RICH WEBB :
Troubadour Rich Webb is back with a brand new single Love Someone, a heartfelt and vulnerable track inspired by the poor treatment of asylum seekers in Australia. The moving song is released today, and is accompanied by a stunning animated video that illustrates the plight of those affected by war, seeking a safe place to start their lives over. The expressive video was animated by Matthew Lawes-Wickwar of Other Brother Studios in the UK.
Love Someone has a simple, but essential message – all humans deserve to live peacefully, and be treated with empathy and respect wherever they may be and wherever they may be from. The message is delivered poetically by Rich, across a bed of soft electric guitar, gentle drums, and an exquisite trumpet solo. The overall result evokes influences such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and feels like the perfect intersection of country and folk.
Speaking on the heavy inspiration for the track, Rich says, “As much as I love Australia, we are really crap at managing asylum seekers and refugees, and have been for many years. It’s totally wrong and should have been addressed years ago. We’re all human and in many ways, we are the same. We love the same, we feel the same, we hurt the same. We all deserve to be treated the same, with empathy, love and respect. 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.”
The video for Love Someone is minimal, which allows the viewer to focus heavily on the images and stories being portrayed by Matthew Lawes-Wickwar’s gorgeous animation style. Images of refugees and asylum seekers moving through the world are set alongside images of the song being played, and the result is a cohesive and emotional tapestry of experience that will stay with you.
As Rich explains, “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, we can’t help you.’”
This talented songwriter, who has won a slew of awards including Alt-Country Album Of The Year and Alt-Country Single Of The Year at the Independent Music Awards in 2019, is seasoned, classic and refined, yet remains observant, contemporary, and interesting as he continues to develop his sound with each release. Love Someone, co-produced alongside Rohan Sforcina (Bernard Fanning,Kate Miller-Heidke) and released on Rich’s own record label All Killer Music, is the first taste of Rich’s new album. The LP has no release date yet, but if Love Someone is anything to go by, it will be a beautiful collection of tracks that come right from the heart.
Love Someone is out today, February 25.
