New music video from The Paradise Riflebirds

Built around the creative partnership between Simon J in Australia and John Tulloch in Edinburgh, The Paradise Riflebirds work across continents as much as they do across genres. The project has never been restricted by geography or style and with both musicians rising from indie and metal backgrounds shaped in the pubs of Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, the music they now create is almost impossible to pin down.

The story of The Paradise Riflebirds stretches back to the late 2000s, when the band existed simply as The Riflebirds in Brisbane. Their debut release, The Riflebirds EP, became one of the earliest records issued by the respected independent label LoFly Records, marking an encouraging beginning for the band. That momentum was interrupted by an extended hiatus during Simon’s wife’s successful battle with cancer, placing music firmly in the background while life understandably demanded greater attention.

The project eventually returned with their 2020 album Victorian Evening which was recorded in part at Ian Haug’s Brisbane studio, introducing a new chapter for the band after years of silence. Their work embraces atmosphere as much as structure, drawing together influences from alternative rock, trip hop, progressive music and doom metal, resulting in a sound that belongs entirely to them. Most recently, while working from opposite sides of the world, they assembled contributors from Bristol, rural France, El Salvador, Tunis and Washington to realise their forthcoming album, transforming distance into one of the defining pillars of their creative vision.

The band now offers another window into this developing body of work through their latest single titled “Much Doom” and although described as the shortest and most accessible piece on the upcoming LP, it still carries the project’s recognisable sonic character. Both dense and dreamlike, the song balances energy with the layered qualities that have become central to The Paradise Riflebirds’ output, offering an inviting entry point while retaining the complexity beneath its surface.

Opened by the delicate blend of gentle guitar plucks, piano notes, waltzing rhythms and hushed vocals, the song sways with soft energy and intricate melodies to craft a moody art rock sound wrapped in drifting atmosphere. Flowing through moments of stripped back arrangement where brooding instrumentation forms an intimate but dark scene, the patter of drums brings the mellow energy back, resulting in a thoroughly consuming listening experience from start to finish. It’s a stunning display of the band’s fiercely original songwriting and performance talent, offering an engaging musical moment that’s sure to win over new and existing fans alike.

Shot in Caracas, Venezuela during November last year and directed by Raven Strauss, the accompanying video centres on a woman in a café watching a live stream of a couple dancing in a nearby park. As events play out, she appears to influence the health of the dancing woman through the screen itself, creating an unsettling context that invites multiple interpretations. The imagery has also taken on additional impact for some viewers in light of events that have occurred in Caracas only weeks later. With a forthcoming album that embraces expansive arrangements, international collaboration and a compelling artistic vision, The Paradise Riflebirds continue to show that some of the most captivating music arise outside familiar settings.

Watch the music video for Much Doom below

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