse begins with the idea of journeying through life, and the idea of looking back on past days. The second verse appears to delve deeper into the idea of being trapped in one's own thoughts or mind despite physical weariness. The lyrics touch on the idea of wanting to find something, but not knowing where to look or search.

The lines "And the words like water and the skin is smoke, You show me what I failed to find" seems to suggest that the person is learning and realizing something that they were previously unaware of. The lyrics seem to focus on the contrast between physical and mental states, and the idea that one's mind can take them places that their physical body cannot achieve.

Overall, the song seems to touch on themes of self-discovery, introspection, and the struggle between internal thoughts and external realities.

Line by Line Meaning

To walk
Embarking on a journey

Through this life
The journey is through the experience of living

From the unknown
Starting the journey without knowledge of what lies ahead

To see the days
Reflecting on the past experiences

I left behind
The past experiences that are no longer present

My body
The physical form

is asleep
The physical body is at rest

but my mind
The non-physical part of oneself

runs wild
Is filled with various thoughts and ideas

And the words like water
The flow of words are abundant