Australian Story Teller Alex The Astronaut Finds Comfort In Harry Potter & More With New Track “Split The Sky” + Emotional New Video
April 3, 2020 BY Nettwerk
“so adept at writing pop songs that capture the rush of young love, friendship, confusion, sadness and all those messy situations that dominate your early 20s” – The Guardian
“For fans of Courtney Barnett and positivity: this one from Australia’s Alex the Astronaut is a song we all need on our playlist.” – Refinery29 re: “I Think You’re Great”
“A baggy beat and chiming guitars propel Alex the Astronaut’s first single for 2020 into rare air, as syllables skip and positive platitudes prevail.” – The Guardian re: “I Think You’re Great”
Singer, songwriter & storyteller Alex The Astronaut shared her latest single “Split the Sky,” available now via Nettwerk. The Australian musician’s timely track is about life coming at you fast and having to get through a tough time by rising to the occasion while, at the same time, asking herself “If I sit here and watch Harry Potter, will I be alright?” (a feeling we all know too well right now…). Hear “Split the Sky” here: https://awal.ffm.to/splitthesky.
Alex notes: “Right now, like billions of people around the world, I feel like I’ve been put in a blender and shaken up. Sometimes I would like to stop all these very scary things from happening and go back to being in primary school and feeling protected from it. ‘Split the Sky’ is a message of hope that I was trying to get myself to understand that, no matter what happens, there will always be that kid waiting–that the seasons will fall around and you’ll be in the sun again at some point. Watching Harry Potter is good for me and helps me to go back to how I felt back then.”
She has also shared the video for the song, which features clips from all of her previous videos. “‘Split the Sky’ felt like my early life crisis and so it only made sense to make the video out of videos that I’d made for other moments in my song-filled life,” says Alex. “Lupa J, who edited the video, is a true genius for putting them together in such a beautiful story. This video made me cry, it has so many people I love in it. I hope it makes you cry too but in a happy cathartic good way.”
Watch + Share “Split The Sky”
Alex previously shared her single and accompanying video for “I Think You’re Great” which has received praise from the likes of The Guardian, Refinery29, Brooklyn Vegan and, most recently, NPR Music’s All Songs Considered. The track is a shout out to a cherished friendship and a recognition of the need to check in on each other, opening up conversations and supporting friends through thick and thin
Watch + Share “I Think You’re Great”
A talented soccer player, Alex Lynn moved from Sydney to New York on a soccer scholarship in 2017 and studied Math and Physics at Long Island University. It was while she was in the US that she turned a streak of bold new life experiences into heart-swelling, folk-inflected pop songs under the name Alex the Astronaut. On her first EP, To Whom It May Concern, the track “Already Home” was an epistle from the streets of NYC: “there’s billionaires for presidents / And parking fines at hospitals.”
It was followed up by “Not Worth Hiding,” a frank letter to her 16-year old self about gender and sexuality. An unofficial anthem of the Australian Gay Marriage referendum, it became one of Triple Js hottest tracks of the year and was endorsed by Elton John on his Beats 1 show. She closed 2018 with a crowd pleaser and festival favorite “Happy Song.” 2019 saw her release the single “I Like to Dance,” and tour Europe with fellow Australian’s Hollow Coves.
From just two years ago when she was demoing ideas in a New York dormitory and simply “wanting to be good enough to write songs,” she’s now commanding packed rooms and confidently honing her craft. Along the way, Alex has taken her music to the stages of international festivals like The UK’s Great Escape, Primavera Sound in Spain and Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival. For Alex the Astronaut, the universe is quickly expanding. She just announced new tour dates for this fall in Europe and look for North American dates to be announced soon!
“Split The Sky” is available everywhere now via Nettwerk worldwide excl. Australia/New Zealand (AWAL). Stay tuned for more news and music from Alex The Astronaut.
