Track of the Day: Austen “Too High To Cry” (2018)

Austen, a 23 year old songwriter from Brisbane, has dropped the video for her latest single ‘Too High To Cry’ and it’s a red-hued split-screen insight into Austen’s clever writing.

The song is artfully crafted to present the duality of its meaning, with the songwriter suggesting: “I wanted the video to have vulnerable and down to earth moments alongside the head-rush moments that were really high and fun.”

And vulnerability is a big part of this song. The well-crafted art pop tune exposes us to a new side of Austen. Where we interpret the title in the sense of self-medication and ‘getting high to forget’, we see a deeply passionate and torn Austen, masking an internal darkness. Though on a lighter note, we can also interpret the title as referring to a woman who is too high on her own damn life to cry. The Austen who goes out with her friends and has a BALL of a time shines through above that CHVRHCES influenced beat and hook. In both senses, the song is an ode to raw human emotion. If at times a little bit simplistic in lyrical structure, the song takes on some complex ideas and conveys them in the proper Austen way that we’ve come to love.

Austen has also announced her signing to Vita Artists, taking her place next to Peking Duk and Rainbow Chan. She’ll also be performing at Brisbane’s BIGSOUND Festival next month, after being picked to join the line-up of the Triple J Unearthed showcase at the Famous Nightclub.

You can catch Austen at the Triple J Unearthed showcase at Famous Nightclub on Wednesday 5th September as part of BIGSOUND Festival. For more information, and to get tickets click HERE. You can also keep up with the success of this growing Brissy star on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.