Will Ewing and James Ballard explore a new sound on their collaborative single, ‘Ecklin’
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02.11.2020

Will Ewing and James Ballard explore a new sound on their collaborative single, ‘Ecklin’

The pair teamed up to work on a special track in isolation.

Will Ewing and James Ballard, the pair behind ’80s-inspired synthwave outfit September 87, have joined forces for a new release outside of their popular moniker.

Titled ‘Ecklin’, the single is unlike anything we’ve heard from Ewing and Ballard before. Forgoing their signature retro synth-fuelled sound in exchange for a nostalgic happy-sad pop number, the track explores our innate connection to home and the feeling of being far from our loved ones and the places we hold in our hearts.

Penned by Ewing, the single was inspired by his own bout of homesickness.

“We always go to Mum’s country, Ecklin, for Boxing Day. It’s a dairying hamlet. Town Hall, tennis courts, Pop’s house,” says Ewing.

“I was away from family, working in a remote Indigenous community on the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It was Boxing Day and I read Brendan Ryan’s Poem, Ecklin. Made me sad and homesick, so I put something down.”

Later co-written and produced with Ballard, the track serves as a new sonic endeavour for the pair.

Despite being written prior to the isolating lockdowns that have consumed much of 2020, the track is likely to resonate more than ever amidst this period of distance and disconnection.

Recorded, produced and shot in the depths of Melbourne’s lockdown, the accompanying film clip also treads new territory.

Filmed in isolation, the film clip for ‘Ecklin’ features a split-screen effect comprising the track’s various elements, highlighting the multi-layered melody and the pair’s cohesion as a unit.

Watch the film clip for ‘Ecklin’ below. 

‘Ecklin’ is out now. 

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