Rich Webb's 'Love Someone' has a simple but essential message and it comes with a stunning animated video.
Webb is one of Australia’s pre-eminent troubadors, described by this publication as sounding like a Tarantino soundtrack, the lingering scent of stale cigarette smoke, whiskey and dust in the air, and most closely appealing to people with weary ears, tainted hearts and those who just so happen to live in wood cabins.
His latest single ‘Love Someone’ was inspired by Australia’s notorious policies towards refugees and asylum seekers who arrive by boat. It’s the first taste of Rich’s upcoming new album, release date TBA, and it’s accompanied by a captivating video, animated by Matthew Lawes-Wickwar of Other Brother Studios in the UK. You can listen to it across all platforms here.
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The video illustrates the plight of those affected by war, just trying to start their lives over in a safe place. Webb’s lyrical message is simple: all humans deserve to live peacefully, wherever that may be, but his musical arrangements are filled with depth and emotion, layering his refrains across a bed of soft electric guitar, gentle drums, and an exquisite trumpet solo.
“As much as I love Australia, we are really crap at managing refugees and asylum seekers and have been for many years,” Webb says.
“It’s totally wrong and needs to change like, yesterday. We’re all human and in many ways, we are the same. We love the same, we feel the same, we hurt the same. I wanted to write a really simple song that addressed that basic feeling…to get to the core of the issue, which is simply about having love and empathy for someone else.
“Matthew and I put the video’s storyline together around war, which leads to refugees, who are scared and running away, forced to leave their homes and live in camps, leave by boats, who endure shockingly tough conditions to get somewhere to safety…who are ultimately picked up by Australian border security and placed in detention…where ultimately, the ‘big hand’ of Australia says, ‘no, you can’t come in.”
Webb won Alt-Country Album Of The Year and Alt-Country Single Of The Year at the Independent Music Awards in 2019. ‘Love Someone’ was co-produced alongside Rohan Sforcina (Bernard Fanning, Kate Miller-Heidke) and will be released on Rich’s own record label All Killer Music.
Visit Rich Webb’s website here, or follow him on Facebook here and Instagram here.
